If you are comparing providers for the Level 4 AI & Automation Practitioner apprenticeship, check one small thing: which version of ST1512 their pages cite. The Skills England version log shows v2.0's latest start date was 21 May 2026. Every apprentice starting from 22 May 2026 onwards is enrolled against version 2.1.
Key takeaways
- Every new start from 22 May 2026 is automatically on v2.1. Apprentices already on programme stay on v2.0.
- Only the assessment plan changed. The curriculum, the 64 KSBs, the duration and the £18,000 funding band are all unchanged.
- The reform replaces the single end-of-programme EPA model with more proportionate apprenticeship assessment, regulated by Ofqual.
- Ofqual published its new regulatory framework on 1 April 2026. The one piece still to be confirmed is when assessment under the revised ST1512 plan takes effect; Skills England lists it as pending. This guide separates what is confirmed from what is not.
Accurate as of 12 June 2026, verified against the Skills England version log.
The version log, in plain English
Skills England records two versions of ST1512:
- v2.0: approved for delivery on 10 December 2025. Latest start date 21 May 2026.
- v2.1: change detail reads "Assessment plan revised". Earliest start date 22 May 2026, no latest start date set.
The transition at a glance
The rule to remember: the version in force on an apprentice's start date is the version they complete. New starts from 22 May 2026 must be enrolled against v2.1.
That change detail matters. The occupational standard itself did not change: the duties and the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) that define what an AI & Automation Practitioner does are the same in v2.1 as in v2.0. What was revised is the assessment plan: how apprentices are assessed at the end of the programme.
What's actually different: v2.0 vs v2.1
Here is the side-by-side, built only from what is published. The v2.0 column reflects the assessment as delivered today through BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. The status column is the part most summaries skip: what is confirmed now versus what is still to be published.
| Area | v2.0 (starts to 21 May 2026) | v2.1 (starts from 22 May 2026) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's called | End-point assessment (EPA) | Apprenticeship assessment | Confirmed |
| Who assesses | An end-point assessment organisation (EPAO); BCS for TESS learners | An assessment organisation (AO), with a mandatory written agreement between provider and AO | Confirmed |
| Assessment methods | Work-based project showcase, professional discussion and portfolio review, in a 12-week window after gateway | A streamlined plan in which the AO selects at least one additional method from: a presentation, a professional discussion, a simulated task, or a portfolio of evidence | Plan published; delivery detail pending |
| Timing of assessment | Everything assessed at the end, after gateway | Designed to be more proportionate and able to recognise evidence built during the programme | Direction confirmed; start date for assessing under the new plan TBC |
| Regulation | External quality assurance under the existing framework | Ofqual regulates under its Apprenticeship Assessment Regulatory Framework (published 1 April 2026), alongside Skills England's General Requirements | Framework published; applies as each revised plan takes effect |
| What's assessed | The 64 knowledge, skills and behaviour (KSB) statements | The same 64 KSB statements | Unchanged |
| Funding & duration | £18,000 band; typical duration to gateway 18 months on the standard (TESS delivers in 12 months plus assessment) | Same: £18,000 band, same typical duration | Unchanged |
So what actually changes, in one breath?
Under v2.0, everything is tested at the end: your apprentice passes gateway, then completes a work-based project showcase, professional discussion and portfolio review inside a 12-week window.
Under v2.1, assessment is being redesigned to be proportionate rather than one end-loaded event: evidence built during the programme can count, the assessment organisation chooses at least one additional method from a fixed menu (presentation, professional discussion, simulated task or portfolio), and your training provider may deliver and mark some elements under the assessment organisation's oversight.
What nobody can tell you yet, and be wary of any provider who claims otherwise: the exact assessment structure your apprentice will sit. That lands when Skills England confirms the plan's effective date and the assessment organisation publishes its specification. We will update this guide the day that happens.
Why the assessment plan changed
This is not unique to ST1512. The Department for Education announced reforms to apprenticeship assessment in February 2025, and Skills England is now revising assessment plans across the 650+ apprenticeship standards. The headline changes across the system:
- "End-point assessment" becomes "apprenticeship assessment". The reform moves away from the model where everything is tested in one block at the very end, towards more proportionate assessment that can recognise evidence built during the programme.
- "EPAOs" become "assessment organisations". Same independent role, simplified framework, with a mandatory written agreement between the training provider and the assessment organisation.
