Helping you navigate apprenticeship reforms with confidence

Clear guidance. Flexible options. A partner who understands the reforms – and your pressures.

Assessment should feel clear, simple, and fair - at Elevate, we make assessment feel better, because it should.

With significant reforms underway across apprenticeship assessment, we know that many training providers and employers are feeling the pressure of adapting, understanding new guidance, managing costs, ensuring rigour and consistency, and balancing staff workload, all whilst continuing to deliver high-quality learning experiences for apprentices.

At Elevate, we’re focused on making assessment smoother and more flexible.

Elevate is an Ofqual approved Assessment Organisation for the L7 Academic Professional, L5 Specialist Teaching Assistant, L5 Learning and Skills Teacher, L4 Learning and Skills Mentor, L3 Learning and Skills Assessor, and L3 Teaching Assistant standards. As you navigate the changing landscape, our approach is simple: flexibility, collaboration, and action.

We work alongside you to co-construct solutions that make delivery easier, clearer, and more efficient, every step of the way.

Understanding the Reforms and supporting you through them

The upcoming assessment reforms introduce meaningful changes across assessment plans, responsibilities and expectations. Training providers have told us they are concerned about:

• Assessment Organisation guidance

• Speed of adapting to the changes

• Standardisation

• Costs

• Staff workload

• Rigour and consistency

• Effective communication

We hear you.

Our work is designed specifically to address these challenges through flexible processes, clear communication, and a collaborative mindset.

Below, we’ve outlined what the reforms mean in practice and how Elevate will support you, your apprentices and your employers.

Our offering: Flexible, collaborative led support aligned to the Reforms

1. Blending external assessment with internal (provider-based) assessment

We will help you integrate internal assessment (delivered and marked by your teams) with independent assessment in a way that:

• effectively manages change

• maintains rigour and consistency

• ensures full compliance

• offers choice

Our quality assurance model provides light-touch oversight with clear, accessible guidance, supporting your staff while leaving you room to operate flexibly.

2. New, concise, and easy-to-use assessment plans

As assessment plans become clearer and more precise, Elevate will provide:

• Plain-English summaries

• Provider-friendly checklists

• Quick start guides for staff

• Focused guidance for assessors and tutors

You don’t need to interpret complex changes, we do that for you.

3. Clearer communication of expectations and terminology

We produce:

• Simple language briefings for staff

• Glossaries aligning terminology across all partners

• Short video tutorials for apprentices and employers

This ensures everyone hears the same message, reducing confusion and saving time.

4. Provider-delivered assessment with Elevate’s oversight

Where reforms enable providers to deliver and mark certain assessments, Elevate will provide:

• A flexible QA framework

• Standardisation hubs

• Marking exemplars

• Calibration sessions

• The option for providers to deliver some assessment components themselves, or for Elevate to deliver the full service

This blends trust and autonomy for providers with quality and confidence for employers.

5. Employer-led assessment of behaviours

As behaviours shift to employer responsibility, Elevate will support through:

• Progress Review templates

• Quick behaviour checklists

• Short guidance notes on what to look for

• Sample discussion prompts for employer–apprentice conversations

• Guidance and materials to aid employers in their judgements and providers in gathering evidence

This ensures employers are supported without adding workload for your teams.

6. The requirement to start with a secure Assessment Organisation partner

We know providers must now secure an AO partner from the outset. Our commitment is to:

• Make onboarding seamless

• Offer fast, flexible contracting

• Provide early-stage curriculum alignment support

• Communicate frequently and transparently

7. Upgraded regulatory frameworks: Quality, comparability, recognition

Our processes will be built on:

• Clear standardisation

• Transparent moderation

• Strong assessor training

• Cross-provider comparability checks

• Straightforward, manageable QA processes

This protects rigour without creating burdens.

8. Mapping knowledge and skills to outcomes, not methods

We will provide:

• Outcome-focused assessment guidance

• Mapping tools for curriculum and delivery planning

• Example outcome frameworks showing how learning outcomes can be organised, assessed, and evidenced

This simplifies internal planning and reduces unnecessary paperwork

9. Revised plans with only one mandatory method and negotiable options

This opens opportunities for inclusive assessment design. Where the assessment plan allows, Elevate can offer:

• A menu of assessment methods

• Guidance for apprentices to select the method best suited to their strengths

• Approaches grounded in inclusive practice and skills-led assessment theory

This promotes fairness and empowers apprentices, with options tailored to the agreed assessment approach.

10. A fully managed or partly managed service, your choice

To support different provider models, Elevate offers:

• Fully managed: We oversee the end-to-end assessment process, including marking, moderation, and QA

• Partly managed: You deliver internal marking with our guidance, quality assurance, and support materials

• Custom support packages: Tailored within clearly defined parameters to meet your specific needs

• Flexible pricing structures: Aligned to the level of support and services agreed

You select the level of support that fits your needs, size, and workflow, with all packages clearly defined upfront to ensure expectations are agreed.

Co-constructing the future, together

The reforms are an ideal opportunity to rethink how assessment works. We are committed to:

• Building genuine relationships with providers

• Listening to your challenges

• Co-designing workable solutions

• Supporting employers

• Communicating clearly and regularly

You won’t navigate the changes alone, we’re in this with you.

If you are delivering, or planning to deliver, the L7 Academic Professional, L5 Specialist Teaching Assistant, L5 Learning and Skills Teacher, L4 Learning and Skills Mentor, L3 Learning and Skills Assessor, and L3 Teaching Assistant apprenticeships and want:

• A flexible, supportive assessment organisation

• Clear and accessible guidance

• A partner who understands the reforms

• Confidence, consistency, and quality

Then we would love to work with you.

Elevate - We make assessment feel better, because it should.