20% off-the-job

training guide

Overview
The purpose of this guide is to provide information
on the 20% off-the-job rule, to explore some of
the common barriers and provide some practical
guidance on how it can be implemented within
your organisation.
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Background
Off-the-job training is a vital component of any
quality apprenticeship. It reinforces the practical,
work-based learning completed on the job, with
technical and theoretical learning. They combine
to make for the most effective learning and
apprenticeship experience.
While off-the-job training has always been
a requirement for apprenticeship delivery,
apprenticeship reforms have led to more specific
rules from the Education and Skills Funding Agency
(ESFA) around the delivery and monitoring of
off-the-job training which must be a minimum
of 20% of an apprentice’s employed time.
The ESFA define off-the-job training as… “learning
which is undertaken outside of the normal day-to-
day working environment and leads towards the
achievement of an apprenticeship.
This can include training that is delivered at the
apprentice’s normal place of work but must not be
delivered as part of their normal working duties.”
Some of the challenge employers face is in the
interpretation of the definition; what counts
towards it, where training should take place and
how it should be calculated. Others face operational
challenges in giving apprentices more time away
from day-to-day working activities. In addition,
employers may be conscious of the consequences
of not meeting the rule, both reputationally and
financially if their ability to use levy funding is
removed. It’s no surprise, therefore that the 20%
off-the-job training rule is frequently cited as
being one of the biggest barriers to the uptake of
apprenticeships.
But this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.
Within this document we bust some of the myths
surrounding the 20% rule and set out how it can be
integrated into an apprenticeship.
 Myth 1 - 20% off-the-job means one
day out of the workplace training
every week
Common
That’s not right. The 20% can be an accumulation
Myths and
of learning activities that take place over the
course of the apprenticeship, it does not have to
Barriers
be one day a week. It could be a combination of
training that is delivered in bite size chunks, day or
block release. There could be a greater proportion
at the start or end of the apprenticeship or it could
be scheduled for less busy periods. Employers can
decide on how and when they want off-the-job
training to be delivered and Knowledgepool can
help to incorporate this at the design stage of the
apprenticeship to match organisational needs
with those of the programme.
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Myth 2 - 20% off-the-job should be What Counts and What Doesn’t
classroom based activity away from the
workplace
Counts:
y Induction - but only where relevant to the
It doesn’t have to be. While including some
apprenticeship standard and not workplace
workshop or ‘classroom type learning’ in an
induction
apprenticeship is a good idea (it supports peer
to peer learning and helps foster an apprentice y Individual and group training
community), training can also be delivered through y Coaching
a combination of e-learning, self-study or virtual
classrooms. Also, most Knowledgepool workshops y Distance learning
are delivered on employer premises. y Team meetings / all staff meetings /
away days (only when directly related to
In addition, it’s not just the teaching of theory achievement of the standard/ behaviours)
that counts. Practical training and learning,
y Guided study
such as shadowing; mentoring; industry visits
and attendance at competitions also counts. As y Directed reading such as journal articles,
does learning support and time spent writing online articles, books, etc.
assessments/ assignments. What’s important here
y Mentoring
is that any activity where the apprentice is learning
new skills or knowledge could count, and some of y Collaborative learning
this might actually be on the job. y Demonstrations
y Role play
Myth 3 - Internal training can’t count y Case studies
towards the 20% y Videos
y Online learning – webinars, podcasts,
Not true! If it relates to the apprenticeship standard, discussion forums
internal training and development can count. Many
y Learning journal / reflective learning
employers put their apprentices on a substantial
induction programme, some of which can be y Preparation / Revision for assessment
mapped to the apprenticeship and therefore count y Observation of others
towards the 20%. For example: internal training on
an organisation’s values or systems might count, but y Training from suppliers
being shown around the building, would not. The
20% can be achieved via a mix of time spent with
Doesn’t Count
the provider and the employer.
y End -point assessment (although
preparation for this can do)
y Maths and English Functional Skills –
apprentices needing to complete these
skills will need additional time on top of
the 20%
y Progress reviews or on-programme
assessments as there will be no new
learning delivered
y Training that takes place outside the
apprentice’s paid working hours
y Any Business As Usual activities

