Reforms to English and maths functional skills requirements for adult apprentices have been reflected in a new version of the government’s 2024-25 funding rules published today.
Here’s what the updates say:
Applies to those aged 19+ on day of start
Only apprentices who began their apprenticeship training when aged 16 to 18 will continue to be subject to the mandatory requirement to study towards and achieve English and maths.
Apprentices who began their training when aged 19 or older, and their employer, can still choose to study towards English and maths qualifications if they wish, but the choice is optional.
DfE will continue to fund adult apprentices who take up this option at the current rate.
The change is effective as of February 11, 2025 and applies to new starts as well as existing learners on-programme.
Where an apprentice restarts, DfE said it will use the “age they originally started their apprenticeship training to determine whether it is a mandatory requirement of the programme”.
Initial assessment and training plans
Where an apprentice, and their employer, wish English and / or maths to be included this must be agreed as part of the initial assessment for new starts.
DfE said it must also be clear in the training plan whether English and / or maths has been included in the planned delivery.
Evidence requirements now state that providers must document the discussion between the employer and apprentice and record the outcome regarding English and maths for adult apprentices.
Existing apprentices must continue their English and maths training “until agreed otherwise”.
By April 1, 2025, the provider “must discuss the options to continue with English and maths training or to remove it from the training plan, with the employer and the apprentice”.
Where it is agreed that an apprentice will not continue their English and maths training, the provider must “withdraw them back to the last day of English and maths learning and no further funding will be paid”.
Where English and / or maths is removed from the training plan the employer must also re-sign the training plan.
And where an apprentice aged 19+ at the start of their apprenticeship training, studies toward English and maths, providers must “provide evidence of apprentice undertaking assessment”.
What about level 2 apprentices?
Under previous rules, all apprentices had to achieve level 1 English and maths functional skills qualifications if they were on a level 2 apprenticeship and did not pass the subjects at GCSE. Similarly, if a learner was on a level 3 or higher apprenticeship, they must achieve functional skills at level 2 to complete their training.
The DfE does not specifically mention, in its published rules and press release, whether level 2 adult apprentices will still be required to achieve level 1 functional skills.
However, the department’s press office told FE Week that this requirement has now become optional in line with the changes described above.
Read the updated rules in full here.
A classic example of removing red tape – by making it more complex! Pretty much like every simplification exercise from the last 20 years.
Before this development, all apprentices below a certain level of English / maths, regardless of age, would have to take English and/or maths.
Now there are 2 sets of rules based on age & it’s being dressed up as simplification.
The underlying problem is not fixed, in that individual employers and providers will decide entry criteria and will all behave differently, even for the same standard. A little extra spice is also added to that as some employers / providers may now make hiring decisions based on age, to seek out the most advantageous situation in relation to English / maths.
Now that NICs has also changed, some employers that are solely focussed on the bottom line will look more favourably on apprenticeships in terms of employee cost, and may even benefit from barriers to achievement. As we know, employers aren’t measured for completion & achievement (& don’t take the 20% completion payment hit).
Someone once said to me ‘unintended consequences’ flow from poor planning. To which I replied ‘how do you know if it’s unintended’.
There is a clear message to employers in this.
Young people aged 16-18 who don’t have English / maths are less likely to complete an apprenticeship than those aged 19 and over.
The DoE have done a good job of making this clear for any apprentices who started from August 2024. They no longer have to sit the functional skills maths and English, well after a discussion with their employer if they think they need to or not.
But.. what about the thousands of people before this date. And there are thousand that this will still affect. Me being one of them!!
English I have passed but maths I still need to do and am really struggling with it. I work in childcare and certainly do not need gcse maths to for-fill this role.
Surely this needs to be changed for all apprentices on current programme not just starters from August 24. More clarification is needed.
I have been in apprenticeships for 13 years and have been screaming for years about the fact I had learners who some where in jobs managing people for years, sometimes lots of people, HMRC, DWP, prison service, big retail etc yet being reduced to stress and anxiety having to pass L2 FS exams that honestly probably wouldn’t make a difference to their role, so this announcement I agreed with but it seems no thought has gone into it, I work for a provider that has 12 x FS tutors who are now thinking they are looking at redundancy, in my experience if you give a learner a choice at sign up to NOT complete FS majority will decline, I don’t understand why they didn’t make just one change, everything stays as it is but the need for exams to be passed is changed to attempted, as coaches and tutors we would work with learners as we do now to ensure learners make progress and attempt the exams, I have spoken to 3 of my learners today that are on their 2nd or 3rd attempts for Maths to let them know they now don’t need to pass and opt out but still go through to EPA was incredible to see their relief, yet saying that, all 3 wanted to continue with another attempt and said they already felt they would do better without the pressure.
I really think this needs re-thinking and quickly but won’t hold my breath.
In flagrant breach of the funding rules, as I understand them, I’m afraid some apprentices won’t be given the choice because the decision will be made for them by their employers who won’t really care what’s best for their apprentices’ future career prospects.
This is a fantastic opportunity for those who may not even need maths or english and might be great in other areas technically/emotionally.
It does put a dampner on those who wish to go to further education, they will still have todo FS. Also lets not forget, the employer has the final say.