Apprenticeship Reforms

Major Reforms to Apprenticeship Assessment

Update January 2026

On 16th December 2025, an update was released, listing the first (Group 1) standards being revised for the new version of the apprenticeship assessment plans. This list can be located on the GOV.UK website under Apprenticeship Standards: Revisions and Adjustments. The second list is due in the coming month. Signing up for email notifications of changes made to this page is highly recommended, as this is where the list will appear. Key apprenticeship standards, such as Business Administrator Level 3, can be found on this list.

A significant update to the version numbers of numerous standards occurred in December 2025. This is due to the alignment of Ofqual and Skills England on the Sector Subject Area (SSA) codes. Due to these version changes, we will see an end date to new starts for the previous version and a date for new starts on the current version. This will mean significant system and paperwork changes for all EPAOs/Assessment Organisations. Bear with your EPAO/AO on this and make sure to check that the version you are registering apprentices on with your EPAO/AO is the correct one, matching the version on your ILR. You can find out which standard is under a new version and the updated SSA code on the Skills England Apprenticeship Finder. Click on the ‘Download a list of Apprenticeships’ button.

Update October 2025

New information was released from Skills England, the Department for Education, and Ofqual.

We have been carefully reviewing all the information released and are working on our next steps towards implementing the reformed apprenticeship assessment practices.

What we know so far

The release of three revised apprenticeship standards to the new assessment plans:

Assistant accountant | Skills England
Data technician | Skills England
Early years educator | Skills England

Two standards have been placed on hold for the revised assessment plans: Adult Care Worker and Carpentry and Joinery.

Skills England has released the draft (in development) of the new assessment plan structure

Under the new assessment plan, one assessment method will be set as mandatory. Providers will then be able to choose from a range of optional additional methods. It is the responsibility of each Apprenticeship Assessment Organisation/Awarding Organisation (AAO/AO) to decide which assessment methods they will offer for each standard. They are also responsible for the design, development, delivery and quality assurance of those methods.

Update Ocotber 2025

The Department for Education published the Changes to Apprenticeship Assessment 2025 to 2026 document. This is commonly referred to as the companion document and is designed to be read alongside the funding rules, assessment plans and other relevant guidance.

Skills England has emphasised that employers will continue to play a central role by providing occupational and sector expertise. To support this, they plan to involve a wider range of stakeholders through the creation of a new ‘Expert Pool’.

An indicative timeline was shared outlining when changes to assessment plans will take place. It also confirmed that Group 1 will be prioritised, focusing on standards aligned with the Industrial Strategy.

  • November 2025 – January 2026 Group 1 – Start main scale roll out – Apprenticeships reformed by January 2026
  • February 2026 – May 2026 Group 2 – Apprenticeships reformed by May 2026
  • June 2026 – August 2026 Group 3 – Apprenticeships reformed by Aug 2026

Ofqual has published the responses to its consultation on the regulatory framework for apprenticeship assessment, which was carried out earlier in the year.

Alongside this, the Technical Consultation on the Regulatory Framework for Apprenticeship Assessment was launched, supported by the accompanying document Regulatory Framework for Apprenticeship Assessment: Conditions, Requirements and Guidance.

Additional guidance and conditions documents from Ofqual were released at the same time to support both consultations.

This includes the Apprenticeship Assessment Qualification Level Guidance, which underpins the General Conditions of Recognition and the Apprenticeship Assessment Qualification Level Conditions.

Providers are encouraged to respond to Ofqual’s technical consultation in due course.

Skills England has released updates to two guidance documents:

Next Steps

Collaboration across the sector is essential, and the apprentice must remain at the heart of all changes. We are committed to supporting providers, employers, and learners through clear communication and practical guidance.

We will continue to update stakeholders as more information becomes available.

Stay informed

Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any key terminology changes?
  • Apprenticeship Assessment has replaced End-point Assessment
  • Assessment Organisation (AO) has replaced End-point Assessment Organisation. You may also hear this referred to as Awarding Assessment Organisation (AAO) or Awarding Organisation (AO)
  • Gateway to Completion has replaced Gateway
What is Gateway to Completion?

