Apprenticeship Assessment Principles
National Apprenticeship Week 2025This article sits within the National Apprenticeship Week 2025 sectionAnnouncement during National Apprenticeship Week 2025
In February 2025, the Government announced the improvements to apprenticeship assessment and has published a new set of assessment principles.
The assessment process will be streamlined by enabling more design and delivery flexibility so that:
- assessment is more proportionate to the competency being tested and removes any duplication
- where appropriate, assessment plans can be designed to allow assessment to take place on programme
- where appropriate, training providers will be able to deliver elements of the assessment. End-point Assessment Organisations (EPAOs) will continue to shape the assessment and ensure the validity of outcomes
These changes will apply to all apprenticeships, at all levels. 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.
Further detail on implementation, including which assessment plans will be revised and when, will follow in due course.
End-Point Assessment Guiding Principles
February 2025
Updates are being made to the design and delivery of Apprenticeship Assessment Plans to ensure they continue to meet the needs of employers and apprentices. These changes will deliver more proportionate, timely and efficient assessment while retaining rigour and validity.
Roles and responsibilities
- IFATE / Skills England will convene a group of employers together with assessment and delivery experts to develop the improved Assessment Plans.
- As is currently the case, EPAOs will be responsible for developing all assessment materials in accordance with the Assessment Plans.
- External Quality Assurance will continue to be provided by the designated body with responsibility for regulating the assessment for each standard (Ofqual / OfS / small number of industry regulatory bodies), which should inform any further revisions of the Plan.
- As they do now in apprenticeships, employers are best placed to confirm apprentices are demonstrating the required behaviours. To remove unnecessary duplication, those behaviours will no longer need to be separately assessed by providers or EPAOs, who will focus on assessing essential knowledge and skills.
- Assessment Plans will set out where assessment may be undertaken by the EPAO or apprenticeship training provider, where appropriate. Exceptions will be necessary for instance where an external body must be involved for regulatory reasons.
- Where assessment is undertaken by the provider, EPAOs will need to determine how best to quality assure this, in accordance with the regulatory requirements of the designated body for that standard.
What will the improved plans look like?
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Assessment Plans will be short (e.g. 2 pages) and high level, containing the minimal prescription of assessment required to demonstrate occupational competence, based on the core requirements set out by employers. They will:
- be informed by employers (as now) but must also reflect input from assessment and delivery experts including the designated regulatory body for quality assuring the assessment, plus EPAO and training provider representation, to ensure proportionality, value for money and deliverability.
- include the minimum number of assessment methods for validity
- contain no duplication of assessment, unless it is a statutory requirement. For example, if there is already a mandatory industry recognised qualification that provides a licence to practice as part of the standard, the knowledge, skills and behaviours demonstrated in this do not need to be subsequently retested.
- consider the best use of technology and digital tools when setting assessment methods; and outline how and when assessment will be undertaken, ensuring this is at the right time and place. This may include allowing on programme assessment, rather than requiring all assessment to be undertaken at the end. For example, assessing a work-based project while on the programme.
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