PAL’s Spring Newsletter for March 2026 This edition brings together a clear overview of the latest government reforms across Post‑16 education and apprenticeships, including confirmed changes to apprenticeship standards, funding updates, and what these developments mean in practice for providers, employers and learners. You will also find updates on qualifications, forthcoming assessment plan reforms, centre approvals, and practical guidance [...]
PAL are pleased to announce that the DfE audit working papers for auditing 2025/26 funding have been released. PAL’s audit and compliance team are now accepting bookings for conducting mock DfE audits using these working papers. Mock DfE funding audits enable providers to detect, correct and prevent funding errors before an actual DfE funding audit. As such they are [...]
PAL’s December Newsletter is packed with essential updates for providers, employers, and stakeholders across the apprenticeship sector. This edition covers: Staff updates at PAL. An update on PAL's Padlets - our online resource libraries tailored for providers, employers, and apprentices. Have your say in assessment design. PAL and Readspeaker partnership. Revision to the Event Assistant apprenticeship standard, now called [...]
PAL’s October Newsletter is packed with essential updates for providers, employers, and stakeholders across the apprenticeship sector. This edition covers: Assessment Reform – Insights into Skills England’s evolving assessment plans, including implementation timescales, transfer of apprentices, certification process, assessment methods, sampling, and performance descriptors. Skills for Care Call for Action- Dementia Training Standards Framework and Mental Health Core Capabilities Framework are [...]
PAL’s September Newsletter is packed with essential updates for training providers, employers, and stakeholders across the apprenticeship landscape. This edition covers: New Foundation Apprenticeships – PAL is launching its first Foundation Apprenticeship in Level 2 Health and Social Care, supporting both adult care and healthcare support roles. Learn about assessment methods, funding eligibility, and how to become an approved Centre. Assessment [...]
With 2024/2025 funding year behind us, we begin to look forward into 2025/26. It's time put on your Do not disturb and take in PALs August News Update. Based on our catch ups with clients and attendance of a range of consultations and working parties, the document covers the following: • A high-level overview of PAL’s assessment offer and [...]
As the sector adapts and changes PAL provides a July update to revisit roles and responsibilities of the relevant agencies, as well as taking a further look at the difference between current assessment plans and delivery and the proposed new plans which we have provided as a PowerPoint presentation. The presentation comes with notes that you can use for [...]
PAL is committed to keep all of our clients informed and engaged during this period of change within the sector- we have therefore put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions. For now, it is business as usual and assessments will continue in their current format, but we want to work with our clients to ensure the changes are [...]
COMING SOON! PAL have been accredited by Skills for Care and Ofqual to offer the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification. Funding will be available for employers, and the qualification will provide people in care roles with the most up-to-date knowledge and baseline skills they need. You can view PAL's factsheet for the qualification here. If you would [...]
The Next Chapter for Apprenticeships With the official launch of Skills England and the closure of IfATE, the apprenticeship landscape is entering a transformative phase. The Next Chapter for Apprenticeships, outlines the evolving responsibilities for providers, employers, and assessment organisations (AOs) as the sector adapts to new assessment principles and policy shifts. PAL is actively engaging with clients to navigate these changes [...]
PAL Compliance update June 2025 PAL’s Compliance team have produced a guide document for our stakeholders to provide them insights on the recently published Apprenticeship Funding Rules 2025 to 2026. These include planned hours reform, additional payments, and potential future changes to the rules. PAL Compliance update can be accessed here
A letter from Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education, to the joint chief executives of Skills England, setting the priorities for Skills England for 2025 to 2026. Skills England will: Be data-driven Use data and insights to inform the development and maintenance of the right skills training Simplify access to skills Mobilise and co-create skills [...]
