Following months of speculation all across apprenticeship-land, the government formally announced toward the end of last month that they will no longer be funding Level 7 apprenticeships for individuals aged 22 and over. The stated aim being that funding for Level 7 (or Master’s Degree level) apprenticeships would be better spent focused on lower-level apprenticeships where it may make a greater impact.
The decision to retain funding solely for those aged 21 and below (or 25 and below for those with an education, health and care plan) safeguards just 11% of level 7s across all standards, but concerningly for Advanced Therapies and Complex Medicines, the percentage of Level 7 ATAC apprentices that would be eligible under the new rules sits at a grand total of… zero. Our level 7 learners tend to be degree holders or people with significant experience, who are using an apprenticeship to upskill into a more senior role or sideways into another niche. Level 7 apprenticeships have proven invaluable as a route to develop higher-level skills in a sector in desperate need of it, so it is with a degree of concern that we will no longer have them at our disposal.
Level 7 apprentices that are on-programme at the time of the funding axe will have their funding honoured for the duration of their programme, so to those employers that have team members that may benefit from a Level 7, we say: get in there while you still can!
The next intakes for ATAC-recommended Level 7 programmes are:
- Level 7 Bioinformatics Scientist – September 2025
- Level 7 Research Scientist – September 2025
- Level 7 Regulatory Affairs Specialist – October 2025
- Level 7 Senior Leader – September 2025 (very limited space remaining!)
Get in touch with us at apprenticeshipsinfo@ct.catapult.org.uk if you are interested in enrolling somebody onto a Level 7 apprenticeship before January!