Visible progress. Workplace KSB competence. Planned end dates that hold. Built on a robust plan.

Apprenticeship training plans are built with precision. Every step is intentional. Foundation KSBs are built first, giving apprentices the grounding they need. New KSBs are introduced in progressive complexity, each one depending on and strengthening what came before.

Application points are pre‑planned, showing exactly where in the job each new KSB will be practised and reinforced. Time is integrated for reflection, evidence production, feedback loops, revision and improvement.

KSBs only become competence when they are used fluently in real work. Line managers and mentors are engaged from the outset and understand exactly when, where and how the apprentice will apply each newly taught KSB.

This creates a seamless link between off‑the‑job learning and on‑the‑job performance. Apprentices embed new KSBs swiftly, employers see immediate value, and learning becomes relevant, applied and high‑impact.

Healthy delivery makes progress unmistakable. Progress measures are frequent, robust and authentic - aligned with the assessment expectations for the Standard. Leaders gain a clear view of where apprentices are strengthening, where they are slowing, and why.

When apprentices fall behind, targeted support is deployed quickly and effectively, preventing drift becoming systemic.

Reviews are genuinely tripartite. They confirm what has been applied in the workplace, what evidence has emerged, what gaps remain and what must happen next. Clear, specific actions - owned by the right people - prevent drift and accelerate progress.

Readiness is not constructed at the end - it is developed throughout the programme.

Apprentices rehearse the real tasks, decisions and behaviours their assessment will require - at the right stage of the programme and in real workplace contexts - so readiness builds naturally, not in a last‑minute rush.

They receive precise, targeted feedback that sharpens performance and builds confidence. By the time they reach gateway, their readiness is proven, not assumed - so completion is predictable, not pressured.

From January 2026, the DfE’s Apprenticeship Accountability Framework (AAF) has refined the apprentice past planned end date (APPED) indicator and suspended several supplementary indicators, making on‑programme slippage more visible and consequential.

Even one day past planned end now contributes to provider risk. If your delivery model relies on late rescue, these changes will expose the weakness immediately.

Reforms being phased in from October 2025 streamline assessment plans and confirm that “apprenticeship assessment” can occur during delivery - not just at the end. Plans are shorter and (in some Standards) allow providers to deliver and mark some elements under AO oversight.

Readiness must now be built steadily and systematically, not squeezed into the final weeks.

Above‑national achievement is positive, but even 75% means 1 in 4 apprentices did not make it - a number no CEO wants to defend in a boardroom.

Achievement shows the ending, not the journey. It will not reveal:

• early drift
• weak workplace application
• compressed assessment readiness
• slippage against planned end dates

Strengthening the underlying delivery system makes achievement reliable, not hopeful.

• A whole‑journey diagnostic review - from sign‑up to gateway - that shows what is working, what is not and where to act first for the biggest gains.

• Proven tools. Impactful ways of working. Tailored to your operating reality.

• Hands‑on implementation support.

• Regular performance check‑ins. Periodic assurance. Ongoing optimisation.

• Turn improvement into consistent performance across delivery teams.