Published on: February 20, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Changes to apprentice assessment – your questions answered
Q1. Which changes will take effect first?
This is the change announced on 11 February about English and maths requirements. Employers will now be able to decide whether apprentices over the age of 19 when they start their apprenticeship will need to complete a level 2 English and maths qualification to pass the apprenticeship. This policy became effective on 11 February and applies to new starts and existing learners currently on programme.
Apprentices aged 16-18 when they start their apprenticeship will still be required to achieve English and maths.
Q2. How will EUIAS apply the functional skills change?
We will no longer be asking for English and maths pre-requisites for apprentices on Level 3 and Level 4 apprenticeships if they were aged 19 and over on the day they started their apprenticeship, based on the registration data in ACE360 supplied by the training provider.
This does not apply to Level 2 apprentices where no changes have been made.
Q3. What are the new Apprenticeship Assessment Principles?
The following new Apprenticeship Assessment Principles were announced on 13 February.
- Behaviours in apprenticeship standards will no longer need to be assessed
- New Assessment Plans will indicate where the training provider can carry out elements of the end-point assessment
- New Assessment Plans will be designed to allow assessment, such as assessment of a work-based project, to be carried out on programme
- If an apprenticeship already includes a mandatory industry recognised qualification that provides a licence to practice, the knowledge and skills covered will no longer need to be assessed again
These mean that the new Assessment Plans will only assess Knowledge and Skills; may allow providers to carry out part of the end-point assessment and may allow some on-programme work to contribute to end-point assessment.
EUIAS will introduce quality assurance processes to cover any elements of assessment carried out by the training provider.
Q4. What are the time scales for introducing the new Apprenticeship Assessment Principles?
Existing assessment plans will be rewritten on a standard-by-standard basis to reflect these changes, with the first assessment plans being revised from April 2025.
Employers, awarding organisations and training providers will be represented on the groups writing the new assessment plans.
No timetable for re-writing standards has been announced yet.
We will keep our customers informed of all developments as we find out more.
Q5. Where can I find the detail of the announcements?
The Apprenticeship Assessment Principles can be found here.
The 11 February press release (10,000 more apprentices as Government slashes red tape to boost growth) can be found here.
The 13 February press release (More red tape slashed to reduce apprenticeship bureaucracy) can be found here.
Energy & Utility Skills response to these changes can be found here.