Apprentice Off-the-Job Training Explained

If you are new to apprenticeships, off-the-job training is probably the requirement you have heard the most about and understood the least.

Many employers considering hiring an apprentice picture it as losing them for an entire day every week, sitting in a classroom somewhere, away from the business.

The reality is quite different. And thanks to changes that came into effect from August 2025, it is also more flexible and simpler to manage than it has ever been.

This guide explains what it actually is, what counts, how the new rules work, and how you can build it around your business without disruption.

What is off-the-job training?

Off-the-job training is training that takes place during your apprentice's paid working hours but is distinct from their day-to-day job tasks. Its purpose is to develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviours, and it is a mandatory requirement of every funded apprenticeship programme.

The key distinction is this: on-the-job training is learning by doing the job. Off-the-job training is structured learning that develops the competence needed to do the job well. Both are important, but only off-the-job training counts toward the funded requirement.

What counts as off-the-job training?

Off-the-job training can take many forms. Activities that count include:

• Teaching of theory: lectures, webinars, classroom sessions, and online learning modules
• Practical training: shadowing experienced colleagues, mentoring, industry visits, and simulations
• Learning support: time spent on assignments, revision, and preparing for assessments
• Role play, case studies, and project work directly linked to the apprenticeship standard

The common thread is that the activity must develop skills, knowledge, or behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard. It must also take place during paid working hours.

What does not count?

The following cannot be included:

• Standard induction or onboarding that does not develop apprenticeship-specific skills
• Daily job tasks the apprentice would carry out regardless of their apprenticeship
• Work-based assessments conducted solely to test existing competency
• Breaks, travel to and from the workplace, or time outside of paid hours
• English and maths training the apprentice undertakes as a separate requirement

The activity must be clearly structured, documented, and tied to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours of the standard. Anything loosely related to learning that the apprentice would do anyway does not qualify.

How have the rules changed from August 2025?

This is the part that often surprises employers, because the change is significant and very much in their favour.

Before August 2025, apprentices needed to spend at least 20% of their working hours on off-the-job training. For a full-time apprentice, that was roughly one day per week. Part-time apprentices required proportional adjustments, often extending programme durations.

From 1 August 2025, this changed for all new starts. The Department for Education replaced the percentage-based calculation with a fixed minimum number of off-the-job training hours for each apprenticeship standard, published by Skills England. These hours reflect what is genuinely needed to achieve competence, and they are the same for every apprentice on that standard regardless of their working hours.

Examples of the new fixed minimums include:

• Customer Service Practitioner Level 2: 300 hours
• Business Administrator Level 3: 348 hours

The absolute minimum for any programme is 187 hours, even where prior learning has been recognised and hours reduced. The minimum programme duration has also been reduced from 12 to 8 months, giving even more flexibility for apprentices with relevant experience.

Apprentices who started before 1 August 2025 continue to follow the old 20% calculation. Your training provider can confirm which rules apply.

The apprentice off-the-job calculator: how hours are worked out

Under the new rules, you do not need to calculate anything yourself. The minimum hours for your apprentice's standard are published in Annex C of the DfE apprenticeship funding rules and listed on each standard's page on the Skills England website. Your training provider will confirm the required hours at the start of the programme and build them into the training plan.

Where an apprentice has relevant prior learning or experience, the provider can reduce the required hours below the published minimum, but never below the 187-hour floor. Any reduction must be clearly evidenced and documented.

Does off-the-job training mean losing your apprentice for a day a week?

Not necessarily, and this is one of the most important points to understand.

The new fixed-hours model decouples training from programme duration. That means you do not have to deliver training at a fixed rate of one day per week. You can spread the hours across the programme in whatever way works best for your business and your apprentice.

Some employers find a regular block of time, such as a morning per week or a full day per fortnight, works well for their team. Others front-load training at the beginning of the programme when the apprentice has the most to learn, then reduce the intensity as competence grows. Some mix intensive training blocks at quieter periods in the business calendar with lighter-touch learning during busier periods.

What is front-loading off-the-job training?

Front-loading means delivering a higher volume of training hours at the start of the programme rather than spreading them evenly. It works well for businesses with seasonal peaks, where concentrating training in quieter periods makes operational sense. It also suits apprentices who benefit from a strong theoretical foundation before applying skills day to day. Front-loading is permitted under the funding rules provided the overall minimum hours are met and training is documented correctly.

Practical examples of how off-the-job training can work

For a business administrator apprentice on 348 hours over a 15-month programme, that averages around 5.5 hours per week. That could be one morning of structured learning, a combination of online modules and mentoring sessions, or monthly half-day workshops plus self-directed study throughout the week.

There is no single right way to deliver this. The right approach depends on the standard, the apprentice, and how your business operates.

Your responsibilities as an employer

You are responsible for providing your apprentice with the time and opportunity to complete their off-the-job training during paid working hours. You cannot require an apprentice to complete off-the-job training in their own time or outside of paid hours.

Training activities must be recorded and documented. Your training provider manages this through a learning plan and progress records, and you play an important role in confirming training has taken place. Where actual hours fall short of planned hours, both you and your apprentice must sign a statement explaining the difference.

Apprentice rights for off-the-job training are protected under the funding rules. If an employer consistently prevents an apprentice from completing their required hours, the programme may be at risk. This is another reason why planning ahead and building off-the-job time into your normal working schedule matters from the start.

How Total People supports employers with off-the-job training

At Total People, we work with you from the very start to build a practical training plan that fits around your business operations.

We confirm the required hours for your apprentice's standard, design a delivery schedule that works for your team, and make sure everything is documented correctly so you are always compliant. Whether you are managing your first apprentice or looking to explore our apprenticeship training solutions across multiple sites, we make off-the-job training straightforward from day one.

If you are thinking about recruiting an apprentice and want to understand how off-the-job training would work in your business, get in touch with our team.