How do you calculate off-the-job training hours for an apprenticeship?

Take the apprentice's average weekly working hours, multiply across the planned duration of the practical period (start to gateway), and apply the current minimum off-the-job requirement set out in the ESFA funding rules for the relevant academic year. Then reduce proportionately for any recognised prior learning. The result is your planned minimum OTJ hours, which you should record in the training plan and deliver during paid working time.

What is the minimum amount of off-the-job training required?

The minimum is set by the current apprenticeship funding rules and is based on the apprentice's working hours over the programme. Because the exact minimum and averaging method have changed across funding-rule versions, always check the rules for the academic year in which the apprentice started rather than relying on an older figure.

Does off-the-job training have to happen during working hours?

Yes. Off-the-job training must take place within the apprentice's normal, paid working hours. Training delivered in an apprentice's own time does not count towards the OTJ requirement, although it can still support their learning.

What does not count towards off-the-job training?

English and maths up to level 2 (funded separately), progress reviews, on-programme assessment activity, and any training delivered outside of paid working hours do not count. The training must teach new knowledge, skills or behaviours relevant to the apprenticeship standard.

The Off-the-Job Training Calculator: A Practical Guide for Apprenticeship Providers

Why off-the-job training calculation matters

Off-the-job (OTJ) training is one of the defining requirements of an apprenticeship. It is the structured learning that takes place within the apprentice's normal paid working hours but away from their day-to-day productive duties. Getting the calculation right is not just an administrative formality - it underpins funding eligibility, compliance with the apprenticeship funding rules, and the quality judgements Ofsted will form during inspection.

Many providers reach for an 'off-the-job training calculator' because the arithmetic, while not complicated in principle, has several moving parts: the apprentice's contracted hours, the practical period of training, any prior learning reductions, and the current minimum requirement. A calculator simply automates that arithmetic. Understanding what sits behind it is what keeps you compliant and ready to defend your figures.

How the minimum OTJ requirement is currently structured

Under the current apprenticeship funding rules, off-the-job training is expressed as a minimum number of hours, based on the apprentice's working hours over the planned duration of their training (the 'practical period', which runs up to the gateway, not including end-point assessment). The rules set a minimum weekly average expectation, and require that the total reflects the actual hours an apprentice works.

Rather than quoting a figure that may change between funding-rule versions, always check the current ESFA apprenticeship funding rules for the academic year your apprentice started, as the minimum and the way it is averaged have been revised over time. The principle to hold onto is consistent: OTJ is calculated from real working hours over the genuine length of the programme, and it must take place during paid working time.

The core calculation - step by step

A reliable OTJ calculation follows the same logical sequence whether you use a spreadsheet, a dedicated calculator, or your management information system. The aim is to produce a defensible total number of planned OTJ hours and a sensible distribution of those hours across the programme.

Confirm the apprentice's average weekly contracted/working hours, including any paid overtime that is contractual.
Establish the start date of the practical period and the planned gateway date - this gives you the duration over which OTJ is delivered.
Apply the current minimum requirement to those working hours over that duration to produce the minimum number of OTJ hours.
Reduce for any recognised prior learning (RPL), reducing both the price and the OTJ requirement proportionately where applicable.
Plan how the hours will be delivered week by week or month by month, so the total is realistic and not back-loaded.
Record the agreed figures in the commitment statement / training plan and keep the underlying assumptions on file.

What counts as off-the-job training

A frequent cause of audit and inspection findings is confusion about what genuinely counts. OTJ must directly teach new knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to the apprenticeship standard, and must happen within paid working hours.

It is worth being explicit with employers and apprentices about the boundary, because activities that feel like 'learning' do not always qualify.

Counts: teaching of theory, practical training, shadowing, mentoring relevant to the standard, industry visits, attending lectures or workshops, time spent writing assignments and on relevant projects.
Does not count: English and maths up to level 2 (funded separately), progress reviews, on-programme assessment, and training that takes place outside paid hours.
Be cautious with: time that is really productive work rather than structured learning - it must be genuinely 'off the job' even if it happens at the workplace.

Evidencing your OTJ hours

A calculator gives you the planned figure; evidence proves it actually happened. Ofsted and ESFA auditors will look for a clear line from the planned OTJ in the training plan, through to the delivered and logged hours, and ultimately to the apprentice's progress.

Strong practice combines an accurate plan with contemporaneous logging. Apprentices and tutors should record OTJ activities as they occur, with enough detail to show what was learned, not just that time was spent. Apprenticeship management platforms such as Journey can streamline this by linking the planned OTJ from the training plan to logged activity, so the planned-versus-actual position is visible throughout the programme rather than reconstructed at audit.

Keep your assumptions documented: the working hours used, the duration, any RPL reductions, and the funding-rule version applied. If an apprentice's circumstances change - reduced hours, a break in learning, or a planned end-date change - recalculate and update the records so they remain accurate.

Common pitfalls to avoid

Most OTJ problems are avoidable with disciplined record-keeping and an early, honest conversation with the employer.

Using a one-size-fits-all figure instead of calculating from each apprentice's actual working hours.
Forgetting to recalculate after a change of circumstances, break in learning, or duration change.
Logging vague entries ('worked on project') that do not show new learning relevant to the standard.
Including English and maths or progress reviews in the OTJ total.
Back-loading OTJ so the apprentice is well behind in the early months, which Ofsted may read as poor planning.
Not aligning the OTJ figures in the ILR, the training plan and the apprentice's log.