- Ofqual now regulates apprenticeship assessment. Its Apprenticeship Assessment Regulatory Framework was published on 1 April 2026 and applies to each apprenticeship as its updated assessment plan comes into effect, with Skills England's General Requirements setting the common rules.
- Providers may take a greater role in delivering and marking elements of assessment, decided and overseen by the awarding organisation, per Ofqual's guidance to the sector.
One honest caveat that other summaries skip: Ofqual's framework arrived on 1 April 2026, but Skills England's own ST1512 page still lists implementation details, including exactly when apprentices begin being assessed under the revised plan, as to be confirmed. The missing piece is the effective date for this specific plan. We track that page and will update this guide when it changes.
For employers: what you actually need to do
If you have apprentices on programme now: nothing changes. The version in force on the day an apprentice started is the version they complete. Anyone who started between 10 December 2025 and 21 May 2026 finishes on v2.0, including its assessment arrangements.
If you are enrolling new starts: they will be on v2.1 automatically. The funding band is unchanged at £18,000, fully levy-funded for levy-payers and typically 95% co-funded for non-levy SMEs. Duration is unchanged. The curriculum content your team learns, from agent building to multi-agent orchestration and agent monitoring, is unchanged.
Employer checklist: 5 minutes, done
- Existing apprentices: confirm their start date. Started on or before 21 May 2026? They are on v2.0 and nothing changes for them.
- New cohorts: check the training plan and enrolment paperwork states ST1512 v2.1.
- Ask your provider which version their delivery and assessment-prep materials are mapped to, in writing.
- Ask about the assessment organisation: the reformed model requires a written provider-AO agreement. Confirm one is in place.
- Watch one date: Skills England will confirm when assessment under the revised plan takes effect for ST1512. We track it; ask us any time.
One thing worth checking with any provider: ask which version their delivery materials and assessment prep are mapped to. A provider still quoting v2.0 documentation for a June 2026 start is preparing your apprentices against the wrong assessment plan.
For apprentices: what it means for you
If you start from 22 May 2026 you are enrolled against the revised plan, and Ofqual says the new arrangements are being rolled out gradually, so your provider confirms your exact assessment arrangements. In practice the reformed approach is designed to feel less like one high-stakes exam season and more like a proportionate check of what you can already demonstrate from real work. Your portfolio, built from genuine business projects, matters as much as ever. Your KSBs have not changed, so nothing you are learning is wasted, and our assessment guide walks through how gateway and assessment work at TESS.
How TESS handles the version change
Every TESS cohort starting from 22 May 2026 is enrolled against ST1512 v2.1, and our delivery, portfolio guidance and assessment preparation track the live version of the standard, with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, as our independent assessment partner. Coachy, our AI tutor, is scoped to the apprentice's actual standard and version, so learners are never revising against superseded documentation.
Bluntly: version transitions are where generalist providers wobble. Because TESS delivers one flagship AI standard at depth rather than a hundred standards at arm's length, our v2.1 alignment happened the week the version log changed, with zero disruption to live cohorts.
The programme itself is the same one that earns a 72% distinction rate: the AI & Automation Practitioner Level 4, available standard (12 months plus assessment) or as an 8-month fast-track, in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace editions, with no coding required.
Frequently asked questions.
What is ST1512 v2.1?
Version 2.1 of the Level 4 AI & Automation Practitioner apprenticeship. The Skills England version log records the change as "Assessment plan revised", effective for starts from 22 May 2026. The occupational standard (duties and KSBs) did not change.
Do current apprentices move to v2.1?
No. Apprentices complete the version that was in force when they started. Starts from 10 December 2025 to 21 May 2026 are v2.0; starts from 22 May 2026 are v2.1.
Did the funding band change?
No. ST1512 remains at the £18,000 funding band: 100% levy-funded for levy-payers, typically 95% co-funded for non-levy SMEs.
Did the curriculum or KSBs change?
No. The change detail on the Skills England version log is "Assessment plan revised". What apprentices learn is unchanged; how they are assessed is being reformed in line with the 2025/26 changes across all standards.
When do apprentices start being assessed under the revised plan?
Ofqual published its regulatory framework on 1 April 2026, and it applies as each updated assessment plan comes into effect. For ST1512, Skills England has not yet confirmed that date. Check the official ST1512 page or ask us; we track it.
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