The National Apprenticeship Service number is 0800 0150 600. They may be able to send a list of providers in areas you are looking at however it is not ethical for them to make recommendations.
As a large employer we have a contact at the Education and Skills Funding Agency, the government agency responsible for contracting approved suppliers. Bruce Hollobone is the area lead for higher education and can be contacted on 07712403101 or by email, Bruce.HOLLOBONE@education.gov.uk.
All apprenticeship providers are subject to Ofsted inspections and reports can be found at https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk. These reports will give an indication of the inspectorate’s quality assessment and information regarding the range of areas a provider covers, the numbers of apprentices they have and the sub-contractors they use.
Providers who have a direct government approved contract will be on the Register of approved Apprenticeship Training Providers. Other providers may be available but these are likely to be a sub-contractor of one of the direct government approved providers.