Last week several policy changes impacting Apprenticeships and End-Point Assessment were announced by the DfE during National Apprenticeship Week 2025.

These changes included the introduction of Shorter Minimum Duration for selected Apprenticeship standards, the removal of Functional Skills achievement as a Gateway requirement for 19+ Adult Apprentices on all Occupational Standards effective immediately, and an announcement around future changes to End-Point Assessment, with Apprenticeship Assessment and EPA moving in time to a ‘principles-based’ model.

At SIAS we support the over-arching intentions behind these changes – everyone within this great sector agrees that less cost coupled with more starts, speed, flexibility, consistency, and ultimately achievement, across the entirety of the apprenticeship journey, can only bring benefit – but quality must be equally important if we truly aspire to have a credible and world leading skills offer.

For many Employers, especially across the STEM industry’s that SIAS supports, English and Maths will always remain an important part of developing job readiness. So, whilst we welcome these additional flexibilities around L2 English and Maths for those involved in Apprenticeship delivery, we also recognise the importance of Employer and Provider choice – as an industry led organisation, we are looking forward to supporting all our partners with their decisions and choices around English and Maths requirements.

In relation to the shift over time to a different and principles-based End Point Assessment model, I do have some early concerns around how thought-through these announced changes have been to this point, there are certainly more questions than answers right now for all stakeholders to consider, and I believe potential challenges ahead in terms of how this could be rolled out in a way that can actually deliver tangible positive improvements and cost benefits for all – this needs to achieve real deliverables, and not just be another change for the sake of change.

However, what is in no doubt is that seven years into EPA, and with the market maturing, it is the right time to look at what has worked well to date, and where improvements can now be made – Awarding Organisations playing a more central role in the re-design of new Assessment Plans, a firm commitment to retaining an independent quality assurance and delivery of assessments, alongside more direct involvement from Providers and Employers in certain parts of the assessment process, appear at this stage central to the Departments objectives.

Getting the balance right as more details and timelines emerge, and implementation begins to take shape, will be pivotal – finding that sweet spot between speed, flexibility and short term gains, balanced with independent quality and rigour, is the only way to ensure that our Apprenticeship offer in England remains fit for purpose and relevant as a confirmation of a learners competency, skills and knowledge – something which at SIAS we take incredibly seriously, particularly given the technical and often high hazard environments across which many of the Apprentices we support work, learn, achieve, and progress.

We will of course continue to work closely with the Department, Federation of Awarding Bodies, Ofqual, and our valued Employer and Provider partners, as we continue to understand future detail behind these policy changes.

 

Steve Smith

Managing Director – SIAS