Introduction

iSales Academy Limited has developed this Business Continuity Plan to ensure that it possesses the necessary processes to prevent and respond to potential threats that could adversely affect its operations.
A five-step process has been implemented to guarantee that all risks are thoroughly assessed, resulting in a definitive plan of action aimed at minimising risks and preparing for a variety of potential incidents.

The Five-Step Process:

1. Acceptance of business continuity
This plan has the full support of the managing director and the senior managers. It has been communicated to all staff and is actively promoted. It is reviewed at least annually or in the event of significant change of staff, systems, or working practices.

2. Understanding your business & assessing the risks to it
When creating this plan, a comprehensive review of business activities was conducted, including an assessment of products and services.
A review of staff with responsibilities for business continuity activities was conducted to ensure that adequate training has been provided.
Working with staff members, we have considered a full range of disaster scenarios and the steps the business will take to return to business as quickly as possible, including but not limited to the following potential incidents that could become significant events:

  • Major Illness
  • Terrorist Attacks
  • Cyber Attacks
  • Travel Restrictions
  • Restricted Access to Premises
  • Severe Weather
  • Outbreak of Disease or Infection

The business acknowledges that any of these issues could occur at any time, including during the day, at night, at weekends, or on holidays. This has been factored into the business continuity plan.
In addition, this plan has taken into consideration the maximum length of time during which the business can manage a disruption to apprenticeship provision, thereby reducing the risk for learners and employers and ensuring that service agreements are not breached.

3. Developing a strategy to deal with business risks
Having identified the risks and potential incidents that could result in terms of continuity of delivering apprenticeship programs in alignment with DfE guidelines, we have discussed and developed a strategy that covers the identified major areas to mitigate risks:

  • Systems and Recovery: In the event of a disaster that impacts systems and technology, including but not limited to Cyberattacks, the priority will be to recover data and resume business as usual as soon as possible.
    The company has spare equipment and an agreement with its IT Support Organisation, Equity Networks, whereby a replacement laptop can be prepared and delivered within 48 hours. This is made possible because all systems, portals, and databases are delivered through secure cloud systems.
    Data is backed up for all core systems, and all data is processed in accordance with DfE guidance and GDPR. The Data Protection Offer is responsible for ensuring that iSales remains compliant with GDPR and will act as the point of contact for the ICO in the event of any data breach. Refer to the Data Protection Policy for additional information on data management.
  • Staff and Skills: In the event of an incident that affects a course lead and is expected to continue for four weeks or more, such as a significant illness, infection, or disease, we have built resilience to cover key staff personally temporarily should they be absent for extended periods.
    Cross-training tutors and course leaders achieve this, and through maintaining excellent quality assurance in terms of individual record-keeping, enables the temporary or permanent transfer of learners to new tutors or assessors. These have been set up in the e-portfolio, allowing for immediate access to learner records for a seamless handover.
    iSales Academy will then add further resilience through hiring specialist trainers and assessors in alignment with growth plans and where absences are prolonged.
    In the improbable event that iSales Academy could no longer deliver training for any reason, the EPAO and DfE would be contacted immediately to discuss options regarding a complete and detailed handover to an alternative training provider. Employers would also be consulted as part of this process.
    OneFile would enable this process because, through following best practice, a complete and detailed audit trail and progress reviews would allow for a comprehensive handover. This would include pulling detailed reports regarding each learner to support a seamless process. iSales Academy is fully committed to every learner they work with and will take all necessary steps to ensure that all learners can achieve their preferred destinations.
  • Transportation Needs: Training consultants are encouraged to use public transport wherever possible and/or carpool to reduce iSales’ negative environmental impact.
    Employers will be contacted if learners have special transportation needs, allowing them to arrange alternative transportation and ensure attendance at planned training and events.
    All classroom training sessions can be adapted without notice to be delivered virtually via MS Teams at the employer’s discretion.
  • Travel Restrictions, Restricted Access to Premises or Severe Weather: In the event of transport strikes, major road closures, severe weather, or when employers choose to reduce access to their premises for infection control reasons, we will offer virtual learning as an alternative and/or agree to reschedule, provided this does not result in a break in learning.
    All classroom training sessions can be adapted without notice to be delivered virtually via MS Teams.
  • Alternative Operating Locations: iSales has an arrangement in place with the West Herts College Group whereby their multiple college locations can be booked for training purposes. iSales also has agreements in place with larger employers, whereby meeting rooms can be utilised for cohort training, often this is their preference to reduce travel time and expense. A budget has been reserved for hiring training rooms. Nationwide organisations, such as Regus Office Space, offer the flexibility required.
  • Life-Threatening Emergencies / Terror Attacks: All staff are trained in health and safety and are required to complete a risk assessment, as well as provide awareness training for new learners, when delivering group training sessions outside the workplace. Awareness training includes the RUN-HIDE-TELL training provided by the police force.

4. Developing and implementing the plan
Senior management, as well as all tutors and assessors, are involved in the ongoing development and implementation of this plan. Although reviewed annually, additional reviews are conducted as part of our quality management process and review meetings, where we discuss whether any changes are required to meet the specific needs of new employers, cohorts, or when considering the introduction of new apprenticeship standards or the deployment of new systems.

5. Testing and regularly reviewing the plan
The Managing Director will conduct a full review of this plan at least annually or more frequently to ensure it remains fit for purpose as iSales Academy Limited grows both in size and complexity.
The plan will be tested at least annually by the Head of Apprenticeship Training to ensure, for example, that learners’ learning resources and portfolios can be accessed by the designated alternative tutor for each cohort of learners.
OneFile reports that will show the status of all planned activities and outstanding tasks, allowing for a seamless handover.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Managing Director will coordinate all activities in the event of an emergency or crisis, including managing communication with staff, employers and learners. The Head of Apprenticeship Training will provide resilience and will undertake tasks as instructed or take the lead in managing communication in the Managing Director’s absence.
The Managing Director’s primary role is to provide clear direction, support, and guidance to the Head of Apprenticeship Training, training staff, and learners as required. Other stakeholders, where applicable, include awarding bodies, EPAOs, employers, and the Department for Education (DfE).

Communication Methods

Various communication methods can be utilised to enable effective communication between a range of stakeholders, for example:

  • Telephone/mobile – Staff have a company-issued mobile, and this is usually the preferred option to ensure a rapid response, for example, in the event of an emergency
  • Email – Can be used for sharing more detailed updates with different stakeholders
  • System-generated messages – Can be used to communicate with groups of learners, employers, and staff
  • WhatsApp groups – Can be used to communicate quickly and securely with key stakeholders, including staff and cohorts of learners
  • Website & social media channels – Depending on the situation, social media may be utilised to share information and communicate with some stakeholders where applicable. This could include messages posted on the website, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Tutors are all aware of their responsibility to communicate as soon as it is safe to do so with the MD or other designated people in their absence, or in the event of an emergency. They are aware that they must then continue to relay critical information and updates so that ongoing communications can be managed appropriately with key stakeholders.

Emergency Contact Details for BCP
Lisa Clark: Managing Director lisa@isalesacademy.co.uk 07967 176 571
Kate Carter: Head of Apprenticeships kate@isalesacademy.co.uk 07715 574 619
Equity Support Desk/IT Support: https://equitynetworks.co.uk 0330 3331 888

Version last updated June 2025.