Agile Occupational and Training Standards for Responsive Skills Policies

In the United Kingdom, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) is responsible for overseeing the coherence of technical education provision and ensuring that the range and availability of apprenticeships and technical qualifications are appropriate, and as such, it manages the production of occupational and training standards. Established in 2017, IfATE is funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and is an Arm’s Length Body of the Department for Education (IfATE, 2023[8]).

The 2021 White Paper “Skills for Jobs: Lifelong Learning for Opportunity” introduced a series of reforms to the UK’s further education and technical training system, including measures to guarantee closer ties of technical education to labour market needs, notably through a strong involvement of employers in the production of occupational standards (Department for Education, 2021[9]). As a result, between 2021 and 2023, IfATE collaborated with thousands of large and small employers to develop over 600 occupational standards – called occupational routes – across 15 sectors, ranging from agriculture to construction and hospitality (IfATE, 2023[8]). These routes are brought together in 15 occupational maps, which help employers and individuals understand pathways for career progression and how occupations at different levels link together (IfATE, 2023[10]).

Occupational standards are essential for technical and higher technical education in the United Kingdom, since they provide a detailed description of the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSBs) required to be proficient in the specific position (IfATE, 2023[11]). As a result, they serve as comprehensive guides to define the content of training. In particular, they are used for:

• Curriculum development: Education and training providers, as well as employers, use occupational standards to design curricula and training programmes (including T-Levels)1 that align with the requirements of specific occupations.

• Assessment: Occupational standards guide the development of methods and tools to evaluate whether individuals have acquired the necessary KSBs to excel in a particular occupation.

• Apprenticeship creation: When developing a new apprenticeship, occupational standards must be met to ensure its quality and relevance (IfATE, 2023[12]).

Under the responsibility of IfATE, the development and revision of occupational standards are managed by so-called trailblazer groups, composed of employers who represent the occupation and intend to employ apprentices in that field (IfATE, 2023[13]). Trailblazer groups can create a new apprenticeship for a specific occupation, which entails drafting the occupational standard and end-point assessment plan (EPA), as well as gathering evidence on the potential cost of training and assessment.2 They can also update existing apprenticeships as necessary, following for example a route review or a request for changes.

The role and requirements for the development of occupational standards and apprenticeships are defined in detail by IfATE (IfATE, 2023[13]). These requirements stipulate that a trailblazer group should convene a group of employers recognised by IfATE and representative of all categories, including small employers. Non-employers, like apprentices and representatives of training providers and end-point assessment organisations, may also be involved, but employers have the final say in the development process. Trailblazer chair (or co-chairs) plays a significant role in leading the group and facilitating communication with IfATE. IfATE provides support to these groups through Product Managers (PMs) who guide them throughout the process. PMs facilitate communication and collaboration among stakeholders.

Participation in a trailblazer group is voluntary without any compensation, which can sometimes create challenges for small employers to dedicate necessary time and resources to take part in the process. However, efforts are made to ensure that several small enterprises are represented and that the group reflects their specific needs. More specifically, the Trailblazer Chair must ensure that the group’s membership remains representative of the employers likely to use the apprenticeship in terms of sector, size, and geographical spread. IfATE needs to approve the composition of the trailblazer group and can request that specific members are added to the group (IfATE, 2023[14]).

Trailblazer groups are not only responsible for the development of occupational standards, but they also need to remain active once the occupational standard has been approved, to respond to modification requests, and to update the standard when necessary.

In addition to trailblazer groups, 15 route panels (one for each major business sector) help ensure the labour market relevance of occupational standards. Route panels are composed of important employers in an industry and provide a strategic view of skill needs in their sector. They review and make recommendations on the quality and relevance of standards for their sector.

When recognising the need for a new occupational standard (for example when they would like to hire apprentices in job roles for which no standard exists yet), or when an existing occupational standard needs to be updated, a group of employers, the so-called trailblazer group, gathers and initiate the process by sending an enquiry to IfATE, containing the title of the proposed occupational standard. The enquiry is forwarded to one Product Manager tasked to support the trailblazer group for the development of the occupational proposal. (IfATE, 2023[13]). An occupational proposal includes the following key elements:

• Occupation profile: The heart of the occupational proposal is the occupation profile, which presents an overview of the occupation, typical job titles, and a set of duties. It must provide concise yet informative statements that shed light on the occupation’s purpose, typical interactions, and responsibilities. Readability and gender-neutrality of the language used is also important.

