Independent audits of company apprenticeship programmes.
The Problem
47%
Almost half (47%) of apprentices do not complete their programme.
— EDSK, “No Train, No Gain”, Nov 2022 (England)
Comparison: A-level dropout 8.7%, university dropout 5.3%.
— EDSK, Nov 2022
70%
70% of those who drop out report concerns about the quality of their apprenticeship.
— EDSK, Nov 2022
The gap between an apprentice who stays and one who leaves is rarely about the apprentice. It is almost always about the programme around them — and most employers have no reliable way to see where theirs is failing.
What the Audit Is
Not a compliance check.
Not a satisfaction survey.
The Apprentice Audit is a diagnostic: an independent, structured review of your apprenticeship programme, built to find the specific weaknesses that cause apprentices to disengage and leave.
Each part of the programme is assessed and scored against defined, research-backed criteria. The result is a clear picture of what is working, what is not, and what to change.
How It Works
Confidential apprentice interviews
Conducted individually, with no managers, seniors, or HR present.
Manager and HR cross-validation
Key questions are asked of both apprentices and management, to surface gaps in perception.
Assessment across four aspects
The programme is examined across the four aspects below.
Grading and analysis
Each aspect is scored against defined, research-backed criteria to produce an overall result.
The four aspects
- Recruitment & Onboarding
- Manager Capability & Support
- Training Quality
- Workload, Wellbeing & Support
The ARC Award
Every completed audit results in an Apprenticeship Review Certificate — the ARC — a single award reflecting the overall quality of your programme.
- GoldA strong programme with minor room to improve.
- SilverFundamentally sound, with clear weaknesses to address.
- BronzeSignificant issues present that put retention at risk.
- No AwardSerious failings requiring immediate attention.
The award is deliberately hard to earn. A certification that everyone passes is worth nothing — to you, or to the apprentices deciding whether to join you. The ARC is valid for 24 months and can be renewed.
Social value in public sector bids
Evidence to support social-value claims when bidding for contracts from government and public sector bodies.
ESG and supplier reporting
An independent, external view of your apprenticeship programme for ESG reporting and supplier questionnaires.
Appeal to talent
A demonstrable commitment to young people, visible to the apprentices deciding where to apply.
Proof of improvement
Renewal across 24-month cycles turns a single result into a record of continuous improvement.
Confidentiality
No individual response is ever shared with the client.
- All apprentice data is anonymised and aggregated before it appears in any report.
- Interviews are conducted without managers, seniors, or HR present.
- Apprentices are told this before they answer a single question.
This is not a courtesy. It is what makes the audit work. An apprentice who fears repercussions gives the answer they think is safe, and a programme graded on those answers tells you nothing.
Fear produces flattering data — and flattering data is exactly how retention problems go unnoticed until someone resigns.
If a client cannot accept these conditions, the audit does not go ahead.
Data Handling
- Data controller
- Apprentice Agency acts as independent data controller for all interview data.
- Privacy notice
- Every interviewee receives a privacy notice before their interview, explaining what is collected, how it is stored and for how long, and their rights under UK GDPR. Participation is voluntary.
- Storage
- Interview notes are stored encrypted.
- Analysis
- All responses are anonymised at analysis.
- Deletion
- Raw responses are deleted within 90 days of report delivery.
- Transfer
- No identifiable data is transferred to the client at any stage.
Pricing
£250 per day
For days scoped and agreed in advance.
A small programme (5–7 apprentices) is typically 3 days:
- 1 day interviewing
- 2 days analysis and reporting
£750 total
Larger programmes are scoped and quoted before work begins.
For scale — what a single apprentice already costs an employer each year:
Total annual cost of the average apprentice to their employer: approximately £32,300.
— St Martin’s Group / Cebr, “The Real Costs and Benefits of Apprenticeships”, Sept 2021 (2020/21 data, UK-wide, all levels)
Contact
If you employ apprentices, it is worth knowing what your programme looks like from the inside.