Apprenticeship starts process map
A current 2026/27 workflow from employer enquiry through to the first progress review. It covers the training plan, apprenticeship agreement, initial assessment, ILR record and employer approval without treating every task as a rigid sequential gateway.
End-to-end workflow
Compliance checkpoints
Owner assignment
Updated: 15 July 2026. Format: CSV workbook starter. Apply the funding rules for the apprentice's start date.
Process overview
Stage 1
Pre-enrolment
Employer, funding and learner eligibility
- Confirm the employer's apprenticeship service account, PAYE scheme and funding route Compliance
- Confirm learner eligibility, including residency, employment and right-to-work evidence
- Select the approved standard and version; check its funding band and published minimum off-the-job training hours
- Agree the provider-employer contract, price and responsibilities
Stage 2
Initial assessment
Starting point established
- Assess the learner's starting point, programme suitability and support needs before apprenticeship learning starts Compliance
- Prior learning (RPL) assessed and documented Compliance
- Adjust price, content, duration and off-the-job hours where eligible prior learning reduces the programme
- For starts from 1 August 2026, confirm the practical period remains at least eight months after prior-learning adjustment, or longer where the standard or assessment plan requires it
- Record the English and maths decision: mandatory for apprentices aged 16–18 at the start without an approved equivalent; optional for most apprentices aged 19+ at the start if the employer agrees
Stage 3
Sign-up
Legal documents and ILR
- Apprenticeship agreement signed by the apprentice and employer; the provider is not a signatory Compliance
- Broad training-plan content agreed by apprentice, employer and provider before any apprenticeship training is delivered Compliance
- Where a virtual or email start prevents signing first, retain evidence of that agreement and obtain a fully signed training plan by the end of the 42-day qualifying period
- ULN obtained and verified
- Create the ILR record using the first evidenced apprenticeship learning activity as the learning start Compliance
- Employer reviews and approves the ILR-generated record in the apprenticeship service before funding is released
Stage 4
Platform setup
System and induction
- Learner account created on e-portfolio platform
- Employer portal access configured
- Current signed training plan uploaded and available to all parties by the required deadline
- Engage the assessment organisation at the start where the assessment plan requires it; for a legacy end-point assessment plan, record it when known and no later than six months before the planned learning end
Stage 5
Induction
Safeguarding and orientation
- Safeguarding induction completed Compliance
- Prevent and British Values awareness delivered Compliance
- E-safety and online learning expectations covered
- Tutor introduced and contact details shared
Stage 6
First review
Progress review and evidence tracking
- Schedule reviews at least every three calendar months, unless an evidenced delivery reason supports an agreed alternative timetable of no more than six months Compliance
- Record actual off-the-job training from the first evidenced apprenticeship learning activity
- Complete English and maths enrolment only where it is mandatory or the employer and apprentice have opted in
- Learner and employer confirm access and next steps
Common starts delays and how to fix them
Employer apprenticeship service delays
- Confirm the PAYE scheme that pays the apprentice is declared in the employer's service account.
- Explain that the employer must control its own account and approve the learner record after the provider's ILR data appears.
Document signing delays
- Use an accessible e-signature workflow and capture evidence of virtual or email agreement where needed.
- Track the signed training-plan deadline against the 42-day qualifying period; do not invent a universal 48-hour rule.
ILR submission errors
- Validate the ULN before creating the ILR record.
- Use the date of the first evidenced apprenticeship learning activity as the ILR learning start; it may differ from the employment or agreement date.
Platform access delays
- Pre-create learner accounts as soon as sign-up is confirmed.
- Assign employer portal access at the same time, not after induction.
Want starts workflows automated end to end?
TIQPlus supports training-plan workflows, employer approval, ILR pre-validation and learner onboarding — helping teams keep the evidence and dates behind each start in one place.