Gateway to Completion is the final checkpoint at the end of an apprenticeship where the employer and training provider confirm that the apprentice has met all mandatory requirements and is ready to complete their apprenticeship and receive their certificate.

Traditionally, Gateway was the point at which an apprentice transitioned from on-programme learning into their End-point Assessment (EPA). However, some apprenticeship standards now include assessment earlier in the programme or use integrated assessment models. Because assessment does not always happen solely at the end, the term “Gateway to Completion” is now used to describe the final readiness check that must still take place before an apprenticeship can be certificated.

How will Apprenticeship Assessment Plans be different?
  • Apprenticeship Assessment Plans (AAP) will be much shorter (averaging 3 to 4 pages)
  • As a minimum, AAPs will contain the baseline requirements that apply to all apprenticeship assessments in that occupation. They will include: an introduction, assessment outcomes, assessment requirements, and performance descriptors
    • Assessment Outcomes: A summary of the occupational standard into assessment outcomes with Knowledge and Skills mapped to each outcome. It will also be stated here as to which Knowledge and Skills statements are mandatory in every version of the assessment made available by an Assessment Organisation.
    • Assessment Requirements: Outlines the mandatory assessment method to be used in every version of the assessment made available by an Assessment Organisation, and additional, optional methods for the Assessment Organisation to choose one or more to design and develop. Any additional specific requirements regarding setting, marking or timing of assessments will be found here.
    • Performance Descriptors: This will describe the characteristics of a Pass and Distinction grade.
  • It may be possible for assessment to take place at any stage of the apprenticeship, not just at the end of the apprenticeship. The Awarding Organisation will determine this.
  • All assessment outcomes must be assessed in each version of the apprenticeship assessment made available by an Awarding Organisation. (Knowledge and Skills statements are linked to an assessment outcome; some will be mandatory to be assessed in all versions of an assessment made available by the Awarding Organisation.)
  • Assessment outcomes look at occupational competence and are designed to support Assessment Organisations in developing balanced, proportionate, flexible assessments.
  • Assessment plans will still be informed by employers, as well as by assessment and delivery experts. This will be known as the Expert Pool
  • There must be a consideration of the best use of technology and digital tools when setting assessment methods
Can Training Providers assess their own apprentices?

Providers may be able to assess and IQA elements of the standard. This will mean the relationship with the Assessment Organisation will need to change.

Providers will become a Centre and need a Centre Agreement in place. The Assessment Organisation will become the Awarding Organisation. The Provider will be subject to the Awarding Organisations’ quality assurance practices and all requirements for carrying out assessments and IQA.

Whether a Provider can assess and quality assure any part of the apprenticeship assessment will be determined by the Awarding Organisation. Communication, collaboration and standardisation are key in determining these approaches.

Can employers assess their apprentice?

Employers are responsible for verifying that apprentices have sufficiently demonstrated the behaviours outlined in the occupational standard. Evidence of this must be made available to the Awarding Organisation for Gateway to Completion.

What are the main changes for Assessment Organisations?
  • Outside of the mandatory assessment method, Assessment Organisations will choose the appropriate additional assessment method/s and will design and develop all assessments and grading criteria for each standard they are approved against.
  • Assessment Organisations will specify the parameters that each assessment requires, such as duration, number of questions, and coverage of the assessment outcomes.
  • Assessment Organisations will be required to develop a CASS (Centre Assessment Standards Scrutiny) strategy if they do not already have one in place, (this may need to be updated to incorporate apprenticeship assessment.) This document is shared with the Centre.
  • Assessment Organisations must work with employers on the design and development of assessments for each standard they are approved against.
What are the reasons for the change?
  • Feedback from across the sector has highlighted that the EPA process can be overly complex, burdensome, and time-consuming
  • Redesign of apprenticeship assessment better reflects the needs of employers and apprentices and improves the experience for both, while maintaining the high standards that underpin the apprenticeship programme
  • Flexibility in assessment timing and methods
  • No more duplication of assessment, it is more proportionate to the competency being tested.
What is the timeline for the changes?

This all started during National Apprenticeship Week, Februrary 2025.

