Providing apprenticeships during the coronavirus outbreak

This @ESRAgov document sets out guidance for apprentices, employers, training providers and assessment organisations in response to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19).

This is a difficult time for apprentices, employers and providers of apprenticeship training, assessment and external assurance. The government is committed to supporting apprentices, and employers continue to build the skills capabilities the country needs now and in the future.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responding by taking steps to ensure that, wherever possible, apprentices can continue and complete their apprenticeship, despite any break they need to take as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19), and to support providers during this challenging time.

This document sets out guidance for apprentices, employers, training providers and assessment organisations in response to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19). It outlines the changes that the Education and Skills Funding Agency is making to the apprenticeship programme during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

With the introduction of urgent government measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and a rapidly developing situation, these guidelines reflect arrangements applied at the current time. This guidance will be kept under active review and updated regularly with further developments.

The support we are providing includes:

• supporting employers, providers and apprentices to work together to mutually agree where and how this training takes place. This includes in the workplace or assessment centre where a provider is able to do so safely and where that workplace or centre meets new ‘coronavirus secure’ guidelines on ensuring the workplace is safe. It also includes training taking place in educational settings in line with the new guidance on wider opening from 15 June 2020, guidance for further education providers, and guidance on what FE colleges and providers will need to do from the start of the 2020 autumn term.
• confirming flexibilities to allow furloughed apprentices to continue their training and to take their end-point assessment, and to allow existing furloughed employees to start a new apprenticeship, as long as it does not provide services to or generate revenue for their employer
• encouraging training providers to deliver training to apprentices remotely, and via e-learning, as far as is practicable
• allowing the modification of end-point assessment arrangements, including remote assessments wherever practicable and possible – this is in order to support employers, providers and end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) to maintain progress and achievement for apprentices
• clarifying that apprentices ready for assessment, but who cannot be assessed due to coronavirus (COVID-19) issues, can have their end-point assessment rescheduled
• apprentices whose gateway is delayed can have an extension to the assessment time frame
• enabling employers and training providers to report and initiate a break in learning, where the interruption to learning due to coronavirus (COVID-19) is greater than 4 weeks
• confirming that, where apprentices are made redundant, it is our ambition to find them alternative employment and continue their apprenticeship as quickly as possible and within 12 weeks
• confirming that where apprentices are made redundant and are ready to go through gateway, that providers and EPAOs are able to make the necessary assessment arrangements to support these apprentices
• confirming that we are extending the transition period onto the apprenticeship service. Funds available for new starts on non-levy procured contracts can now be used until 31 March 2021. All starts will be through the apprenticeship service from 1 April 2021

We are keeping the developing situation, and our guidance, under review and will continue updating this guidance as new information is available and/or the situation evolves.

Our information should be read alongside the government’s COVID-19 guidance and support for businesses, in particular the salary support for furloughed employees, which also applies to apprentices.

We have also broken down some of this guidance into articles for employers, training providers and EPAOs, as well as articles for apprentices. These can be found on our Apprenticeship Service Help page.

Read guidance from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) on the delivery of assessment.

DfE coronavirus helpline

Telephone 0800 046 8687

If you have a query about coronavirus (COVID-19) relating to schools and other educational establishments, and children’s social care, in England contact our helpline. 

Lines are open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm at weekends. 

If you work in a school, please have your unique reference number (URN or UK PRN) available when calling the helpline.

This document sets out guidance for apprentices, employers, training providers and assessment organisations in response to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Published 23 March 2020 
Last updated 1 September 2020 + show all updates

1. 1 September 2020

   Updated information on routine funding audits. Added resources about redundancy for employers and apprentices and information on the use of face coverings.

2. 30 July 2020

   Updated guidance to include the temporary flexibility to allow apprenticeship certificates to be sent to an alternative address and the end point assessment (EPA) flexibilities that are extended until the end of the year.

3. 14 July 2020

   Updated to confirm that from 13 July providers can welcome back 19+ apprentices into educational settings, that the flexibility to suspend level 2 functional skills for level 2 apprentices has been extended, and more information on support for redundant apprentices.

4. 2 June 2020

   Updated with information on which apprentices should be prioritised in the offer of face-to-face training from 15 June, and details of the flexibility that enables apprentices to take end-point assessment ahead of receiving their calculated functional skills qualification results.

5. 19 May 2020

   Updated with information on training and assessing apprentices in line with the government’s new safer working guidelines, calculating wages for furloughed apprentices, off-the-job training, and redundant apprentices.

6. 24 April 2020

   Updated information on furloughed apprentices, end-point assessment, functional skills apprentices and qualification certification.

7. 6 April 2020

   Updated with new information on continuing training and end point assessment for furloughed apprentices, and pausing new funding audits.

8. 23 March 2020

   First published.