“Costs of delivering apprenticeship standards” is a report by IFF Research Ltd. It looks at the costs of training and assessing apprentices undertaking apprenticeship standards in England.
The report was jointly commissioned in 2018 by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and the Department for Education, and was contracted with the Institute.
The purpose was to add to the body of knowledge about apprenticeship standards and gain a better understanding of the costs of delivering apprenticeship training and assessment.
The research carried out in 2019 was designed to inform the work of both the Institute and the Department, including the design of a new approach to making funding band recommendations. We have separately published information on this new approach, which is still in development, and you can tell us your views through our consultation process.
The IFF report captures a snapshot of the apprenticeships programme as it currently stands. Apprenticeship standards delivery is still in its early stages. For example, in some cases limited numbers of apprentices have progressed to their end point assessment. This is reflected in smaller sample sizes for some areas of the research. Those using the data should therefore treat findings appropriately, noting for example the specific data contexts outlined in the report.
The report has strengthened our evidence base on the costs of delivery. We expect to continue developing our evidence base as the apprenticeship standards training and assessment provider markets mature and develop over time.
The technical report gives more detail about the data and design of the survey.