What does
Total number of working days in
it mean in
the 12 months (minus holiday and
practice?
Having established there is flexibility in how the
20% is delivered, the next step is to look at how it
can be integrated into an apprenticeship.
Step One – Calculating the 20%
To calculate the total amount of development
time required, we look at:
y The duration of the apprenticeship
y The contracted working hours of the apprentice
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An example for the Customer Service Practitioner at
Level 2 is outlined below. This is based on a 12-month
learning journey prior to end-point assessment
216 y The learning required for the apprentice to
bank holiday)
Number of working hours per day 7 developed in partnership with the employer
Total hours in work across 12 months 1512
Total hours in work per month 126
20% of off-the-job training hours 302.4
required across 12 months
20% of off-the-job training hours 25.2
required per month
From month to month, the hours required to meet
the 20% off-the-job training can vary, as long as
the 20% can be achieved over the duration of the
apprenticeship i.e. 302.4 hours or 43.2 days.
Step Two – Building the 20%
into the Apprenticeship
Learning Journey
y Having agreed the content and delivery in the
meet the knowledge, skills and behavioural
components of a standard, is mapped into
a learner journey by Knowledgepool. This is
to ensure its relevant to the apprentice’s role
and organisation.
y The journey will set out how the learning
content will be delivered and when, for
example technical knowledge delivered via
a workshop for a qualification, coaching
sessions to learn and reflect on new skills or
self-study time to write an assignment
y At this stage, it will be possible to agree
what elements of content and delivery could
be included in the 20% off-the-job training
requirement.
y A learning log will be created to capture all
activities and suggested time periods for
completion, adding up to the total hours
required. The apprentice will see this learning
log on the learning management system.
Step Three – Understanding the
mix of training from an Employer
and Provider
learning journey, Knowledgepool will work with
the employer to identify what internal training
their apprentice will undertake in their role and
whether it could count towards the 20%, for
example an induction covering key knowledge
needed as outlined in the standard; or mentoring
or 1-1 sessions that support their skills and
behavioural development.
y This can be done at individual apprentice level
with the manager, or for higher volumes at
organisational level, so the approach is consistent.
y This will give an overall picture of what learning
and 20% off-the-job training will be delivered by
whom and when. Often employers do more than
they realise towards off-the-job training and this
process will help to clarify exactly what additional
time is required over and above existing
practices.
The overall objective is to ensure that apprentices
are given the right amount of development time
to achieve their apprenticeship, and that all learning
– whether delivered by Knowledgepool or by the
employer - is integrated into the apprenticeship
in a seamless way. And there are many benefits;
from increased apprentice engagement, improved
productivity, the embedding of learning to
the transfer of skills for increased business
performance.
 Ultimately it is a training provider’s responsibility
to evidence that 20% development time is taking
place, but the onus is on all involved – including
How is the 20%
Case Study:
the apprentice and the manager – to make sure
that the apprentice is given the time to complete
monitored and
Customer
the learning. At the start of the apprenticeship,
the apprentice, employer and provider will
agree an individual learning plan (also known
who records it?
Service Level 2
as a commitment statement), which sets out
the apprentice’s learner journey including the
amount and type of training and development
that will be delivered.
At every monthly review, the Talent Coach and
the apprentice will review the amount of learning
activity that has been undertaken. As well as
formal learning delivered as part of the journey,
they will also discuss any ad hoc informal
learning that has taken place including practical
elements such as ‘shadowing’. The role of the
Talent Coach is to help their apprentice recognise
what counts towards the 20% so that they start
to capture this activity without prompting. The
method for recording this is via a learning log
which is hosted on our apprenticeship platform.
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Amir’s learning log needed to
firstly calculate the number of
total hours required:
Total amount of time at work in days 216
minus holidays/bank holidays across
12 months
Number of working hours in the day 7.5
Amir is contracted for
