The rules for Functional Skills for apprenticeships changed in February 2025, and plenty of advice online is now out of date. Your age when you start is the main thing that decides if you need a Level 2 qualification. Here's what applies now.
What are the apprenticeship English and Maths requirements now?
On 11 February 2025 the Government changed the apprenticeship English and maths requirements. Apprentices who were aged 19 or over at the start of their training are no longer required to hold or achieve English and maths qualifications to pass their apprenticeship. Apprentices aged 16 to 18 at the start still are.
Skills England describes the English and maths exit requirements as optional for apprentices aged 19 or over at the start of their training. That changes how Functional Skills for apprenticeships fit into your plans, because for many adults they're now a choice rather than a rule.
Do you need maths and English for an apprenticeship?
Do you need maths and English for an apprenticeship? It depends on your age and your employer. If you're 19 or over when you start, you generally don't have to pass a Level 2 qualification to complete. If you're 16 to 18, you generally still need Level 2 in both subjects unless you already hold an accepted qualification.
Your employer or training provider can still decide that you should work towards Level 2. Ask them what applies to your apprenticeship.
Are there maths and English exemptions for apprenticeships?
For most adult apprentices, in effect, yes. Maths and English exemptions for apprenticeships now cover anyone aged 19 or over at the start of their training, because the requirement is no longer mandatory for them. The same goes if you already hold a GCSE at grade 4 or above, or another qualification on the Government's list of accepted English and maths qualifications for apprenticeships.
Functional Skills exemptions for apprenticeships can still vary between employers and programmes, so check before you assume.
Who still needs English and Maths at Level 2?
You're most likely to need it if you started your apprenticeship aged 16 to 18, or if your employer or a professional body asks for it. Some professional bodies and programmes set their own rules, and these can take priority over the general change, so ask. The maths and English requirements for apprenticeships can differ between programmes.
Will your provider test your maths and English?
Your training provider may assess your starting level in maths and English when you begin, which you might hear called an apprenticeship initial assessment. That helps them decide what support you need. It isn't the same as the end requirement, so ask what your apprenticeship maths and English test involves, if there is one, and what it's used for. It's also worth asking what apprenticeship maths and English support your provider offers.
Should you still gain Level 2 if you're 19 or over?
You don't have to, but it can still be worth it. A Level 2 qualification in English and Maths sits at the same level as GCSE grades 9 to 4, so it can help with promotion, a new job or university later. Functional Skills for apprenticeships can also give you confidence with the written and number work in your role. If your employer would like you to do it, you can usually study it alongside your work.
Questions to ask your employer or training provider
- Was your apprenticeship start date after your 19th birthday?
- Does your employer still want you to gain Level 2 in English and Maths?
- Does a professional body or your programme set its own requirement?
- What will your starting assessment involve, if there is one?
- What support will you get with study time?
Study Level 2 with learndirect
- Functional Skills English and Maths Level 2 Including Exams
- Functional Skills English and Maths Level 2 Excluding Exams
