A funded apprenticeship pilot for business advisers
Organisations in England can put their advisers through the SFEDI Awards Level 5 Certificate in Professional Business and Enterprise Support as part of a funded Level 4 apprenticeship, delivered with the Academy of Leadership and Management (ALM). The pilot cohort starts in January 2027.
Upcoming webinars
Funded apprenticeship pilot: information session
An hour with SFEDI and ALM on how the pilot works, what it asks of learners and employers, and how to put your advisers forward.Friday 27 November 20261pm to 2pm (UK time)Organisations looking to put advisers on the pilotFunded apprenticeship pilot: information session
An hour with SFEDI and ALM on how the pilot works, what it asks of learners and employers, and how to put your advisers forward.Wednesday 2 December 202610am to 11am (UK time)Organisations looking to put advisers on the pilot
What the pilot is
The pilot brings together two things. Your advisers work towards the Level 4 Associate Management Consultant apprenticeship and, alongside it, the SFEDI Awards Level 5 Certificate in Professional Business and Enterprise Support.
The Level 5 is the qualification route to the eight Core Standards in the SFEDI Business Support Standards. So by the end of the programme your advisers hold a regulated qualification that shows they meet the Standards, and you have a funded way to develop the team you already have.
ALM is SFEDI's national delivery partner for the apprenticeship. SFEDI Awards, SFEDI's Ofqual-regulated awarding organisation, awards the Level 5.
What your advisers work through
The programme follows the whole advisory cycle, and advisers are assessed on their own client work.
Diagnose and recommend
Gather evidence, work out what a business really needs and make recommendations based on it.
Support action and referral
Help clients put plans into practice, and refer them to other support when that serves them better.
Show the impact
Agree how success will be judged, then review, record and report the outcomes.
Practise professionally
Manage challenging conversations and conflicts of interest, and use AI and digital tools responsibly with client information.
Go further in a specialist area
The pilot includes the optional Level 4 units in Business Finance and Project Delivery.
Learn through real work
Assessment is based on at least three client interventions, at least one of them observed, plus a personal development plan.
Who it's for
Employers and adviser managers
Develop your advisers without taking them off the front line. They learn through the client work they already do, against a shared description of what good support looks like.
- For commissioners
Commissioners
If you specify the SFEDI Business Support Standards in programmes and tenders, the pilot gives local and combined authorities, Growth Hubs and the providers you fund a way to bring their own advisers up to that benchmark.
Advisers
If you work in business support in England, talk to your employer about the pilot. The apprenticeship is arranged through your employer, and you need to be in a business support or advisory role.
How the funding works
The apprenticeship is funded through the Growth and Skills Levy, which replaced the Apprenticeship Levy. Employers that pay the levy use their levy funds. If those funds run out, the employer pays a share of the training costs for apprentices aged 25 and over, and training for apprentices under 25 is fully funded.
Employers that don't pay the levy can also take part. The funding rules are set by government and can change, so we'll go through what applies to your organisation when you get in touch.
How to take part
- 1
Register your interest
Tell us about your organisation and how many advisers you'd like to put forward.
- 2
Talk it through
We'll check eligibility and funding with you and ALM.
- 3
Enrol your advisers
ALM enrols your advisers on the apprenticeship.
- 4
Start in January 2027
The pilot cohort begins in January 2027.
Where it leads
After the Level 5, advisers can progress to the SFEDI Awards Level 7 Diploma in Professional Business and Enterprise Support Services. They can also choose to take SFEDI Specialist Certification, which recognises expertise in a named Specialist Standard and is being piloted now.
Already hold a SFEDI Awards qualification?
If you hold the SFEDI Awards Level 5 or Level 7 in Professional Business and Enterprise Support Services, your qualification continues to evidence the Core Standards. You don't need to do anything.
The Academy of Leadership and Management (ALM), SFEDI's national delivery partner for the apprenticeship. SFEDI Awards awards the Level 5.
No. Apprenticeship funding through the Growth and Skills Levy applies in England. Advisers elsewhere in the UK can still take the Level 5, so get in touch and we'll help you find a route.
Yes, as long as they're in a business support or advisory role and the programme develops new skills for that role. We'll check this with you before anyone enrols.
For most employers the training is funded. Levy payers use their levy, and some employers pay a share of the cost for apprentices aged 25 and over under the current funding rules. We'll go through what applies to you.
The new Level 5 hasn't been taken through the apprenticeship before, so we're starting with one cohort. We'll use what we learn from it to shape later cohorts.
On real client work. Advisers complete at least three client interventions, with at least one observed, and keep a personal development plan.
Put your advisers forward
The pilot cohort starts in January 2027. Register your interest or email our Business Support Team at support@sfedi.co.uk.