Apprenticeship assessment reform
Apprenticeship assessment is changing. We're here to help.
The reforms are arriving standard by standard. Join a webinar for your standard, share our plain-English guides and talk to our team about what the changes mean for you.
- Webinars for each group of standards, starting 7 December
- Plain-English guides for apprentices, employers and providers
- Advice from our team on what's changing for your standards
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What is changing
From end-point assessment to apprenticeship assessment
In 2025 the Department for Education set out new principles for apprenticeship assessment, and Skills England is now revising each apprenticeship's assessment plan. End-point assessment is being replaced by apprenticeship assessment.
The main changes:
- Assessment can take place during the apprenticeship, not only at the end.
- Where an assessment plan allows it, training providers can deliver and mark some assessment activities.
- Assessment organisations, like NOCN, set every assessment and stay responsible for its design and quality.
- Employers now verify behaviours during the apprenticeship. Behaviours are no longer assessed separately and don't affect the grade.
- Grades are now pass or distinction.
- Assessment plans are shorter, and focus on what someone needs to show to be competent in the job.
The new rules from Ofqual (the regulator for qualifications and assessment in England) came into force on 1 April 2026.
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What it means right now
The changes are arriving standard by standard
Not every apprenticeship changes at once
Skills England is revising each apprenticeship's assessment plan in turn. Until the revised plan for a standard goes live for new starts, the current end-point assessment stays in place. Each standard's page on the Skills England website shows its status.
Apprentices already on programme
Whether an apprentice can move to a revised version of their standard depends on the transfer rules in the apprenticeship funding rules. Talk to us about the apprentices you have on programme.
Check the official sources
Check the latest position on a standard, and the rules on moving apprentices to a revised version, at the official sources.
How we can help
Support while the changes arrive
Whether you're a training provider or an employer, we'll help you understand what's changing for your standards and how to prepare your apprentices.
Webinars by standard
See the webinarsShort online sessions for each group of standards, ahead of its revised assessment plan. We'll cover what's changing, the assessment method and how to prepare your apprentices.
Guides you can share
Get the guidesPlain-English guides for apprentices, and for the employers and providers supporting them, explaining what assessment involves and who does what.
Talk to our team
Talk to usTell us which standards you work with and we'll talk you through where each one is in the reforms and what it means for you and your apprentices.
Coming soon
NOCN Assist and NOCN Assured
We're developing two ways to work with us through the reforms, depending on how much of the assessment you'd like to take on. We'll share full details, including which standards each applies to, as revised assessment plans go live. Register your interest to hear first.
Webinars
Join a webinar for your standard
We're running a short online session for each group of standards, ahead of its revised assessment plan. Each one covers what's changing for your standard, the required assessment method, the support available and how to prepare your apprentices. Register your interest and we'll send you the joining details.
Welding
Register your interestWelder, Level 2 (ST0349)
Monday 7 December 2026, 12pm to 1pmPlate Welder (ST0852) and Pipe Welder, Level 3 (ST0851)
Tuesday 8 December 2026, 12pm to 1pmBoth sessions run over lunch, so you can join without learners.
Required assessment method: demonstration
Engineering Operative
Register your interestWednesday 6 January 2027, 3pm to 4pm
- Engineering Operative (ST0537)
Required assessment method: observation
Metal Fabricator
Register your interestThursday 28 January 2027, 10am to 11am
- Metal Fabricator (ST0607)
Required assessment method: observation
Health and care
Register your interestDate: coming soon
- Community Health and Wellbeing Worker, Level 3 (ST0958). Required method: professional discussion
- Enhanced Clinical Practitioner (ST0895)
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Guides
Plain-English guides to share
For someone starting an apprenticeship, assessment can feel a long way off. Knowing what will be expected, how progress will be assessed and where to get help makes a real difference, especially for young people starting their first job.
We've written two short guides to share at induction and come back to throughout the apprenticeship. Download them below.
Supporting your apprentices through assessment
Download the employer and provider guideFor employers and training providers. How to use the apprentice guide, your role in assessment and how we can support you.
PDF, 428 KB
Your apprenticeship assessment: what to expect
Download the apprentice guideFor apprentices. What assessment involves, when it happens, who is involved and where to get support.
PDF, 914 KB
Who this page is for
What it means for you
Employers
Clear information on what's changing, your role in confirming behaviours, and how to support your apprentices through assessment.
Providers and centres
Advice on what the reforms mean for each standard you deliver, so you can plan ahead with confidence.
Apprentices
A plain-English guide to what assessment involves, when it happens and where to get help.
Current NOCN customers
Find out how the reforms affect the standards you already assess with us. We'll keep you informed as each one changes.
Questions
Common questions about the reforms
Is end-point assessment ending straight away?
No. Each apprenticeship moves to the new approach when Skills England publishes its revised assessment plan. Until then, the current end-point assessment applies.
Will my current apprentices be affected?
It depends on the standard and the apprentice. The apprenticeship funding rules set out when an apprentice can transfer to a newer version of a standard. If you are unsure, contact us and we will talk it through.
Do providers now have to deliver assessment?
No. Provider-delivered assessment is an option where an assessment plan allows it, not a requirement. We can talk you through what your standard allows.
What guidance is available for employers on verifying behaviours?
Skills England has published guidance and a suggested approach to help employers confirm that apprentices have shown the behaviours in their occupational standard.
It isn't intended to create new assessment systems or extra admin. It builds on what employers already do, such as supervision, feedback, induction conversations and regular progress reviews, to track how behaviours develop through the apprenticeship.
Employers confirm behaviours before the apprentice completes, so it's worth starting early.
What are NOCN Assist and NOCN Assured?
They're two ways we're developing to work with providers and employers through the reforms, depending on how much of the assessment you'd like to take on. We'll share full details, including which standards each applies to, as revised assessment plans go live. Register your interest to hear first.
Who is responsible for quality if a provider delivers part of the assessment?
The assessment organisation. Even where a provider delivers or marks part of the assessment, the assessment organisation sets the assessment and stays responsible for its design, quality and the result.
Does this apply across the UK?
No. These reforms apply to apprenticeships in England. Apprenticeship policy is devolved, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements.
How do I know when a standard has changed?
Each apprenticeship's page on the Skills England website shows whether it is in revision and when a revised plan applies to new starts. You can also ask us about the standards you work with.