Selling products and services to other businesses.
This degree-level apprenticeship develops the knowledge and skills needed to sell products and services to other businesses. Apprentices learn how to manage the full sales cycle, from prospecting and needs analysis through to negotiation, closing, and account management. The programme builds understanding of buyer behaviour, commercial strategy, pricing, and how sales functions operate within broader business contexts. Alongside technical sales skills, apprentices develop business acumen, data literacy, and the ability to build lasting client relationships at a professional level.
An apprentice in this role will be prospecting for new clients, qualifying leads, and managing an active pipeline. They will prepare and deliver proposals, handle objections, and work towards agreed sales targets. Typical tasks include researching target accounts, maintaining a CRM system, attending client meetings, and collaborating with marketing or product teams to align on messaging. Reporting on pipeline activity and forecasting revenue are also regular parts of the role, alongside ongoing learning commitments tied to the degree element.
Completing this apprenticeship typically leads to roles such as Account Manager, Business Development Manager, Sales Executive, or Key Account Executive. With experience, progression into Senior Account Manager, Sales Manager, or Director-level positions is a common path. Employers tend to be found across sectors including technology, financial services, logistics, manufacturing, and professional services. Any business that sells to other businesses rather than directly to consumers is a potential employer, making the qualification broadly applicable across the UK economy.
Sorted by achievement rate.
No training providers currently listed for this standard.
Degree-level completers typically move into roles such as Account Manager, Business Development Manager, or Territory Sales Manager, taking responsibility for managing a portfolio of business clients, hitting revenue targets, and running the full sales cycle from prospecting through to close. Some move into Sales Analyst or Sales Operations roles, particularly where the employer places weight on the data and commercial strategy elements of the programme.
Within three to five years, progression usually leads to Senior Account Manager, Regional Sales Manager, or Key Account Director, often with responsibility for a team and for larger, more complex client relationships. The fork beyond that is typically between a leadership track, moving into Sales Director or VP of Sales, and a specialist track focused on specific sectors, enterprise accounts, or strategic partnerships. Some move laterally into commercial roles such as Commercial Manager or Business Development Director.
B2B sales roles exist across most industries, but the strongest concentrations of structured graduate-level hiring are in technology and SaaS, financial and professional services, manufacturing, logistics, and media. Employers range from large corporates and multinationals with dedicated sales academies to mid-sized specialist firms where an Account Manager carries significant autonomy early. Both private sector and public sector-facing organisations (selling into NHS trusts, local government, or education bodies) recruit at this level.
Throughout this degree-level programme, the apprentice learns on the job while completing academic study alongside their employment. Assessment is integrated across the programme rather than concentrated at a single end point, reflecting the degree-level nature of the standard. Before completing, the apprentice goes through a readiness check, commonly called a gateway, where the employer and training provider confirm that the apprentice is genuinely ready to demonstrate full occupational competence. Final assessment confirms the apprentice can perform at the level expected of a professional B2B sales practitioner. Assessment models for many standards are currently being updated, so check the gov.uk page for this standard for the current specification.
Building strong evidence of real workplace activity from early in the programme is essential. Apprentices should keep records of sales activity, client interactions, and commercial decisions as they happen, rather than trying to reconstruct them at the end. Working closely with both the employer and the training provider to track progress against the knowledge, skills and behaviours in the standard will make the readiness check and final assessment significantly more straightforward. Starting that evidence-gathering habit early is the single most practical step an apprentice can take.
Look for providers whose achievement rate sits above 75% on their FATP profile, since a 36-month integrated degree programme demands sustained academic and commercial support across a long delivery window. Strong providers will have demonstrable relationships with employers who do genuine B2B selling, not consumer-facing or retail roles. Check that degree-level academic content is delivered by staff with real sales experience, not only academic backgrounds. Apprentice satisfaction scores above 4 out of 5 suggest learners feel the programme reflects actual selling environments, including pipeline management, account development, and negotiation.
Be cautious if a provider's achievement rate is declining year on year despite growing cohort numbers, which can indicate capacity is outpacing quality. Vague answers about which university partner delivers the degree element, or an inability to name alumni working in B2B sales roles after completing, are both worth probing. Providers who frame the programme mainly around generic business or management modules, with sales treated as an afterthought, are unlikely to build the commercial skills this standard requires.
Employers set their own entry requirements, but most expect candidates to have A-levels or equivalent qualifications suitable for degree-level study. Some employers accept relevant work experience in sales or a commercial role in place of formal qualifications. Because this is an integrated degree apprenticeship, the training provider will also have their own admissions criteria, so check directly with them before applying.
The typical duration is 36 months, though the actual length depends on the apprentice's prior learning and employer requirements. Apprentices are employed throughout, working and studying at the same time. A portion of contracted hours must be spent on off-the-job learning, but the exact percentage is subject to ongoing reforms. Check the current specification on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website for up-to-date requirements before planning.
Before taking the end-point assessment, apprentices must pass through gateway, where the employer, training provider, and apprentice agree that the required knowledge, skills, and behaviours have been demonstrated. Assessment methods for many standards are being reviewed under current reforms, so check the live specification on gov.uk for the confirmed assessment approach for this standard. The assessment will require the apprentice to show competence in business-to-business sales at degree level.
The funding band for this standard is £21,000, which is the maximum contribution from government or levy funds towards training costs. Larger employers with an apprenticeship levy account use levy funds to pay the provider directly. Smaller employers without a levy account pay 5% of the training cost and the government covers the rest. If you employ fewer than 50 people and the apprentice is aged 16 to 18, the government pays the full training cost.
Day-to-day work involves identifying potential business customers, managing sales pipelines, presenting solutions to procurement teams or senior buyers, and negotiating contracts. Apprentices handle account management for existing clients, analyse market data to inform their approach, and collaborate with internal teams such as marketing and operations. Over time they take on more complex deals and may manage smaller accounts independently, building the commercial relationships that drive revenue for the employer.
Completing this apprenticeship results in a bachelor's degree alongside the apprenticeship certificate, which is a significant qualification in its own right. From there, many progress into senior sales roles such as key account manager, national accounts manager, or sales team lead. Some move into sales leadership or commercial management. Further study at postgraduate level is also an option, and some employers support high performers onto leadership and management programmes.
Tell us a bit about your team and we'll send a shortlist.
Tell us your requirements and we'll match you with the right training providers.
Curated by Alex Lockey, FATP founder and editor. Last reviewed: .
Sources include the apprenticeship's official specification on apprenticeships.gov.uk, Skills England guidance, IfATE archive records, DWP funding bands, and provider data sourced directly from the public Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register (APAR). Standard reference: 311.
Some sections on this page were drafted with AI assistance from published source data and reviewed by a human editor before publication. See our editorial methodology for how we maintain this content. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.