Beyond the Numbers: Rethinking Apprenticeship Success

In the world of apprenticeships, Qualification Achievement Rates (QAR) have long been a hot topic and it’s no wonder why. Back in June 2022, the then Skills Minister, Alex Burghart MP, set an ambitious target: 67% achievement rate by 2025. That announcement, made at the AELP National Conference came hot on the heels of the Apprenticeship Accountability Framework (AAF), introduced just two months earlier. 

Three years later, we’re making good progress but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. 

Let’s start with the good news. New figures released on 28 March 2025 show that national apprenticeship achievement rates have climbed to 60.5%, up from 54.3% the year before. That’s a notable leap forward and a clear signal that providers are pulling out all the stops to reach the 67% target. 

But scratch beneath the surface, and things get more complicated. 

A system not yet fit for purpose 

Recent research, as part of AELP’s mini commission into QAR and Accountability, found that the system still isn’t quite fit for purpose. While many providers value the AAF as a tool for tracking performance and driving improvement, issues persist within the system. Data inconsistencies, rigid timelines, and a narrow set of Individual Learner Record (ILR) reporting codes are just a few of the hurdles. These challenges make it harder to capture a true picture of learner progress and outcomes. We are still working with a system that was designed for apprenticeship frameworks; so although providers have adapted and moved with the changes, the system hasn’t. Now that the AAF has been in place and been embedded, the period ahead offers a good opportunity to consider how it can evolve further to ensure it keeps pace with this change.  

Currently, there are a limited number of withdrawal codes, which are far too broad to explain why learners leave their apprenticeship, masking everything from personal circumstances to employment changes. And QAR itself? Our research found providers stating that it’s “too simplistic” and “lacking transparency,” failing to reflect the diverse challenges faced by learners or the complexity of programmes delivered. 

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom. Providers are embracing the tools they do have, using the AAF to strengthen internal systems and improve data monitoring and analysis. The Department for Education’s Apprenticeship Workforce Development (AWD) programme, delivered in partnership with ETF, AELP, UVAC, SDN, AoC, has also supported providers in reviewing and refining their processes to improve the quality of apprenticeship provision. 

The next steps towards a better approach 

The apprenticeship landscape is shifting rapidly, with foundation apprenticeships, shorter-duration apprenticeships, and upcoming sizeable reforms to End Point Assessment (EPA) all in the mix. The Ofsted consultation results are also on the horizon, adding even more impetus for the system to evolve and work together to give a more accurate picture. 

As with all our mini commissions, the aim isn’t just to produce much needed evidence, but to ensure there are practical, positive changes made to the skills landscape.  

Our research report outlines eight practical, evidence-based recommendations drawn from deep conversations with providers, end-point assessment organisations, and key stakeholders.  

In summary, the eight recommendations outline a number of points that could help to improve the current system.   

• Using new apprenticeship models (i.e. Foundation Apprenticeships) to give new opportunities to test and pilot new measures and broaden methodology to recognise positive destinations and other contributions to success, with redefined QAR milestone points and easy to access additional data sets.  
• Employer responsibilities and commitment also need to be strengthened, with more robust onboarding for new employers, and the addition of allowing apprentices to ‘rate their employer’ on Find an Apprenticeship would give more transparent information to future learners to make informed career decisions when considering an apprenticeship. 
• Stronger and closer communication and collaboration between providers and EPAOs is key to ensure earlier engagement to manage EPAO capacity and oversight, particularly important with the announcement of proposed EPA reforms within apprenticeship assessment. 
• Out of date terminology, such as Off-the-job-Training needs to be removed to avoid confusion on activities apprentices are doing to better reflect the time spent ‘developing and learning new skills’. 
• Finally, the sector needs centralised guidance and supporting documentation, along with a roadmap of current and future changes to better inform and help to futureproof compliance. 

As we approach the final stretch toward that 67% ambition, we are urging a sharper focus on learner outcomes over outputs and, crucially, arguing that greater accountability needs to extend beyond providers alone. We all know that not every withdrawal is a failure and not every withdrawal is the provider’s fault! The last thing we all want is to disincentive employers, but ensuring apprentices have an opportunity to rate not only their training provider, but also the support they get from their employer is another example of one of the recommendations in our report. After all the apprentice is the end user of the system, a fact that often gets overlooked.  

Together, these proposals offer a roadmap to a smarter, fairer apprenticeship system, one that keeps pace with the modern learner journey and gives providers the flexibility they need to deliver quality, meaningful apprenticeships and outcomes for learners. 

By Cheryl Swales, Head of Strategic Projects, AELP