The Association of Professional Sales (APS) in partnership with the Association of Bid Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) is celebrating a new milestone in business development.
The APS, working with APMP UK, has been approved by Ofqual, the government?s exam regulator, to be end point assessors for an apprenticeship in bid and proposal management.
Bid and proposal professionals are key to how companies win work. Apprentices are trained across various business teams to learn the whole process of bid management, from tracking pipeline opportunities, through customer engagement, competitive tendering, presentations, negotiations, contract award, to implementation and delivery.
The apprenticeship for bid proposal coordinators runs for 18-24 months. The course is already raising the skills base of the wider UK sales profession and has the backing of organisations like Aviva, NG Bailey, Lloyds, Costain, Canon and DHL who were involved in creating the initial apprenticeship standard.
The first cohort of apprentices began their courses in 2019 and will have their final assessments by the APS over the coming month. About 60 apprentices are already on the programme with training from JGA Group and RHG Consult.
Dan Hodgetts, APS head of operations and quality said: “We are delighted that Ofqual has given the APS its approval to begin end point assessment for the level three bid and proposal apprenticeship.
“Working with APMP UK, the APS is setting the benchmark for this important qualification from sign-up to certification.
“The APS is pleased to add this apprenticeship to the growing portfolio of assessments that we are developing over the next 18 months.
“This is an important endorsement of the work the APS is doing to develop career paths in sales. High quality training is raising the bar for skilled sales professionals working across a variety of sectors.”
John Usher, APMP UK chief development officer said: “It’s great to be working alongside the APS, winning Ofqual approval to assess this important business apprenticeship.
“Bid proposal apprentices will develop commercial skills that are essential to organisations and valued across all sectors.
“This is a very accessible programme. It has an excellent course structure that gives apprentices a step-by-step training in creating strong, customer-focused proposals and opens the door to a rewarding business career.”
About the APMP
APMP UK is the UK chapter of the Association of Bid Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), the representative body for professionals in bid, proposal and capture management.
Founded in 2001, APMP UK promotes the professional growth of its members by advancing the arts, sciences and technologies of winning business.