Apprenticeship reforms

The reforms introduce “Apprenticeship Assessment” to replace End-Point Assessment (EPA). Assessments can now take place throughout the programme, not just at the end. Plans are shorter, more flexible, and focus on occupational competence.

Employers have a greater role in verifying behaviours and training providers can mark some assessments, with Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations (AAOs) moderating for reliability. 

Skills England publishes and develops assessment plans, while Ofqual regulates Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations to ensure validity and reliability. Employers, providers and assessment organisations all have defined roles in shaping and delivering assessments.

Assessment plans now include:

• Assessment details (principles, sampling, timing, marking)
• Assessment of behaviours (employer verification)
• Assessment outcomes (mapped to occupational standards)
• Assessment requirements (specific priorities)
• Performance descriptors (criteria for pass and higher grades)

Grading is designed to be clear, meaningful and proportionate to the occupation and assessment method. Performance descriptors outline what is required for a pass and any grades above pass, and successful apprentices will still receive an official apprenticeship certificate. In most cases, the Apprenticeship Assessment Organisation records the result and triggers certification through the apprenticeship service.

The new plans are designed to be simpler and more flexible. They focus on the core assessment requirements and principles, while leaving more of the detailed assessment design to Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations within the rules.

Assessment plans now set the outcomes that must be assessed and any minimum method requirements, rather than prescribing every task in detail. Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations then design the specific assessment tools and tasks within that framework, making the approach more adaptable while still protecting consistency and quality.

The new model is designed to reduce unnecessary prescription and allow assessment to be tailored more closely to the occupation. By combining clearer principles with more flexible delivery, it aims to create a more proportionate approach for employers, providers and Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations.

Foundation Apprenticeships are new entry-level pathways for young people (typically 16–21, with some exceptions for care leavers and those with EHCPs up to 24). They combine workplace experience with off-the-job learning and offer incentives for completion. Funding is focused on younger learners.

English and maths are no longer mandatory for apprentices aged 19+ at the start of their apprenticeship. Requirements remain for younger learners, with study towards Level 1 or Level 2 as appropriate.

As of January 2026, government funding for Level 7 apprenticeships focuses on young people aged 16–21, care leavers, and those with EHCPs under 25. Apprentices who started before January 2026 will continue to be funded through to completion.

Consistency, independence and quality will be maintained through Apprenticeship Assessment Organisation oversight and external regulation. Ofqual’s regulatory framework supports valid and reliable assessment through principles-based design, moderation and sampling, while the Office for Students oversees relevant higher education provision.

• Policy consultation: June–August 2025
• Technical consultation: Winter 2026
• Final regulatory framework: Spring 2026
• All standards revised by August 2026, with updates in tranches.

Current EPAs will continue under the existing framework until apprentices complete their assessments. New apprenticeship assessment plans will be regulated through the new framework once published. Dual running of legacy and new plans will occur during transition, currently we await further details.

Apprentices may now complete some assessment activity during the programme, with final assessment still taking place towards the end. This means evidence of competence can be built up over time rather than relying on a single high-stakes end-point assessment.

Employers play a role in confirming that apprentices have demonstrated the required workplace behaviours during training. They do not set or grade assessments, but they help confirm readiness for completion.

Training providers continue to deliver training and prepare apprentices for assessment. Under the new model, they may also deliver or mark some assessment activity where this is allowed by the assessment plan, but Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations remain responsible for oversight and quality assurance.

Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations remain responsible for designing assessment materials, setting grading approaches, ensuring consistency and quality. Even where providers support delivery or marking, the Apprenticeship Assessment Organisation retains overall accountability.

The changes are being introduced gradually between 2025 and 2027 as individual assessment plans are revised. Standards are being updated in phases rather than all at once, and there is usually a lead-in period before new starts must use a revised version. Until a standard is updated, existing EPA arrangements remain in place, so not all apprentices will move to the new model straight away.

Apprentices already on programme will usually stay on the version they started on and complete under those arrangements. In some cases, a transfer to the revised version may be possible by agreement, but the changes are mainly designed to apply to new starters from the go-live date.

Apprenticeship units are short, flexible training programmes designed to help employers upskill existing staff in specific priority skills. They apply in England and, under the current funding rules, are available for starts from 28 April 2026.

Apprenticeship units are for current employees who are aged 19 or over when the unit starts and spend at least 50% of their working hours in England. Employers must support the training, and learners cannot take a unit at the same time as an apprenticeship.

The first apprenticeship units focus on priority skills such as AI leadership, battery manufacturing, EV charging, fitting and assembly, solar PV, modular building and welding. Units are short and flexible, with current funding rules describing them as targeted programmes delivered from 28 April 2026, and the Skills England service shows units already approved for delivery in these areas.

Apprenticeship units are funded through the growth and skills levy arrangements set out in the apprenticeship unit funding rules. They include assessment as part of the programme, with funding and delivery requirements defined in the official rules for starts from 28 April 2026.

Completing an apprenticeship unit gives the learner formal recognition that they have achieved that unit’s outcomes, but it does not amount to a full apprenticeship. Because units are based on approved apprenticeship content, they may also support recognition of prior learning if a learner later progresses to a related apprenticeship or qualification.

Apprenticeship units are being introduced in phases. The current funding rules apply to starts from 28 April 2026, and Skills England already lists approved units for delivery, with further updates expected as the offer develops.

Completing an apprenticeship unit does not give the learner a full apprenticeship, but it can support progression later. Because units are based on approved apprenticeship content, they may help with recognition of prior learning if a learner later starts a related apprenticeship or qualification.

16 apprenticeship standards will no longer be funded for new starts from 1 September 2026. This means employers will not be able to use public apprenticeship funding for new learners on those standards after that date, although the standards themselves are not disappearing.