This is all going to be implemented in phases with:

  • Regulatory change expected spring 2026
  • All assessment plans revisions should start by August 2026
    • Group 1 – Reformed by Jan 2025 as per Skills England webinar
    • Group 2 – Feb to May 2026
    • Group 3 – June to Aug 2026
Resits and Retakes – will grades be capped as they are now?

No, unless there is a justifiable industry requirement.

Can we transfer apprentices to the revised version of the assessment plan/standard?

Details on this can be found in the Changes to apprenticeship assessment, 2025 to 2026 document for the Department for Education.

Background and Origins

The apprenticeship sector is on the cusp of significant reform. The Department for Education (DfE), alongside Skills England and the Department for Work and Pensions, is reshaping how apprenticeship assessment works, moving away from the current End-point Assessment (EPA) model toward a more flexible and proportionate system called ‘Apprenticeship Assessment’.

These changes are not just a rebrand. They represent a fundamental shift in how apprentices are assessed, aiming to:

  • Reduce unnecessary duplication in assessment,
  • Enable on-programme and centre-based assessment where appropriate,
  • Streamline assessment plans to be shorter, clearer, and more focused,
  • And increase accessibility and relevance for both employers and learners.

Assessment plans will now fall into three distinct categories. These reforms are designed to make apprenticeship delivery more agile, inclusive, and aligned with real-world occupational needs.

Preparing for changes - ondemand

Why We Brought the Sector Together

We hosted a panel webinar to help providers, employers, and assessment organisations navigate these changes. The session brought together sector experts to unpack the reforms, share practical advice, and explore the risks and opportunities ahead.

The panel:
Simon Ashworth, Director of Policy and Deputy Chief Executive, AELP
Jacqui Molkenthin, Specialist consultant in assessment and awarding, JEML Consulting
Kellie Duggan, Senior Quality Manager, Optimum Skills
Philippa Farrell, Director of Awarding, Gateway Qualifications

Watch on demand

DfE Principles and the Planned Changes

The Department for Education, Skills England and the Department for Work and Pensions aim to make assessment more proportionate, remove unnecessary duplication, and allow for on-programme and centre-based assessment where appropriate.

Assessment plans are expected to be shorter and more focused, with fewer assessment methods, enabling greater use of technology.

The changes intend to make apprenticeships more accessible and meaningful for employers and learners.

Assessment plans will fall into three categories:

  • Low-prescription plan with one mandatory assessment method specified and optional approved assessment methods
  • Mandatory qualification only with no requirement for further assessment
  • Risk-based additional prescription for high-risk occupations or where regulation demands additional prescription, e.g. for safety purposes

New assessment plans are trialled against five standards.

The five standards are: Assistant Accountant, Adult Care Worker, Data Technician, Early Years Educator, and Carpentry and Joinery.

At the same time, the companion document from DfE should be read alongside the funding. The companion document intends to help providers, employers, and assessment organisations understand the key changes to aid implementation of the changes. These two pieces of the puzzle should give clarity and direction. However, there are still things we can do in the interim.

Philippa Farrell, Director of Awarding at Gateway Qualifications, emphasised the importance of robust processes to ensure fairness and consistency, stating:

“It will be a regulatory requirement for us to develop a documented assessment strategy for each standard or a comparable group of standards. We already have these in place for other qualifications. It gives the rationale as to what we are assessing, how we are assessing, how the content will be covered, what the quality assurance arrangements will be, our approach to standard setting and awarding, what are the risks to the delivery of that qualification or that standard. So the assessment strategies are our basis for our processes and our requirements, our control mechanism to ensure consistency and fairness for the delivery of that standard.”

Regulatory Developments

Ofqual has recently consulted on a new regulatory framework for apprenticeship assessment, with further technical consultation expected in Autumn 2025 and new regulations expected in Spring 2026.

Risks and Opportunities

Attendees of the webinar identified both risks and opportunities in the proposed changes. Key concerns included maintaining consistency and quality, managing communication, and ensuring robust quality assurance. However, panellists also saw opportunities for greater collaboration, flexibility, and more inclusive assessment practices.

Practical Advice

The panel advised providers to:

  • Engage with your awarding organisations about upcoming changes
  • Review staffing, costs, and systems in preparation for new assessment models
  • Monitor forthcoming guidance and test standards

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