Government investigators have recovered £190,000 in “overpayments” from a now-closed apprenticeship provider after finding inaccurate and unevidenced funding claims.
A Department for Education investigation found that between 2022 and 2025, Woodspeen Training Management made a series of funding claims that were inaccurate, breached contractual rules, or were for training that did not take place.
It followed a separate DfE investigation into Woodspeen’s smaller subsidiary, Jarvis Training Management, published earlier this month, which found £14,000 in inaccurate or unevidenced claims.
Before its offshore owners placed it in liquidation last September, West Yorkshire-based Woodspeen Training had about 1,800 apprentices in business, care, and health, while Jarvis Training Management had more than 100 apprentices.
But a DfE financial investigation was launched in October 2024, and an Ofsted inspection in March last year judged the company’s training as ‘requires improvement’ over concerns about apprentices leaving early.
According to an investigation outcome report published today, officials have recovered Woodspeen’s £189,527 in overpayments “in full”.
However, it is unclear how the funding was recovered as the DfE is not listed as a creditor in liquidator’s reports.
Insolvency practitioner Mark Reynolds, of Valentine & Co, who is overseeing the liquidation, refused to comment.
Brief summaries of the overpayments, detailed in the DfE investigation report, said Woodspeen breached funding rules through “non-compliant breaks in learning” that led to inaccurate data submissions.
Data showed apprentices were recorded as being “on a break in learning” for one to four years, meaning they were effectively “unengaged” in learning.
The company claimed payments for apprentices who continued learning “significantly” beyond their planned end dates or when “no apprenticeship training was delivered”.
In one case in 2024-25, company emails showed staff updating records for a funding claim in September, despite the last meeting taking place in June.
A separate investigation report into Jarvis Training Management found overclaimed funding for 11 apprentices with evidence “inaccurately recorded and inaccurately reported” to DfE.
According to Companies House, JTM is owned by Woodspeen Training which itself is ultimately owned by Alphen Trust, an independent investment advisory and asset management company based in Zurich, Switzerland.
Alphen Trust also owns global project management training businesses ILX Group and Progility.
Australian businessman Blake Bos, director of Woodspeen and Jarvis Training Management, signed off their voluntary liquidation in October last year after the DfE terminated their apprenticeship contracts.
In Valentine & Co’s ‘statement of affairs’ for Woodspeen, published on Companies House, the business left behind debts of £2.5 million.
This includes £800,000 to Jarvis Training Management, £500,000 to West Yorkshire Combined Authority, £307,000 to employees, and £446,000 to Progility Finco Ltd, which is owned by the same parent company.
Jarvis Training Management also left behind £300,000 in debts, including £175,000 to employees.
The DfE declined to comment.
Alphen Trust was contacted for comment.
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