---
title: "Pathway to Devolution Pilot - Free Courses for Jobs"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Cheshire East Council"
published: "2026-08-24"
---

# Pathway to Devolution Pilot - Free Courses for Jobs

Buyer: Cheshire East Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75.json)

## Summary

Cheshire East Council commissioned free education and training courses for people who need support to enter employment, under the Pathway to Devolution Pilot – Free Courses for Jobs. The requirement covers the delivery of courses intended to help individuals gain the skills or qualifications needed for employment. It is a public services opportunity in the education and training sector, classified under CPV 80000000. Delivery relates to Cheshire East, with the buying organisation based in Crewe. The requirement was arranged as one completed lot. It is relevant to colleges, training providers and other organisations able to deliver employment-focused learning for local residents and support learners through their route into work.

The procurement has been awarded and the tender is complete. Cheshire College South and West was selected for the single lot through a below-threshold limited competition under the light-touch regime. The award was made on 7 August 2026 and the contract was signed that day. The active contract runs from 7 August 2026 to 31 July 2027 and is valued at £79,993.20 gross. The contract was originally intended to start on 1 August 2026, but signing was delayed and the recorded start date could not be backdated. Performance is assessed against delivery against plan, learner outcomes, teaching, learning and assessment quality, leadership and management, and learners’ personal development, behaviour and welfare.

This award identifies a defined local market for employment-focused education and training commissioned by Cheshire East Council. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need to design and deliver free courses that lead towards entry into employment, while supporting learners to achieve clear outcomes. The buyer’s performance measures show that providers must demonstrate reliable delivery against an agreed plan, positive outcomes for learners, strong teaching, learning and assessment, effective leadership and management, and attention to personal development, behaviour and welfare. Colleges and established training providers with the capacity to manage learner cohorts, evidence educational quality and report against these outcome areas are the closest fit for this requirement.

## Notice

Contract for the provision of free courses to support individuals with entry into employment The contract start date was 1 Aug 2026, however there was a delay with signing of the contract, FTS will not allow backdated contract start dates which has resulted in the contract start date showing incorrectly on this notice.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080323-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - limited competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 7 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 7 Aug 2026 - 31 Jul 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £79,993 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Cheshire East Council |
| Locality | CREWE |
| Postcode area | Crewe |
| Postcode | CW1 2JZ |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD6 Cheshire |
| ITL 3 | TLD62 Cheshire East |
| Local authority | Cheshire East |
| Electoral ward | Crewe Central |
| Westminster constituency | Crewe and Nantwich |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Cheshire College South and West |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80000000 - Education and training services

## Release History

- 24 Aug 2026 at 12:51 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080323-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080323-2026
  24th August 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.ccsw.ac.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ea75.json.