In this thought leadership series, Apprenticeship Insights partners with Accelerate People to bring you expert commentary from Samantha Sawyer (CEO) and Zac Aldridge (Executive Director).
Each edition provides timely analysis on policy developments, regulatory changes, and strategic shifts affecting apprenticeship delivery — written by two of the most experienced voices in the sector.
👉 Don’t miss our main edition — Apprenticeship Insights.
The Future of Apprenticeship Assessment: Why Ofqual's 2025 Consultation Could Reshape Everything
—By Samantha Sawyer, CEO of Accelerate People
“Having led an Ofsted Outstanding apprenticeship provider through two waves of regulatory change, I’ve seen firsthand how assessment reforms can go wrong — or unlock real improvement. Ofqual’s 2025 consultation is not just another regulatory update. It’s a once-in-a-decade opportunity to rebuild apprenticeship assessment around what truly works.”
The Shift That Changes Everything
The Department for Education’s new Apprenticeship Assessment Principles mark a fundamental departure from the rigid models of the past:
Continuous, embedded assessment — moving beyond one-off, end-point testing
Provider-led assessment delivery — where appropriate and with assessment organisation oversight bringing assessment closer to learning
Fewer prescriptive constraints — more room to innovate and align with occupational needs
Design autonomy — enabling assessment organisations to tailor assessments that reflect real-world professional contexts
But freedom brings responsibility. These reforms only succeed if stakeholders take a more proactive, evidence-based approach to assessment design and delivery.
🎯What It Means for End-Point Assessment Organisations
At Accelerate People, these changes align with the values we’ve long championed. Based on our analysis of 4,000+ EPAs annually, we predict three critical implementation challenges that most providers aren't preparing for:
Assessment must be synoptic and authentic — testing integrated skills in realistic, job-relevant settings
Employers must remain central — only those who hire apprentices can define 'job-ready' behaviours
Flexibility must enhance rigour — a wider toolkit should sharpen, not dilute, what good looks like
Ofqual now faces a balancing act: enabling innovation while upholding public trust in the results.
⚠️The Critical Questions We Must Address
These reforms unlock potential, but raise important questions:
How do we maintain consistency when different awarding organisations adopt diverse approaches?
Can provider involvement enhance quality rather than create conflicts of interest?
Will new arrangements genuinely assess competence or simply make assessment more convenient?
These aren't abstract concerns, they're practical challenges that will determine whether reforms deliver on their promise.
⏭️What Happens Next: Building Assessment Fit for the Future
This is not deregulation. It’s modernisation — and the stakes are high. If we get this right, we’ll empower the system to deliver assessments that are:
More flexible, but no less rigorous
More authentic, but no less robust
More meaningful, and truly aligned with occupational reality
Let’s not miss the opportunity to build something better.
📣Your Voice Shapes the Future
This consultation represents an opportunity for practitioners to influence fundamental policy. At Accelerate People, we're preparing a comprehensive response based on our delivery experience. We encourage every stakeholder to engage with this process.
Consultation closes: 27 August 2025
🔍Key Takeaways
Ofqual’s 2025 consultation is a pivotal moment in the evolution of apprenticeship assessment — not just a regulatory update, but a system-wide redesign.
New DfE principles shift assessment from one-off testing to continuous, embedded evaluation, with providers playing a more active role under awarding organisation oversight.
Accelerate People identifies three critical risks: inconsistent standards, conflict of interest from provider involvement, and a drift toward convenience over competence.
Authenticity and employer-defined competence must remain central to preserve the rigour and value of EPA.
Stakeholders must act now — the consultation offers a rare chance to shape how competence is defined and measured for the next decade.
👀Coming Next Week
Zac Aldridge explores how technology will play a critical role in implementing these reforms — from assessment tracking platforms to digital portfolio tools that support real-time competence evaluation.
Apprenticeship Insights: is a ClickZ Media publication in the Education division