Reform Rationale
From October 2025, Skills England and the Department for Education (DfE) will begin implementing reforms to apprenticeship assessment. These reforms, developed following the Apprenticeship Assessment Principles announced in February 2025, aim to simplify and streamline assessment, remove duplication, and ensure greater alignment with employer and apprentice needs. A phased rollout over the next 12 to 18 months will support a smooth transition across the sector.
Key Features of the Reforms
Under the new model, the term “apprenticeship assessment” replaces “end-point assessment,” reflecting that assessment may now take place throughout the apprenticeship, not just at the end.
Training providers will have the ability, where specified in the assessment plan, to deliver and mark certain assessment elements, under the oversight of Assessment Organisations (AOs) and regulation by Ofqual. AOs will continue to set the overall assessment design and retain responsibility for moderation, quality assurance, and final grading decisions.
Employers will now take on an expanded role by verifying apprentices’ behaviours in the workplace, removing the need for separate behaviour assessment by AOs or providers. This ensures assessment focuses on knowledge and skills, while recognising that employers are best placed to confirm behavioural competence.
New assessment plans will also be shorter (typically 3–4 pages), removing unnecessary prescription and duplication. Each plan will outline the core assessment outcomes, minimum assessment requirements, and performance descriptors for pass and distinction grades.
Cambridge Spark’s Approach
Cambridge Spark’s unique coach and mentor model is well aligned with the proposed reforms. This model places learners at the centre, supported by expert mentors and industry-aligned learning experiences.
Our preferred approach is to bring in-house those elements that can be assessed directly by us as a provider, guided by our AOs, ensuring flexibility while maintaining rigour. We recognise that effective assessment can take different forms, and we are collaborating with AOs to ensure each programme uses the approach that delivers the best outcomes for learners.
Summary of the New Level 3 Data Technician Assessment Plan
The new Skills England Level 3 Data Technician Apprenticeship Standard (ST0795), published in October 2025, introduces a more flexible and streamlined model aligned with the upcoming reforms. While Awarding Organisations (AOs) retain responsibility for setting, approving and overseeing all assessments, they may now permit training providers to deliver and mark certain elements, for example, simulated projects or portfolio-based evidence within clear parameters and under AO oversight.
The AO remains accountable for quality assurance, moderation, and final grading decisions, ensuring consistency across providers. This creates a more collaborative assessment model, where providers can assess on-programme elements that reflect learners’ real work, while AOs ensure national comparability and compliance with Ofqual’s regulatory framework.
Assessment methods include projects, professional discussions, observations, and portfolios. These are designed to evidence six key outcomes: data acquisition and preparation, analysis and quality, communication and collaboration, legal, ethical and sustainable practice, organisational impact and emerging technologies.
Importantly, the new plan supports adaptation to the learner and employer context. Assessment activities can be contextualised to reflect genuine business data or organisational priorities, increasing the relevance of the activities while maintaining rigour. Providers and employers can collaborate to create assessment activities that best demonstrate competence, with AOs providing oversight and moderation.
What Happens Next
- Reforms are introduced in phases; existing apprentices continue under current assessment plans until revised versions go live for new starts.
- Skills England, DfE, and Ofqual will continue to publish updated assessment plans across standards during this period.
- Employer verification of behaviours and provider-marked components will be further supported by new implementation guidance from Skills England.
- Quality assurance will remain robust, with AOs responsible for moderation and comparability across providers.
We remain committed to working closely with our AO partners to ensure our approach remains the best fit for our learners and employers. Where possible, we will continue to engage in trailblazer and reform groups to contribute to national conversations on apprenticeship assessment.
Our flexible delivery model means Cambridge Spark is ready to respond to these changes, ensuring our programmes evolve with the sector while maintaining the rigour and learner-centred quality we’re known for.
Sources
- Department for Education (2025). Apprenticeship assessment reform guidance. Gov.uk.
- Skills England (2025). Level 3 Data Technician Apprenticeship Standard (ST0795). skillsengland.education.gov.uk
- Ofqual (2025). Regulatory Framework for Apprenticeship Assessment Consultation. Gov.uk.