APPRENTICESHIP COMPLIANCE

Off-the-Job Training Requirements for Apprenticeships

Off-the-Job Training and everything employers and apprentices need to know: what counts, how many hours are required, and how to stay compliant with the current funding rules.
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Off the Job Training
Statutory requirement for every English apprenticeship

Never below 187 hours - usually far more, set per standard

Progress reviewed at least every 3 months

Off-the-Job Training is a mandatory element of every apprenticeship and is essential to supporting your apprentice's progress and ensuring the programme meets apprenticeship funding requirements.

Off-the-Job Training does not have to take place at the apprentice's usual place of work. It can happen anywhere: at a training provider's premises, on an industry visit, or online, provided it falls within the apprentice's normal paid working hours. It is agreed as part of the apprentice's Training Plan and does not include the apprentice carrying out their normal day-to-day job role.

Off-the-Job Training takes place in the workplace. It is agreed as part of the apprentice's Training Plan and does not include the apprentice carrying out their normal day-to-day job role. Get this right from the outset, and your apprenticeship programme stays compliant, funded and on track from day one.

Why Off-the-Job Training Matters for Apprenticeship Funding

Off-the-job training is a statutory requirement for every English apprenticeship. Funding is at risk of recovery if the off-the-job training policy is not met, so it is worth understanding exactly what is expected from the start of the programme rather than discovering a gap during a funding audit.

The training provider carries responsibility for delivering and evidencing all the required off-the-job training, even where another party, such as a subcontractor or the employer, actually delivers it. That is why it is so important for employers, apprentices and trainers to agree, in writing, who is doing what and when.

In short: off-the-job training is not an optional extra. It sits at the heart of the apprenticeship, and it must be planned, delivered, and recorded correctly to protect the funding for the whole programme.

What Counts as Off-the-Job Training

Off-the-job training must deliver new skills that are directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard. According to the current apprenticeship funding rules, this can include:

Included

  • Teaching of theory, such as lectures, role play, simulation exercises, online learning and manufacturer training
  • Practical training, including shadowing, mentoring, industry visits and taking part in competitions
  • Learning support
  • Time spent writing assignments
  • Revision for assessments linked to the apprenticeship

Not included

  • Initial assessment and onboarding activities
  • English and maths standalone qualifications (these are funded separately)
  • Training in knowledge, skills or behaviours not required by the standard
  • Progress reviews
  • Examinations and other on-programme testing
  • Training that takes place outside the apprentice's normal working hours
Where training must, by exception, take place outside normal working hours, the apprentice must agree to this and be compensated, for example with time off in lieu or an additional payment. The majority of off-the-job training must not be delivered this way.

How Many Off-the-Job Training Hours Are Required

To be eligible for government funding, providers must ensure that an apprentice with no relevant prior learning receives at least the minimum published volume of off-the-job training hours specified for their standard. This required volume represents the full occupational content of the apprenticeship. Individual standards vary, but no programme can fall below a baseline minimum of 187 hours of evidenced delivery. While providers can plan to deliver more training hours to ensure an apprentice develops full occupational competence, they can only deliver less where relevant prior learning has been identified and formally evidenced during the initial assessment stage.

You can review the complete criteria in the official government document: Apprenticeship Funding Rules 2026 to 2027.

Delivery Models and Timing

How often off-the-job training needs to take place depends on the agreed delivery model:

  • Front-loaded or block release models: off-the-job training active learning must take place at least every 3 calendar months of the practical period.
  • All other delivery models: off-the-job training active learning must take place at least once every calendar month.

If there is no plan for off-the-job training active learning within the required window, a break in learning must be used.

For monthly delivery models, there's a short grace period: if training doesn't happen in one calendar month as scheduled, a break in learning isn't required as long as active learning resumes the following month. A break in learning only becomes mandatory after two consecutive months with no active learning. Term-time-only contracts are also exempt from needing a break in learning for August. This keeps the apprenticeship record accurate and protects the funding claim.

Off the Job Training

Off-the-Job Training Responsibilities: Employer, Apprentice and Trainer

Off-the-job training only works when the employer, the apprentice and the training provider each play their part. Our Apprenticeships: Responsibilities and Benefits guide sets this out clearly for every training relationship.

YOU, THE EMPLOYER

  • Release your apprentice for off-the-job training as agreed in the Training Plan
  • Support your apprentice throughout their course
  • Give feedback on progress at regular reviews

YOU, THE APPRENTICE

  • Commit to the workload and duration of your course
  • Be available to meet your assessor at agreed intervals
  • Complete off-the-job training activities within your Training Plan

PARENTA, THE TRAINER

  • Plan, deliver and evidence off-the-job training against the standard
  • Provide regular visits from your assessor
  • Work with you to resolve any delivery constraints
Please note: the off-the-job training threshold is no longer a flat percentage of working hours. Current funding rules set an individual minimum hours requirement for each apprenticeship standard, published by Skills England, rather than the 20% figure referenced in some older guidance. Always check the current standard for the correct hours.

Off-the-Job Training FAQs

Does off-the-job training have to happen at the apprentice's workplace?
  • No,not necessarily. It has to take place within the apprentice's normal paid working hours and be agreed as part of their Training Plan, but the location itself can vary: it might happen on-site, at a training provider's premises, on an industry visit, or online.
Can off-the-job training take place outside working hours?
  • Only by exception, and the apprentice must agree and be compensated, for example with time off in lieu.
  • The majority of training must not be delivered this way.
What happens if the planned off-the-job training hours are not delivered?
  • If the actual hours delivered fall short of the hours originally planned, a signed statement explaining the shortfall must be produced and agreed by the employer and apprentice.
Who is responsible for evidencing off-the-job training?
  • The training provider is responsible for evidencing all required off-the-job training, even where a subcontractor or the employer delivers part of it.

Getting off-the-job training right protects your apprentice's progress, your funding and your working relationship with your training provider. If you would like support reviewing your current Training Plan or understanding your hours requirement, our childcare apprenticeship team is here to help, and you can find more guidance like this on our early years training blog.

Useful Resources 

Department for Education (DfE) YouTube Channel: DfE Sector Comms 

 
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