EPAO to AAO: Preparing for the apprenticeship assessment reform

Skills England has set out the first 93 standards to be revised under a new approach to apprenticeship assessment. This will mean changes in how assessments are designed, delivered and governed, with a sharper focus on fair, consistent and trusted outcomes.

For many organisations, this brings both opportunity and pressure. The principles are clear, but the day-to-day impact on teams and boards is harder to work through. Without the right skills in place, it becomes difficult to keep pace with expectations.

What apprenticeship assessment reform means for organisations

The updated requirements set out by the Department for Education include:

• Assessment strategies that clearly link to real occupational skills.
• Clear definitions of what a pass or distinction looks like in practice.
• Sampling approaches that keep results fair and consistent across learners.
• Gateway checks to confirm learners are ready to complete.
• Governance oversight to protect standards and manage risk.

These changes require new capabilities across every level of an organisation.

Organisations will need more flexible assessment systems. That means teams and skills that can adapt as requirements shift.

To meet these expectations, organisations may need to strengthen their capability in a few key areas:

• Stakeholder collaboration – working closely with employers, providers and assessment bodies to review and redesign Apprenticeship Assessment Plans (AAPs).
• Assessment strategy development – turning assessment plans into clear, usable specifications that reflect real job competence.
• Performance descriptors and outcomes – defining clearly what is being tested and what good looks like at each level.
• Sampling design – setting fair approaches for what is assessed and how coverage is balanced.
• Governance and comparability safeguards – making sure standards remain consistent across different delivery models.

Operational skills you’ll need

To deliver on these expectations, organisations may wish to strengthen their operational teams with roles such as:

• Assessment Design Specialists – help turn apprenticeship assessment plans into structured, usable assessments that genuinely measure competence.
• Psychometricians – support the design of fair and consistent assessment criteria, so results can be trusted across cohorts.
• Sampling and Quality Assurance Managers – oversee how samples are selected and checked, helping maintain fairness and consistency.
• Regulatory Compliance Officers – keep assessment activity aligned with DfE, Ofqual and other regulators, so standards are met in practice.
• Assessment Operations Managers – keep assessment delivery on track and support communication between all parties involved.
• Digital Assessment Technologists – support secure online delivery of assessments and make sure digital systems work for learners and providers.
• Data Analysts – track outcomes and highlight patterns that help teams improve assessment quality over time.
• Business Development and Partnership Managers – build strong relationships with centres and help them respond to regulatory changes in a practical way.

Governance and non-executive expertise

Awarding organisations rely on strong oversight that balances compliance with improvement. This requires strengthening governance through roles such as:

• Non-Executive Directors (NEDs) – bring independent challenge and sector understanding. They help boards keep assessment standards on track and support compliance.
• Committee Chairs and Leads – focus on quality, risk and assessment oversight, helping boards test whether processes are fair and consistent.
• Risk & Audit Committee Members – look across financial, regulatory and operational risk, including fairness and digital delivery risks.
• Independent Advisors – bring specialist insight into learner experience, digital delivery and standards, helping boards stay close to real outcomes.

Read more: Ofqual governance principles and what AO boards need to know

How Peridot Partners can help

At Peridot, we work alongside you to understand the skills and structures you need.

• Executive and operational search – from senior leaders through to specialists in assessment design, quality, compliance, digital delivery, data and psychometrics.
• Board recruitment – helping you build boards with the right mix of independence, experience and perspective to guide assessment standards and challenge well.
• Board skills audits, governance reviews and salary benchmarking – helping you see where capability gaps exist and how to close them.
• Interim and consultancy support – providing experienced people during periods of change so delivery stays steady.

As a Platinum Supplier to the Federation of Awarding Bodies and partner to the awarding and assessment sector, we understand the regulatory pressures you are working within. We help you put the right people in place so you can meet expectations and support strong learner outcomes.

Working with Peridot

These changes mean organisations are focusing on a few priorities:

1. Operational teams with skills across assessment design, validation, sampling and digital delivery.
2. Boards with a clear understanding of regulation, risk and assessment quality.
3. Systems that support gateway decisions, data tracking and external assurance.

We work with organisations to build the teams and boards needed to meet these standards. Our focus is practical: the right people in the right roles.

If you are working through these changes, we would welcome a conversation about what you need next and where the pressure points sit in your organisation.