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Off-The-Job training

Off-the-job training is a vital part of your apprenticeship. It refers to learning that takes place outside of your regular job duties, but during your paid working hours. This training helps you gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to complete your apprenticeship successfully.

When you began your apprenticeship, you and your employer agreed to take part in regular training, this is outlined in your Training Plan.

When recording your off-the-job hours, it’s important to include what you did and how it impacted your learning. This helps your tutor and employer track your progress and ensure you’re getting the right support. If you don’t engage with your off-the-job training or forget to record it, you could fall behind. This may delay your End Point Assessment and slow your progress at work, so it’s vital to stay on top of it.

Remember, off-the-job training must happen during your normal working hours—but it doesn’t have to take place in college. It can also happen in your workplace.

You can’t count any training done in the evenings, on weekends, or during your holidays, unless your employer gives you time off in lieu for that training. Your regular job tasks don’t count, and neither does unpaid or unrelated training.

Off-the-job training can include classroom lessons, online courses, workshops, shadowing, or project work, as long as it’s directly related to your apprenticeship standard. If the activity supports your learning and isn’t part of your normal duties, it likely counts!

How much should I be recording?

The number of off-the-job training hours required can vary depending on your apprenticeship standard, how long you’re on programme, and when you started your apprenticeship.

As a general guide, around six hours of your working time per week should be dedicated to off-the-job training. For most full-time apprentices working five days a week, this works out to roughly one full day of training each week.

You don’t need to complete exactly six hours every week—the training is flexible. Some weeks you may do more, and others less. What matters is that by the time you reach your planned end date, you’ve completed the total number of hours required for your apprenticeship.

Your required off-the-job hours can be found in your TimeLog on Smart Assessor and they are outlined in your Apprenticeship Agreement.

It counts as off-the-job training if:

You’re learning something new that you didn’t know or couldn’t do before.
The training is linked to your apprenticeship and helps you work towards your qualification.
It helps you take on tasks or responsibilities at work that you couldn’t do confidently before.
You’re doing coursework, assignments, or projects for your college—even if no one’s teaching you at that moment.

Examples of Off-The-Job training

This isn’t a full list, there could be other things that count as off-the-job training too. If you’re not sure, it’s fine to record it anyway and check with your assessor to see if it counts. It’s always better to ask!

The following CANNOT be included in Off-The-Job training

How to record Off-The-Job training in Smart Assessor

Your Off-The-Job training should be recorded in Smart Assessor in the Timelog (highlighted below)

In the Timelog click Add New Timelog Entry and complete the form (as shown below).

Select Activity Date:
If you’re combining several activities into one entry, you can use the week’s start or end date.
Select Activity Type:
Choose the category that best fits the activity you’re recording.
Select Course:
Don’t leave this as “general.” Pick the specific Standard, SHAPE, or qualification related to your training. Avoid selecting Gateway or Functional Skills here.
Select Unit:
This is optional. If you can, choose a relevant unit to match your activity.
Select Assessor:
If your training was led by an assessor, select their name. If not, leave it blank.
Was it On the Job?:
Make sure to set this to Off-The-Job. If you don’t, your training won’t count towards your total hours.
Time Spent on Activity:
Enter the total time you spent on the activity in hours and minutes. If combining activities, add up all the time.
What Impact Has This Activity Had on Your Learning?:
Write a short comment including:

What the activity was (e.g., college classroom session)
What skills or knowledge you gained
Most importantly: How this training has helped your apprenticeship

Evidence Links:
You can leave this blank.

Finally, click Add Activity to save your entry.