In January of this year, I updated our membership on ongoing apprenticeship reform work particularly in relation to ST0264 – i.e. the Level 2 Carpentry and Joinery standard.
The background to this is complex but can also be broadly summed up as follows: Skills England, who replaced the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfaTE) in mid-2025, was undertaking a process to modernise all apprenticeships guided by several key principles, including removing duplication, moving to assessment throughout the process, and involving employers in the assessment process. These were not controversial at face value, but how they applied to the safety critical aspects of the construction sector was a question that generated some debate.
With progress not being made in keeping with Skills England’s ambitious timeline, the decision was taken to pause the process. Contrary to some reports, this was not done due to pressure on Skills England; it was simply a natural outcome from the healthy debate around the reforms from key stakeholders – including the Institute of Carpenters (IOC). To move the process on and address the vocal criticism of Skills England from some quarters, the Construction Assessment Reform Taskforce was formed, made up from representatives across various aspects of the construction sector. I was delighted to be asked to join this Taskforce and represent the interests of the many hundreds of our members – from our students, current and future apprentices, their colleges, as well as employers.
The Taskforce met regularly, reviewing several construction-focused apprenticeship standards, one of which was logically Level 2 Carpentry and Joinery (ST0264) – this was, after all, one of the standards that resulted in the pause in late 2025 and the formation of the Taskforce. The overall approach taken by the Taskforce was to apply a safety-critical layer to the development of the apprenticeship assessment plan (AAP), identifying which specific elements must be assessed and which could be sampled moving forward. These meetings were led by Skills England and were all attended by either me or Amanda Scott, UK Skills Lead for the NAS and the IOC, as well as colleagues from the British Woodworking Federation, amongst other interest parties.
The result is, what we believe to be, an AAP which meets the needs of the sector going forward, delivers on the key principles mandated by Skills England, and perhaps most importantly ensures that any Assessment Organisations design their own assessment methodology – which is one of the key changes – in a way that adheres to the mandatory, safety critical elements identified through our work. Going forward Assessment Organisations must also: have due regard to all relevant frameworks, standards, and industry-recognised practices and guidance published by regulators, professional bodies, Sector Representative Organisations (SROs) and Standard Setting Bodies (SSBs) – which includes the IOC and the NAS, as we are part of the Expert Network, which is the new term for the Group of Persons identified for each standard.
Now, we need to hear from you
Skills England have opened a consultation on the work to date, giving interested individuals and organisations the opportunity to comment. The consultation opened on 6 July 2026 and will close on 2 August 2026. We strongly encourage all members to review the AAP and complete the survey using the link below — your voice matters, and this is your opportunity to shape the standard that will define carpentry and joinery training for years to come.
👉 Complete the consultation here.
Please note that it is the AAP itself that is open to consultation — how the AAP is assessed will be unique to each Assessment Organisation.
As always, if you have any questions or would like further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to Amanda or me directly.
James Filus, Director — National Association of Shopfitters & Institute of Carpenters
