Article:

Apprenticeships are changing – here’s how

Written by CMI Insights Wednesday 15 October 2025

We summarise five ways the apprenticeship landscape is evolving, as explained in a recent CMI web event

The UK’s apprenticeship provision is evolving. With the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) now abolished, responsibility for apprenticeships has shifted to Skills England – which has itself now moved from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions. And the finer details of the provision are evolving all the time too.

Allison Jay CMgr FCMI, Director of Awarding Body at CMI, recently shared a detailed update on a CMI web event. Here are five key takeaways.

1. Things should become simpler

Under IfATE, assessment plans were developed without standardisation. Assessment methods varied greatly across sectors. Duplication was also an issue, with some learners having to complete a task and evidence it more than once.

Under the revised provision, the onus will be on consistency and standardisation, as well as quality.

“The new assessment plan provision will look at how it can be simplified,” said Allison. “But [it will] also maintain the quality of provision; have that employer confidence to make sure that the standards are still appropriate for learners; and have the ability to innovate and be flexible with the assessment design.”

Watch now: The Evolving Apprenticeship Landscape

2. It’s not too late for over-21s to get Level 7 funding

Levy funding of Level 7 apprenticeships for anyone over 21 will be abolished from January 2026 – but there’s still time to register and receive financial support.

Allison pointed out the value of acting before the deadline, highlighting the impact that CMI’s Level 7 management apprenticeships can have on businesses and their growth – as shown by the many case studies at our higher education partners.

Level 7 apprenticeships – what’s changing?

From January 2026, government funding for most Level 7 apprenticeships will no longer be available for learners aged 22 and over. This shift is prompting employers and education providers across the UK to act now to secure funding while it remains in place.

Find out more

3. Level 6 Improvement Leader could be a compelling alternative

Anyone affected by changes in funding to Level 7 qualifications should note that CMI now offers assessment for Level 6 Improvement Leader apprenticeships. There’s no degree embedded in this qualification, so providers have greater flexibility in what they deliver and how.

Together with our higher education partners, we’ve been exploring ways to deliver this standard, which can still be Levy-funded, in a way that will align more closely with Level 7 in terms of knowledge, skills and behaviours.

We’ve also been working on ways to provide mapped progression routes for apprentices to top up their Level 6 qualification to a Level 7 degree which can offer embedded Chartered Manager status.

Allison said: “We’ve been looking at how the provision at Level 6 can provide sufficient credits as part of a post-graduate diploma, and then potentially use the additional credits at Level 7 as a pathway to a master's degree.” Watch this space.

Read on for two more ways that apprenticeships are evolving..

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