The Department for Education published the 2025/26 apprenticeship achievement rates this month. The headline number is the largest single-year movement the sector has seen in over a decade: the national overall achievement rate is now 65.5%, up 5.9 percentage points from 59.6% in 2024/25.
That movement matters far beyond the press release. The national QAR is the number every UK employer uses, consciously or not, when they ask a prospective apprenticeship provider “how do you compare?”. For roughly a decade the answer most providers gave was some variant of “above the national average”. With the average sitting in the mid-50s, that was a meaningful claim. With the average now at 65.5%, the same phrase covers a much wider range of actual performance, and in many cases hides genuinely weak provision.
If you’re renewing a provider contract this year, or running a tender for new apprenticeship volume, the QAR conversation has changed. Below: what the new number actually means, the four questions to ask your provider in response, and where TESS sits.
The numbers behind the headline
2024/25 national QAR: 59.6%
2025/26 national QAR: 65.5%
Year-on-year change: +5.9 percentage points
Biggest annual move: in over a decade.
Three-year trajectory: 54% → 59.6% → 65.5% (11.5pp over 36 months).
Why the number moved so far, so fast
Three things converged. First, the Skills England standards rationalisation in 2023–24 pulled the floor of weaker standards out of the system, the cohorts feeding into this year’s QAR were already self-selected for higher-quality provision. Second, the EPA infrastructure has matured; first-time pass rates are now systematically higher than they were two years ago. Third, providers who couldn’t sustain mid-50s achievement have either exited the market or pivoted away from apprenticeships toward apprenticeship units (which are kept separate from headline QAR during the test-and-learn phase). The remaining provider population is, on average, stronger.
That last factor is the one most employers underweight. The sector is consolidating around higher-performing providers. If your current provider was running at 50–55% achievement when the national was 54%, they look very different against a 65.5% benchmark, even if their own number hasn’t moved.
The old “above national” claim used to mean something. Now it can hide a 12-point gap. The honest question employers should be asking in 2026 is what percentage of your starts make it to EPA, what percentage pass first time, and what your absolute number is against the new 65.5% bar. , Rod Doyle, Director, TESS Group
What the 65.5% benchmark actually measures
One source of confusion every year: the headline QAR is the overall achievement rate, the percentage of apprentices who started and completed including end-point assessment, calculated across a multi-year cohort. It bundles retention (did they stick with the programme?), completion (did they reach gateway?), and EPA outcome (did they pass?). A provider can have very different numbers on each underlying component and still post the same headline.
For employers comparing providers, the three component numbers are far more useful than the rolled-up QAR. They’re also exactly what an honest provider will give you when asked.
Four questions to ask any provider in 2026
1. What’s your absolute QAR against the new 65.5% national?
Not the “above average” claim. The actual number. If they won’t share it, that’s the answer. If they share it and it’s sub-55%, that’s now genuinely below benchmark.
2. What’s your EPA first-time pass rate, by standard?
This is the cleanest signal of teaching quality, it strips out the retention question. A good provider on ST1512 (AI & Automation Practitioner) should be running 80%+ first-time pass with one of the named EPAOs.
3. What percentage of starts reach gateway?
Tells you about the cohort management and coaching layer. Weak providers leak learners between months 9 and 12. Strong providers don’t.
4. What’s your achievement rate on the standards we’re commissioning?
Not the headline number across their whole portfolio. The number on the specific standards you’re buying. A provider can have a strong overall QAR while being weak on the standard that matters to you.
The new “above average” bar
With the national now at 65.5%, a provider needs to be clearing roughly 70%+ to credibly claim they’re “above average” and have that mean something. Below 60% is now meaningfully below benchmark. Below 55% is in the bottom quartile.
Where TESS sits
Our headline QAR sits above the new 65.5% national across our active apprenticeship portfolio. More importantly, our EPA first-time pass rate is in the 80–90% band on ST1512 (the standard most of our cohort is on). We’ll share the specific number, by standard, for any UK employer evaluating us, that’s the only honest version of this conversation.
If you want the deeper version of this analysis, the 9-question buyer’s checklist with the new QAR benchmark baked in, we’ve refreshed our buyer’s guide with the 2025/26 numbers and the questions to ask any provider.
Run a 9-question provider audit on your current contract
Our buyer’s checklist uses the new 65.5% benchmark and the four diagnostic questions above. It takes 15 minutes to run against any provider and surfaces the specific gaps that matter most when commissioning apprenticeship volume in 2026.
The bigger structural point
The QAR jump tells a sector story: quality is rising and the bar for “good” has moved with it. Employers who locked in a provider three years ago when the national was 54% should reopen that decision, not because their provider has got worse, but because the market around them has got better. Read our take on 9 questions to ask before signing in 2026 and our mapping to the AI Opportunities Action Plan for the wider policy backdrop.
Frequently asked questions.
What is the QAR?
The Qualification Achievement Rate, also called the overall achievement rate, is the percentage of apprenticeship starts that successfully complete the programme including end-point assessment. It’s the headline number the DfE publishes annually to indicate sector-wide apprenticeship quality.
What is the new national QAR for 2025/26?
65.5%, up from 59.6% the previous year. The 5.9 percentage point rise is the largest single-year movement in over a decade.
Why did the QAR move so much in one year?
Three converging factors: Skills England rationalisation removed weaker standards, EPA infrastructure matured leading to higher first-time pass rates, and weaker providers exited the market. The remaining provider population is, on average, stronger.
What QAR should a good provider have in 2026?
To credibly claim “above average” with the new 65.5% benchmark, a provider needs to be clearing roughly 70% or higher. Below 60% is now meaningfully below benchmark. Below 55% is in the bottom quartile.
Does the QAR include apprenticeship units?
No. Apprenticeship units are kept separate from headline QAR during the test-and-learn phase. Unit outcomes are reported separately and do not influence apprenticeship provider QAR.
Where can I find official QAR data by provider?
The DfE publishes individualised provider QARs each year through gov.uk, the “Find apprenticeship training” service shows provider QAR alongside Ofsted grade, learner numbers and other quality indicators.
Related programme: AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4, fully levy-funded with TESS Group.