L5Apprenticeship402115 approved providers

The Level 5 Learning And Skills Teacher, and the 115 providers delivering it.

Teaching young people and adults within all parts of the education and training sector.

About this apprenticeship

What this apprenticeship covers

Apprentices develop the knowledge and skills needed to plan, deliver and assess teaching across the Further Education and Skills sector. The programme covers pedagogical theory, curriculum design, inclusive resource creation and assessment practice. Apprentices learn how to use diagnostic and initial assessment to differentiate support, identify and address barriers to learning, and embed English and maths within their subject. They also develop understanding of safeguarding, wellbeing support, and the professional standards expected of teachers working with learners aged 16 and above.

Day-to-day responsibilities

On a typical week, an apprentice will plan and deliver lessons, adapt materials to meet different learning needs, and provide written or verbal feedback on learner work. They will carry out initial assessments when new learners join, update session plans based on progress data, and maintain records that demonstrate learner progression. Contact with curriculum managers, support staff, and sometimes employers is common, particularly for those teaching vocational or technical subjects. Keeping subject knowledge current, often through links with industry, is part of the role for dual professionals.

Career outlook

Completing this apprenticeship leads directly to qualified teacher status for the FES sector, typically at lecturer or tutor level. Common job titles include further education lecturer, learning and skills teacher, and tutor. Progression routes include senior lecturer, curriculum leader, and head of department, with some moving into quality assurance or management roles. Employers range from general and specialist FE colleges and adult community learning providers to independent training providers and offender learning services. Candidates with a strong vocational background are particularly sought after in technical and trade subject areas.

Career outcomes

Roles after completion

Completers typically move into, or consolidate, a substantive teaching role as a Lecturer, Tutor, or Learning and Skills Teacher within their subject specialism. Those already employed during the apprenticeship often formalise their position or take on a fuller timetable. Common job titles include FE Learning and Skills Teacher, Learning and Skills Practitioner, and Education Practitioner, covering academic, vocational, and technical subjects from essential skills through to Level 3 and beyond.

Progression paths

After three to five years, experienced teachers frequently move into Senior Lecturer or Programme Leader roles, taking responsibility for a curriculum area, coordinating a team of tutors, or managing quality and assessment processes. The longer-term split tends to follow two tracks: a leadership route through Head of Department, Assistant Principal, or Quality Manager positions; or a specialist track focused on curriculum development, teacher education, or learning support coordination. Those with strong industry ties often take on employer engagement or work-based learning coordination responsibilities.

Where these roles sit

The further education and skills sector is the primary employer, spanning general FE colleges, sixth-form colleges, and specialist colleges. Independent training providers, adult and community learning services, and offender learning providers also hire regularly for these roles. Public sector organisations with in-house training functions occasionally recruit too. Roles exist across the full breadth of the UK, with demand particularly consistent in colleges serving post-16 learners in vocational and technical subject areas.

How it's assessed

How the apprenticeship is assessed

Learning takes place entirely alongside employment, so apprentices develop teaching practice in real classrooms and training settings from day one. Throughout the programme, they build competence across the knowledge, skills and behaviours required of a qualified Learning and Skills Teacher, including pedagogy, curriculum design, inclusive practice, and assessment. Before moving to final assessment, the apprentice must pass a gateway check, at which point the employer and training provider confirm the apprentice is ready to demonstrate full occupational competence. Assessment models for many standards are currently being updated as part of wider reforms; check the standard's gov.uk page for the current specification.

What learners need to prepare

Evidence of real teaching practice sits at the heart of this apprenticeship, so keeping thorough records throughout the programme matters far more than trying to reconstruct them at the end. That means documenting lesson planning decisions, reflections on observed sessions, responses to learner feedback, and instances where teaching approaches were adapted to meet individual needs. Working closely with both the employer and the training provider to track progress against the knowledge, skills and behaviours will make the gateway process and final assessment considerably more straightforward.

Choosing a provider

What good looks like

Providers delivering this standard well will have tutors who are themselves active or recent FES professionals, not just training specialists. Look for achievement rates above 65% on the FATP profile; given the 18-month duration and the fact that apprentices are typically already working in teaching roles, rates below that threshold deserve scrutiny. Strong providers will offer meaningful observation and feedback cycles in real classroom settings, not just reflective journal tasks. Check that the programme includes structured support for developing English and maths contextualisation skills, and that employer satisfaction scores reflect genuine engagement with the apprentice's institution.

