Glossary
The terms of UK apprenticeship delivery, defined.
Twenty-two terms in plain English, each linked to the page or guide that goes deeper. Written for providers, employers and anyone new to the sector.
- Apprenticeship standard
- The occupation-specific specification an apprenticeship is delivered against in England, listing the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) and the end-point assessment plan. Each standard has a reference such as ST0070 for Business Administrator. Read more →
- Break in learningBIL
- A recorded pause in an apprenticeship, for example for long-term illness or parental leave, after which the learner returns. Recorded differently from a withdrawal in the ILR; on-break learners still count towards the Journey Core allowance. Read more →
- Counted apprentice
- For the Journey Core allowance of 50: an active or on-break apprentice in the provider workspace. Completed and withdrawn learners, staff accounts and employer accounts do not count. Read more →
- DfE funding rules
- The Department for Education's apprenticeship funding rules for England, published per funding year (for example 2026/27) and versioned. Journey selects the pack from the recorded start date and runs checks against it. Read more →
- End-point assessmentEPA
- The independent assessment at the end of an apprenticeship, carried out by an end-point assessment organisation against the assessment plan, that determines whether the apprentice has met the standard and at which grade. Read more →
- End-point assessment organisationEPAO
- The organisation that delivers end-point assessment for a standard. Meritura by Journey is the assessment operations system some EPAOs and awarding organisations use; Journey hands over the readiness pack to it in one click. Read more →
- E-portfolio
- The system where an apprentice's evidence is captured and mapped to the KSBs of the standard, with assessor feedback, journal entries and employer observations. In Journey it is part of the same learner record as the ILR. Read more →
- External quality assuranceEQA
- Oversight of end-point assessment organisations by the regulator or the body responsible for a standard, checking that assessment is consistent and fair. Read more →
- Funding band
- The maximum government contribution for a standard. The agreed price between employer and provider is negotiated up to the band and recorded on the learner record and in the ILR. Read more →
- Gateway
- The point at which the employer and provider confirm the apprentice is ready for end-point assessment: minimum duration met, off-the-job hours evidenced, English and maths achieved or exempt, portfolio complete where required. Read more →
- Individualised Learner RecordILR
- The data return every funded provider in England submits to the DfE, in returns R01 to R14 across the funding year, covering learner, learning aim, employer and funding data. Journey builds it from the learner record. Read more →
- Internal quality assuranceIQA
- The provider's own checks that assessment decisions are valid and consistent: sampling assessors' work, observations, standardisation and actions. Read more →
- Knowledge, skills and behavioursKSBs
- The elements of an apprenticeship standard that evidence is mapped to and that end-point assessment tests. Read more →
- Levy and non-levy
- Employers with a pay bill over £3 million pay the apprenticeship levy and fund apprenticeships from their levy account; smaller employers co-invest. The route is recorded on the learner's funding record. Read more →
- Management information systemMIS
- The provider's system of record for learners, cohorts, employers, contracts, funding and returns. In Journey the MIS and the e-portfolio are the same record. Read more →
- Off-the-job trainingOTJ
- Training delivered during the apprentice's normal working hours that teaches new knowledge, skills and behaviours, at or above the minimum hours the funding rules require. Journey logs it against plan and flags shortfalls. Read more →
- Progress review
- A regular tripartite review between apprentice, employer and provider, signed by the employer, recording progress against the plan and off-the-job hours. Journey holds the review and the signature as one entry. Read more →
- Quality improvement planQIP
- The plan of actions, owners and dates that follows a self-assessment, addressing the weaknesses it identifies. Read more →
- Recognition of prior learningRPL
- Assessment of what an apprentice already knows and can do before starting, which reduces the content, duration and price of the apprenticeship and must be recorded. Read more →
- Self-assessment reportSAR
- A provider's own evaluation of the quality of its provision against the inspection framework, supported by evidence, feeding the QIP. Read more →
- Talk to Journey
- The AI capability inside Journey Advanced: ask a question about your own provision inside the signed-in app and get an answer from the connected learner record with the sources listed. AI included. Read more →
- UKPRN
- The UK Provider Reference Number, an eight-digit identifier for a training provider on the UK Register of Learning Providers. It speeds up Journey Core verification. Read more →
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