Off-the-job training: the 2026 rules providers need to apply.

Journey’s off-the-job tracking software keeps hours, evidence and KSB mapping on one record, so the requirement is monitored as delivery happens rather than reconstructed before gateway.

Where the rule is published

The off-the-job training requirement is set out in the Department for Education’s apprenticeship funding rules, not in a separate stand-alone document. Providers should treat the funding rules as the primary source for the current minimum, the qualifying-activity guidance and any exceptions, rather than a secondary summary — including this page.

What generally counts as off-the-job training

Off-the-job training is learning undertaken during an apprentice’s normal working hours that is directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard and takes the apprentice away from their normal day-to-day duties. In practice this has consistently included teaching of theory, practical training, shadowing, industry visits, and time spent writing assignments, alongside other structured learning activity tied to the standard’s knowledge, skills and behaviours. It has consistently excluded English and maths up to level 2 (which is funded and counted separately), progress reviews, and normal on-the-job working that is not structured learning.

Because the detailed list of qualifying and non-qualifying activity is set by government guidance and can be refined, providers should confirm current examples against the published funding rules rather than a fixed list, especially for edge cases such as remote learning, self-study, or activity delivered by the employer rather than the training provider.

The minimum requirement and how it is set

The funding rules set a minimum proportion or volume of off-the-job training relative to the apprenticeship’s planned duration, applied pro rata for part-time apprentices and adjusted for recognised prior learning. The exact minimum, and how it should be calculated for a given start date and standard, is published in the current funding rules and should be checked for the apprentice’s actual start date — the rule that applied when they started generally continues to apply to them even if guidance is later revised. Our off-the-job training calculator applies the published minimum for a given start date; always check the result against the live guidance for a rule change.

Evidence and audit expectations

Providers are expected to plan off-the-job training at the start of the programme, record actual hours and activity as delivery happens, and be able to produce evidence for any individual learner on request — not only reconstruct a total at the end. A running total with dated, activity-level evidence is the pattern that withstands an DWP or Ofsted evidence request; a total built retrospectively from memory or estimates is a recurring audit finding.

Common off-the-job training mistakes worth checking for

The most frequent issues raised in funding audits are not disagreements about what counts, but gaps in how the total was recorded: hours logged in bulk at the end of a period rather than as they happen, activity recorded without a description linking it to the standard, and totals that do not reconcile between a tutor’s planning notes and the figure eventually submitted. None of these require a rule change to fix — they require a consistent recording habit from the start of the programme.

A second common issue is treating the off-the-job minimum as a target to just clear by the end of the apprenticeship, rather than a pace to maintain throughout it. A learner significantly behind the expected pace partway through their programme is a planning and delivery problem to address early, not only a funding compliance figure to correct before gateway.

Primary sources

• Department for Education, Funding rules for apprenticeships (off-the-job training section) — gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-funding-rules (accessed 21 September 2026).
• Department for Education, Apprenticeship off-the-job training: guide for employers and providers — published as DfE/DWP guidance alongside the funding rules on gov.uk (accessed 21 September 2026; consult the current funding rules collection for the live link, as this guide is periodically reissued under the funding rules pages rather than a fixed permanent URL).
• Ofsted, Education inspection framework 2025, for how off-the-job training evidence is inspected — gov.uk/government/publications/education-inspection-framework (accessed 21 September 2026).

• What is the minimum off-the-job training requirement in 2026?

  The minimum is set in the current DWP apprenticeship funding rules and applies to the apprentice’s planned duration from their start date. Check the published rules for the exact figure rather than relying on a fixed percentage, since it can be revised.

• Does English and maths count as off-the-job training?

  English and maths up to level 2 is funded and recorded separately from the off-the-job training requirement; it is not counted within it.

• What off-the-job training evidence do inspectors expect to see?

  A planned target from the start of the programme, a running record of actual hours and activity as delivery happens, and evidence that can be produced for an individual learner on request, rather than a total reconstructed after the fact.