Red flags to watch for

Be cautious if a provider delivers this standard at very high volume but cannot explain how they personalise support for apprentices teaching across different subject specialisms, from construction trades to healthcare to ESOL. Vague answers about how teaching observations are conducted, or reliance entirely on remote delivery with no face-to-face contact, are worth questioning. A declining achievement rate alongside a growing cohort suggests capacity is being stretched. Providers who cannot describe how they support dual professionals maintaining subject currency alongside developing pedagogy are likely to offer a generic programme.

Questions to ask before you commit

How do your tutors and assessors maintain their own knowledge of the FES sector, and when did they last work in a teaching or training role themselves?
How many teaching observations will the apprentice receive, who conducts them, and how is feedback structured to support improvement?
How does the programme accommodate apprentices who teach highly specialist vocational subjects, for instance engineering, health, or digital?
Can you show us examples of how apprentices have developed their ability to contextualise English and maths within their own subject area?
What is your current achievement rate for this standard, and what has driven any changes over the last two years?
How do you involve the apprentice's line manager or mentor in tracking progress and embedding learning into day-to-day teaching practice?
Do you cover offender learning or alternative provision contexts, and if so, how is that reflected in the programme content?

Common questions

What are the entry requirements for the Learning and Skills Teacher apprenticeship?

Employers set their own entry criteria, but candidates typically need subject knowledge in the area they will teach, often gained through vocational, technical or academic experience. Many employers also expect relevant qualifications in the subject specialism. Apprentices must be in a genuine teaching or training role for the duration of the programme. Candidates should also have English and maths at a level suitable for delivering sessions that embed these skills for their students.

How long does this apprenticeship take and how is learning fitted around work?

The typical duration is 18 months, though the actual length depends on the individual's starting point and the employer's delivery model. The apprentice remains employed throughout, teaching in their workplace while completing off-the-job learning alongside. The current minimum off-the-job requirement and any recent changes are set out in the approved standard on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education section of gov.uk, and it is worth checking there for the latest figures.

How is the apprenticeship assessed and what does the end-point assessment involve?

Before reaching end-point assessment, the apprentice must pass a gateway review, where the employer and training provider confirm the apprentice has met the required knowledge, skills and behaviours. Assessment models for many standards are currently being updated as part of Skills England reforms, so the specific end-point assessment methods, such as portfolio, observation or professional discussion, should be confirmed against the current specification on gov.uk. The apprentice must demonstrate genuine occupational competence, not just course completion.

How does an employer pay for this apprenticeship?

The funding band for this standard is £7,000, meaning government funding covers up to that amount toward training costs. Levy-paying employers draw training costs from their digital apprenticeship service account. Non-levy employers, typically those with a pay bill under £3 million, pay 5 percent of training costs and the government contributes the remaining 95 percent. Employers with fewer than 50 staff who take on an apprentice aged 16 to 18 pay nothing; the government covers the full cost.

What does someone in this role actually do day to day?

A Learning and Skills Teacher plans and delivers lessons across academic, vocational or technical subjects, typically to learners aged 16 and above in an FE college, independent training provider, adult community learning centre or offender learning setting. Day-to-day work includes setting learning outcomes, creating inclusive resources, carrying out initial and diagnostic assessments, giving feedback, tracking progress and adapting sessions to suit learners with a range of abilities and backgrounds. Many also maintain links with their industry to keep subject knowledge current.

What can an apprentice do after completing this qualification?

Completion typically leads to a substantive role as a lecturer, tutor or learning and skills teacher within the further education and skills sector. From there, progression routes include moving into curriculum leadership, programme management or quality assurance roles. Some teachers go on to pursue further professional qualifications, such as a full teaching qualification at degree level or a postgraduate certificate in education. Those with a specialist vocational background often continue developing their industry knowledge alongside their teaching career.

115 approved providers

Providers with a published achievement rate for this standard first, highest rate at the top. Providers without a published rate for this standard follow.

Gateshead College

67%40 learners

Gateshead College is a further education college offering a wide range of apprenticeship and vocatio...