Maths and English Functional Skills Policy Change – What We Know
- NQual
- Feb 11
- 7 min read
Updated: Feb 18
Key Changes Explained
1. English and Maths Functional Skills Requirement Made Optional
Effective from 11th February 2025, the government has removed the mandatory English and maths functional skills requirement for apprentices aged 19+ at the start of their apprenticeship training. This change includes apprentices who are currently on programme.
Employers and apprentices must agree by 1st April 2025 whether the apprentice will continue studying English and maths.
Providers must record the decision in the training plan.
Apprentices must continue their studies until an agreement is made.
2. Shorter Apprenticeships – Reducing Minimum Duration to 8 Months
From August 2025, the minimum apprenticeship duration will be reduced from 12 months to 8 months (subject to parliamentary approval). This flexibility will particularly impact industries where shorter training durations make sense due to:
Industry needs (e.g. project-based roles in creative industries).
Significant prior learning that would have previously made learners ineligible.
Initial Shorter Apprenticeships
The first shorter apprenticeships expected to be available include:
Production Assistants in the creative sector.
Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installers supporting clean energy initiatives.
Healthcare Support Workers, a vital role for the NHS.
The Impact on Apprenticeship Achievement Rates
Recent apprenticeship statistics indicate a steady rise in starts, participation, and completions:
2023/24 Academic Year (August - October) Figures:
Apprenticeship starts: 132,560 (up 1.3% from 2023/24).
Higher apprenticeships: saw an 8.1% increase.
Level 6 & 7 apprenticeships: increased by 10.9%.
Learner participation: 571,630 (up 2.1% from 2023/24).
Apprenticeship achievements: 37,820 (up 1.1% from 2023/24).
Learners with disabilities: Increased by 3.7% to 20,800.
Ethnic minority apprentices: Increased by 7.7% to 20,700.
What This Means for Employers and Training Providers
These reforms provide greater flexibility and efficiency for businesses and training providers:
Employers now have the discretion to determine English and maths requirements for apprentices aged 19+.
Shorter apprenticeships enable quicker workforce integration in high-demand sectors.
What announcements were made during National Apprenticeship Week 2025
Here is a list of the main National Apprenticeship Week 2025 articles from the apprenticeship service. View the latest list here.
In February 2025, the Government announced the launch of the ‘Your Apprenticeship’ app.
The app has been designed by the Apprenticeship Service to provide easy access to essential tools, resources, and support, helping apprentices manage their apprenticeship.
The app allows apprentices to:
track their progress with personalised details about their apprenticeship
organise their workload by adding tasks and setting reminders
gather evidence for their End-point Assessment by linking tasks to the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) they’ve developed
access tailored guidance
Apprentices can download the app from the App Store or Google Play.
In February 2025, the Government announced the simplification of the payments process for apprenticeship training providers.
From August 2025 the Department for Education will begin to remove the data duplication required from providers to submit overlapping data via both the ILR & Apprenticeship Service account to receive funding for apprenticeship training.
This change will eliminate data mismatches between the ILR and Apprenticeship Service submissions, addressing existing issues for training providers.
It will also:
significantly reduce the administrative burden on training providers and employers
improve cash flow for providers
minimise payment delays and increase data accuracy
remove the need for providers to enter data into the Apprenticeship Service
provide a single data source, reducing data locks and speeding up payments to providers while giving the DfE faster access to apprenticeship data
Further detail on implementation will follow in due course.
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?
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.
In February 2025, the Government announced further details about shorter apprenticeships.
From August 2025, subject to the legislative timetable, the minimum duration of an apprenticeship will reduce to 8 months.
This change means apprentices will be able to achieve occupational competence more quickly, where that makes sense, for example because they have significant prior learning, or their industry works to a different rhythm.
Shorter apprenticeships will benefit:
apprentices who have significant prior learning, where the 12-month rule means they are currently ineligible to upskill through an apprenticeship
all apprentices on certain standards, where full competence can be delivered more quickly
We expect some of the first shorter apprenticeships to be available to:
Level 2 Healthcare Support Workers (Health and Social Care)
Level 3 Production Assistants- Screen and Audio (Creative and Design)
Level 2 Dual Fuel Smart Meter Installers (Construction and the Built Environment)
We will continue to work with Employers and Skills England to identify where this new flexibility will create other opportunities and set out more details in due course.
On February 11th 2025, the Government announced changes to the English and maths requirements for apprenticeships.
Effective immediately, all new and existing adult apprentices, who were aged 19 and over at the start of their apprenticeship training, will no longer be required to hold or achieve English and maths qualifications to pass their apprenticeship.
Instead, apprentices will demonstrate their proficiency through the development and assessment of occupationally relevant English and maths skills as part of their apprenticeship.
Apprentices who are aged 16 to 18 at the start of their training, will still be required to achieve English and maths qualifications to support their career progression.
Funding will continue to be available for English and maths qualifications for all apprentices, including those aged 19 and over, when either the employer or apprentice feels this is required.
Employers and providers will have until 1 April 2025 to agree with their existing adult apprentice(s) whether to continue or discontinue studying towards English and maths and will need to update their training plans accordingly.
The funding rules will be published shortly and set out more details regarding the policy change and the required next steps.
Apprenticeship funding rules
The rules employers and training providers must follow to get funding for training and assessing apprentices in England.
The 2024 to 2025 funding rules apply to apprenticeships starting between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025.
View the 2024 to 2025 apprenticeship funding rules (PDF, 1.83 MB, 147 pages).
These rules apply to:
employers
employer-providers
main providers
The summary of changes (PDF, 935 KB, 22 pages) explains the specific funding rules that are changing from 1 August 2024.
NQual’s Commitment as a Leading Awarding Organisation
As a trusted Awarding Organisation (AO), NQual remains committed to ensuring a high-quality, rigorous assessment process that aligns with industry needs. We are working closely with providers and employers to ensure a smooth transition.
For further guidance on how these reforms may impact your apprenticeship programmes, contact NQual today.
Please ensure you check official sources and updated guidance from Department for Education.
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