• Progression routes: Identifying typical progression routes for individuals in the occupation plays a crucial role in helping individuals identify career opportunities and goals. These routes can be at the same level or higher than the proposed occupational standard level, and they may cut across different occupational routes.

• Duties: Duties represent what individuals typically undertake in the workplace within that occupation. They should be distinct, complete activities, yielding specific outcomes. An occupational standard should typically list around 10 to 20 duties. The occupational proposal must also determine the number of off-the‑job training days required for each duty, especially if it is for an apprenticeship. This allows ensuring that full-time apprentices meet the off-the‑job training criteria.

• Occupational level and duration of the apprenticeship: The occupational level is the level assigned to an occupation, based on its difficulty and degree of autonomy. This information is vital for aligning the occupation to the required level of an apprenticeship correctly. The occupational standard also indicates the typical duration of the apprenticeship.

• Core and options: In cases where multiple related occupations share common knowledge, skills, and behaviours, the occupational proposal can be structured into a core component specific to the occupation and an optional component indicating additional knowledge and skills.

• Assessment methods and additional information: All proposals are required to include the end-point assessment (EPA) methods likely to be used to assess the KSBs. The EPA can take various forms, including observation in the workplace, practical and written tests and interviews. Proposals must include a minimum of two distinct assessment methods. Other factors and considerations may be additionally addressed in the occupational proposal, such as typical entry points to the apprenticeship, transferability across employers, equity, diversity, and inclusion, and recognition by statutory regulators. Mandated qualifications and the significance of professional bodies or regulators should also be included where relevant in the proposal.

From the moment of initiating the request to the final approval, the whole process can take between 6 months to a couple of years depending on the scale of changes and the number of trailblazer group meetings and consultations required. If a proposed change to an occupational standard corresponds to a simple correction (e.g. correcting a spelling mistake) or an adjustment (e.g. updates that do not require changing skills or assessments), it usually takes a shorter timeframe to finalise the process. If it entails major revisions (e.g. changing the content of an occupational standard), the process can take longer. IfATE reviews occupational standards regularly and in case an occupational standard needs to be updated, it convenes the trailblazer group back together.

Once the occupational proposal is ready, IfATE analyses it against several criteria (listed in Box 1) to decide whether to agree to its development as an occupational standard (IfATE, 2023[13]). Upon IfATE’s approval, the next stage is to develop the occupational standard and the end-point assessment (EPA) plan and collect evidence on the potential cost of the training and assessment. The detailed process is as follows:

Trailblazers lead the development of curriculum requirements of apprenticeships. Giving employers the responsibility to map out their specific skill needs for apprenticeships aims to facilitate smoother transitions from apprenticeships to work by ensuring that graduates possess the right skills sought after in the labour market. In addition to trailblazer groups, training providers and end-point assessment organisations are also involved in the process. As for the development of occupational standards, IfATE plays a central role in supporting trailblazers through Product Managers who lead the development of training standards.

The training standards for apprenticeships are co-created alongside occupational standards by trailblazer groups. More specifically, for each new apprenticeship, trailblazer groups develop end-point-assessment plans that detail the independent assessment that apprentices must take to graduate. This helps confirm whether they have acquired the skills needed to undertake the occupational standard’s duties (IfATE, 2023[13]).

IfATE also monitors the quality of apprenticeships through a set of relevant benchmarking indicators. These indicators are grouped in two sets. A first set aims to assess how well apprenticeships meet the skill needs of both employers and apprentices and includes: the number of learners and graduates in the apprenticeship compared to the size of the occupation in labour market, the number of employers of different sizes and sectors recruiting and training apprentices, the development and implementation of standards, and the proportion of apprenticeships that start with a vacancy or a new employee or role. A second set of indicators aims to measure the outcomes of the training provided and includes: retention rates until the end-point assessment, the success ratio in end-point assessments (including grades), employment destinations post-apprenticeship, and educational or occupational advancement within three to five years after completion. These indicators initially establish a baseline, followed by regular data collection to determine necessary actions. Employers, colleges, providers and universities are expected to use these indicators when considering the design and quality of their own apprenticeships (IfATE, 2023[12]).

Feedback from employers and apprentices is also actively sought through existing Department for Education surveys, with plans to enhance these surveys to cover various aspects like skills needs, standards, job roles, training programmes, and end-point assessments. Additionally, the Apprenticeship Service has planned to develop a new online method for employer feedback.