Total amount of time at work in hours 1620
Amir has undertaken a Customer Service across the 12 months
Practitioner Level 2 apprenticeship where his
learning took place over a 12-month period prior Total amount of time at work in hours 135
to end-point assessment. He was a new employee per month
at his organisation and had not fully completed
his workplace induction at the point of enrolment
onto the apprenticeship. While his training provider 20% OTJT hours across the 12 months 324
recorded any activity as part of his 20% off-the-job
training (OTJT), they provided a learning log to help 20% OTJT hours per month 27
him recognise and keep a note of this throughout
his journey. It also helped to identify where there
were further opportunities needed and provided 20% OTJT days across 12 months 46.29
reassurance to him and his employer.
20% OTJT days per month 3.86
By the end of the programme, Amir needed to have completed 324 hours of OTJT in total and this was spread out
during the programme. By the end of Amir’s apprenticeship, his fully completed Learning Log looked like this:
Learning/
Description of Activity
training hours
Induction to Apprenticeship
Internal Induction to organisation and legislation training
Job Shadowing (induction to department 5 days)
Introduction of CPD log and learner journal
Introduction to E-Portfolio and evidence for showcase portfolio
Knowing your customers (e-learning)
Understand the Organisation (e-learning)
Meeting regulations and Legislation (e-learning)
Systems & Resources (e-learning)
Your Role & Responsibility (e-learning)
Customer Experience (e-learning modules and Workshop)
Product & Service Knowledge (e-learning modules and Workshops)
Interpersonal Skills (role play, simulation and workshop)
Communication (role play, simulation, presentation and quizzes)
Influencing skills (role play, simulation, recorded calls analysis)
Research for knowledge topics
Colleague shadowing/cross team/department
Compliance updates (1 hour per month mandatory)
Additional OTJT activities agreed with line manager
Introduction to EPA
Support with Observation preparation and mocks
Mock observation on learner in role with feedback against standards
Support with Discussion preparation and mocks
Support with portfolio evidence
Total
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Amir found that he could fit his work in around the Overall, Amir’s OTJT was a mix of time spent with
quieter times in his role. He would use alternative the provider and employer as well as self-study.
Thursday afternoons for his self-study activities. His employer did not need to provide Amir with
an additional 20% OTJT as they already provided
The Training Provider provided Amir with some a number of activities that were relevant to the
Who provides this?
knowledge and theory materials via the electronic standard and could be undertaken outside of his
2 Carried out by Provider in work time platform available to him. This covered 69 hours day-to-day working environment.
(21%) for self-study.
13 Organisational Activities
37.5 Organisational Activities A further 120 hours (37%) were used to support
learning via Amir’s dedicated Talent Coach who
2 Carried out by Provider in work time
would discuss materials and resources either
3 Carried out by Provider in work time via remote 1-2-1s, face to face 1-2-1s, or group
12 Learner self-study utilising Provider resources
workshops.
5 Learner self-study utilising Provider resources Amir carried out several learning tasks during his
9 Learner self-study utilising Provider resources induction period that were relevant to the skills,
knowledge and behaviours needed for the standard
5 Learner self-study utilising Provider resources
and these covered 100 hours (30%) in total.
8 Learner self-study utilising Provider resources
His employer also arranged further training to
12 Carried out by Provider in work time
support learning and to meet his development
22 Carried out by Provider in work time needs. These totalled 40 hours (12%).
11 Carried out by Provider in work time
18 Carried out by Provider in work time
25 Carried out by Provider in work time
30 Learner self-study utilising Provider resources
37.5 Organisational Activities
Learner self-study utilising Organisation
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resources
40 Organisational Activities
2 Carried out by Provider in work time
6 Carried out by Provider in work time
2 Carried out by Provider in work time
6 Carried out by Provider in work time
4 Carried out by Provider in work time
324
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Register your interest

Please register your interest with your Manager

or your Departmental Apprenticeship Lead, who
will provide further advice and guidance on the
programme and the application process.

Alternatively email:
publicsectorapprenticeships@knowledgepool.com