The New Era for Apprenticeship Assessment

What Do the Reforms Mean for Apprenticeship Assessment in England? 

The recent release of Ofqual’s consultation on their revised policy approach to apprenticeships, along with the latest thinking from Skills England on assessment plans confirmed the totality of the Department for Education’s ambition to modernise and streamline apprenticeship delivery in England.  The aim is to reduce bureaucracy, cut costs, and build an apprenticeship system that is more responsive.  

Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations, The Reforms Represent A Significant Shift In Role and Opportunity

Ofqual’s consultation will now run for 10 weeks, although the changes to apprenticeship assessment is set to be rolled out from August 2025. For Apprenticeship Assessment Organisations, the reforms represent a significant shift in role and opportunity. Rather than delivering every aspect of the EPA, they will have a much greater role in assessment design and as gatekeepers of quality, including defining and overseeing provider-led assessment.  

Overall, reforms play to the assessment industry’s strengths and capabilities; this is welcome. However, there will be upheaval and it’s important to note that impact of the changes will go far beyond the assessment industry, this is significant system change. 

The New Assessment Model 

The most striking element of change is that comprehensive assessment plans will be replaced by considerably shorter assessment plans.  Whilst the current end point assessment model is valued by most employers (53% to 5% that disagree), it is often criticised for its complexity and rigidity, including by assessment organisations. The revised plans will still be generated through Skills England in collaboration with employers. Apprenticeship assessment organisations will be engaged earlier and take on much more of the detailed design and development. This is a more robust approach which should also reduce duplication and enable greater flexibility and innovation. 

Currently, all apprenticeship assessment is delivered by assessment organisations and conducted at the end. The reforms provide the opportunity for training-provider and on-programme assessment. Critically, the reforms maintain a commitment to independent assessment, apprenticeship assessment organisations will set any assessments and assure the quality of provider delivered-assessment. The appetite of training providers, along with employer choice, will be a key determinant of the extent to which provider-assessment and/or on-programme assessment is taken up. Where these options are pursued, they will reframe the supplier/provider relationship between awarding organisations and training providers. 

Synoptic Assessment

A requirement for synoptic assessment and a minimum of assessment delivered assessment will also help to secure quality. Assessment organisations will be relieved to see these interventions; synoptic assessment is an essential tenet of the assessment of occupational competence and a priority for employers.  

Consistency is critical for employer and apprentice confidence. It is a known challenge now which stands to be more of an issue. The clarity and robustness of the advice and guidance that emanates from Ofqual and Skills England will help to determine if this. Defining the criteria for a pass is a start and this will need to be detailed to overcome the issue, which is counter to the shorter-plans concept. This will need more thought and there may be the opportunity to involve others in this work. Similarly, ensuring that the additional arrangements to consult employers, which build on current practices, is delivered effectively and efficiently. One could imagine a collaborative approach, brokered by Skills England.  

The responsibility for assessing behavioural competencies — a core component of many apprenticeship standards — will transfer to employers without awarding organisation assurance. Behaviours remain critical to the attainment of competence and employers and providers continue to harbour concerns about the soft skills of apprentices, so it will be important that this change does not facilitate an inconsequential tick-box exercise. Similarly, Gateway is an important point of common judgement that should not be allowed to simply waste-away. 

Making it Happen 

The reforms will see assessment organisations focusing on what they do best — designing robust assessment strategies and providing external validation. This is known territory for assessment organisations that develop qualifications, but less familiar for those that do not. They will need to develop their design capacity against the backdrop of a skills shortage, and all will need to adjust their business models. This this may not appeal to some, and it is likely that others may reduce the coverage, so we need to be alert to the emergence of gaps in the market. A training offer, toolkits and timely advice will be an important enabler and this is work-in progress. 

For training providers, the reforms are also an opportunity and a challenge. The opportunity to assess parts of an apprenticeship in-house could reduce delays and create new flexibilities. But they will need to build assessor capacity, invest in assessment training and quality assurance systems to ensure their assessments are of the right quality. Providers will also need to manage the impact on the design and delivery of their apprenticeship programmes. 

Whilst 66% of apprentices report that they value end point assessment, on-programme assessment may reduce anxiety and improve completion rates. It may also align better with how people learn on the job. Given that there will be more variations of an apprenticeship, more effort will be required from employers and providers if apprentices are to understand their apprenticeship. 

Employer-assessment behaviours could lead to more authentic assessments and strengthen the sense of ownership amongst employers if they devote the necessary energy and expertise to the task. Apprentices will also need to be adequately protected. With wider employer engagement in the development of assessment plans too, employers will need to increase their engagement in apprenticeship assessment overall. Clear frameworks, exemplars and training will help to adapt and discharge their new responsibilities. Revised funding rules will also be essential if the right behaviours are to be incentivised in all stakeholders. 

And in terms of assessments themselves and cost, there will be considerably more variety, including on standards where there are several assessment organisations, and even within assessment organisations where employers and provider customers have differing preferences. Some will perceive this as additional complexity. But it is likely that the length of assessments will fall and a contention that a knowledge test and some form of assessed project/portfolio will become the predominant methods. It is likely that this will reduce assessor-time and therefore costs, but how this stacks up against the new costs for providers and assessment organisations is unclear and more detail will be needed to remedy this.

Transition 

The Department for Education has committed to reviewing and updating all 700+ apprenticeship standards and assessment plans by August 2026. This is an incredibly ambitious timeline, and the sector will need clear communication, phased implementation, and ongoing support to deliver and navigate this transition successfully. It will also require careful management as Ofqual’s revised framework is unlikely to be in place until spring 2026, so earlier adjustments to standards will be managed under an untidy arrangement. 

The changes to apprenticeship assessment are also likely to overlap with the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is due to report in the autumn. If this also brings significant change and implementation is not synchronised with that in apprenticeships, awarding organisations could be overloaded. Ofqual have also recently consulted on introducing further principles which could add further complexity if implemented in the coming 18 months. 

Ultimately, the reforms reflect a broader shift in apprenticeship policy: away from rigid structures and towards a more agile, but still employer-led, system. If implemented well, the changes could make apprenticeships more accessible, efficient, and more closely aligned with the realities of the workplace. Whilst this might feel over-whelming initially, it’s important to note that EPA remains valued, that the case for change for those assessments that are working well will be limited and assessment organisations have shown themselves to be highly adaptable.

Ultimately, collaboration is likely to determine the success; apprentices, providers, employers, and assessment organisations will need to work together even more effectively. So, it is critical that all stakeholders note that this is not reform for apprenticeship assessment organisations alone and that expert industry voices continue to be increasingly engaged if the revised arrangements are to deliver for learners, employers and the economy. I remain positive. 

By Rob Nitsch, Chief Executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB)