The government is slashing more red tape to ensure businesses and apprenticeship training providers are able to focus even more of their time on apprentices, the Skills Minister announced today, unlocking opportunity and driving growth under the government’s Plan for Change.
Reforms to the payment system have long been called for by training providers. They will cut red tape by stopping the need for providers to log the same data multiple times, saving valuable time currently wasted on duplicating records, ensuring consistency across systems.
The move comes during National Apprenticeship Week and will mean training providers can focus on what matters most – breaking down barriers to opportunity through helping apprentices to develop their skills to enter well-paid careers and drive economic growth in key sectors.
Today the government also announced changes to End Point Assessments (EPAs), making the system simpler and more flexible while ensuring apprentices prove their competence for skilled work.
Where appropriate, apprentices will be assessed on some things during their apprenticeship rather than all at the end, and training providers may be able to deliver elements of the assessment, rather than having to rely on external assessors.
The government is also ensuring apprentices don’t have to be re-tested on the same skills they have already demonstrated, such as by taking a mandatory industry exam, to avoid wasting apprentices’ time.
This will deliver more timely assessments while retaining rigour, and ensure that apprentices are assessed on what matters most to employers, removing unnecessary burdens to career opportunities and getting skilled workers into key industries to support growth.
Skills Minister, Baroness Jacqui Smith, said:
Employers and providers are burdened with needless red tape which makes it harder to train and recruit apprentices.
We have heard time and again from training providers, apprentices and employers that this needs to change, and we are determined to deliver this so they can focus on what they do best – creating jobs and driving growth.
Businesses should rest assured this National Apprenticeship Week that this government is determined to work with them to make apprenticeships work better, helping to grow the economy.
Mike Blakeley, Executive Director of Partnerships & Apprenticeships at Exeter College, said:
Employer voice is very important to us here at Exeter College, and being invited to contribute to shaping some of these changes has allowed us to share concepts and ideas to make the learner and employer journey easier to navigate.
We thank DfE for not only listening but actioning a range of simplifications to the system that will ease the burden on employers and providers alike. These measures will be welcomed across the sector and will be a significant boost to an already brilliant National Apprenticeship Week.
Rob Nitsch, CEO of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB), said:
Seven years into apprenticeship standards, it is right and natural that we should be stepping back to see how end-point assessment can be optimised for the benefit of apprentices, employers and those involved in delivery.
The Federation welcomes the principles-based methodology that the Department has proposed and the inclusive approach that has been adopted; FAB and its members are pleased to have contributed to the refinement of the principles already and look forward to working with DfE and other stakeholders to take them forward to the next stage and moving to implement the Review at pace.
This builds on reforms announced earlier in National Apprenticeship Week by the DfE. These included shorter apprenticeships with the minimum time for completion reduced to eight months, and making English and Maths requirements for completing an apprenticeship more flexible to boost recruitment in sectors like construction and healthcare.
Existing assessment plans will be rewritten on a standard-by-standard basis to reflect these changes, with the first plans being revised from April 2025.
New assessment principles for apprenticeships will be published this week, and will be available here.
