Group of Persons (Trailblazer groups)
How trailblazer groups work to support the development of occupational standards for apprenticeships.
Applies to England
Policy Update: In February 2025, the Government announced reforms to apprenticeship assessment and published a new set of assessment principles. This guidance will be updated by 1 August 2025 to incorporate these new principles.
We will set out in due course when Skills England would prepare an occupational standard without using a Group of Persons.
Trailblazer groups bring together employers with a shared interest in skills training. Each group focuses on a specific occupational role employers need in their business. Group members work together, often with other stakeholders, to develop an occupational standard. Occupational standards form the basis of apprenticeships, T Levels and other technical qualifications.
The role of trailblazer groups
The role of a trailblazer group is to:
- develop an occupational standard (which is relevant for apprenticeships and technical qualifications) and an apprenticeship end-point assessment (EPA) plan
- collate funding evidence to inform our funding band recommendation for agreed occupation proposals
- review occupational standards
- revise the occupational standard or EPA plan as needed
- promote the apprenticeship to potential users
- answer queries and helps to resolve any issues that may occur
Trailblazer group membership
Trailblazer group members must:
- be an employer who employs their own workforce or an employee working in an operational capacity in their sector
- be an employer who recruits apprentices or uses apprenticeships to skills train existing employees
- have track-record of professional achievement and success
- have knowledge and experience of the day-to-day realities of working in their sector and the requirements of the occupational role
- have keen appreciation of current and future sector skills needs
- be able to influence and make judgements about the quality of skills training
- understand and be committed to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion
Most trailblazer groups welcome advice from other interested stakeholders, but final decisions rest with the employers in the group.
Although we have the power to convene a trailblazer group, most are autonomous and self-forming. We want to ensure all groups are inclusive and independent so have requirements for how the group work.
Trailblazer groups must:
- not have an admission or membership fee
- select a trailblazer chair or co-chairs
- have the capacity to complete the work to avoid potential delays in development or revision work
- represent the types of employers likely to use the apprenticeship, this generally requires 10 to 20 members in the relevant sector
- include members who are currently working in the occupation or have recent experience of working in the occupation
- seek advice and guidance from training providers and end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs)
- take responsibility for drafting decisions
- seek advice and guidance from regulators and professional bodies that award professional status for the occupation, where appropriate
- seek advice and guidance from organisations with responsibility for defining skills standards in England for the industry
- seek the views of apprentices currently on programme and/or who have completed the apprenticeship to inform any revision
- seek the advice and guidance from local authorities and regional bodies
We may request that you add specific new members as a condition of agreeing your occupation proposal to develop an occupational standard.
The role of the chair
The trailblazer group chair must:
- be an employer
- provide confirmation that they do not have a financial interest or hold a director or equivalent position in an organisation that may profit from the group’s apprenticeship, including a training provider, EPAO and external quality assurance provider (EQAP)
- keep an active record of conflicts of interest in the trailblazer group
- be actively involved in the development process
- ensure the group collectively agree to submitted documents and evidence
- act as the key link between the group and Skills England
- ensure the group’s membership remains representative of the employers likely to use the apprenticeship during development and after the apprenticeship is approved for delivery
- agree to contact details being published on the occupational standard’s webpage
- be the main point of contact for the group
- meet the same requirements as employer members
We allow co-chairs and both chairs must meet these requirements.
Trailblazer groups often work together. Some have an over-arching chair to ensure the work of the groups is coordinated. Groups should decide who fulfils this role.
The role of members
Skills England approves trailblazer group membership. Members of our trailblazer groups must:
- be an employer who employs their own workforce or an employee working in an operational capacity in their sector
- be an employer who recruits apprentices or uses apprenticeships to skills train existing employees
- have track-record of professional achievement and success
- have knowledge and experience of the day-to-day realities of working in their sector and the requirements of the occupational role
- have a keen appreciation of current and future sector skills needs
- be able to influence and make judgements about the quality of skills training
- understand and be committed to the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion
- plan to serve on the group for at least two years
- agree to your name, contact details and employer’s name being held on our trailblazer portal
- secure your employer’s agreement to your membership and to their name being published on the occupational standards webpage
Although we have the power to convene a trailblazer group, most are autonomous and self-forming. We want to ensure all groups are inclusive and independent, so we have requirements for how trailblazer groups work.
Your membership is based on your expertise, rather than you acting as a representative of your organisation. Employer members provide insight and expertise in 5 important areas:
- employer demand for the occupation
- current and future skills needs of the occupation
- description of competence in the occupation
- approaches to assessment that give assurances about competency
- aspects of assessment that might need greater risk management
Non-employer advisers
We strongly advise that trailblazer groups include a range of stakeholders to inform the development of the occupational standard and EPA plan. This may include:
- apprentices
- employees
- representatives of training providers
- EPAOs
- EQAPs
- professional bodies
- regulators
- trade unions
- sector bodies
- world skills
- higher education institutions
The decision-making must rest with the employers and advisers must not use their involvement to promote any wider services provided by their organisation.
The group’s employers must make final decisions on the development approach and content of the occupational standard and EPA plan.
Conflicts of interest
Trailblazer groups members, or individuals who support the group, must declare any conflict of interest. Conflicts of interests include actual conflicts and a perception of conflict of interest between your work with Skills England and your own interests. For example, your organisation having a financial interest in the apprenticeship’s delivery.
You should declare anything that you think might be a conflict of interest to allow the group to take action. This is a very important part of the transparency and integrity of the process. A declaration does not prevent your involvement with the trailblazer group. It might mean that you do not vote on some aspects or leave the meeting for a part of the discussion.
The chair should keep a record of the declarations of interest and check for any declarations at each meeting.
Avoiding anti-competitive activity
Trailblazer groups bring together representatives of a range of employers with experience of an occupation and what represents best practice. Sharing information is key to developing an apprenticeship that is genuinely transferable, but you will need to take any steps which might be necessary to avoid anti-competitive activity.
Confirming your trailblazer group details
You need to provide details about your trailblazer group. This will include:
- employer members’ contact details
- details of the chair or co-chairs
- confirmation that the chair or co-chairs meet the trailblazer group chair requirements
- details of any facilitator
- details of any non-employer members
These details must be entered before you submit an occupation proposal. You need to keep them up to date, by informing your product manager of any changes, both during the development process and after the occupational standard has been approved for delivery.
How we work together
Product managers lead support for trailblazer groups. They work with a range of groups within the same routes to develop sector knowledge and contacts.
Our commitment to trailblazer groups
As part of our commitment to trailblazer groups we will:
- allocate a product manager who will lead our support for your trailblazer group
- facilitate access to other Skills England specialist advice as required, including a route manager and an assessment and assurance manager
- agree and commit to an apprenticeship development work plan, enabling your occupational standard and EPA plan to be published within agreed timescales once your occupation proposal has been agreed
- operate according to our published policy and processes
- publish policy or process changes before asking you to comply with them
- promote and celebrate your trailblazer group’s achievements
- provide periodic briefings on policy and process changes
- be open to feedback and aim to improve
Product managers will:
- provide a briefing for new trailblazer chairs
- support and advise trailblazer group chairs when required
- provide advice and guidance on policy and process, advising on any changes that may impact your work
- lead and facilitate workshops to develop your occupation proposal, occupational standard, EPA plan and to collate funding evidence
- lead on or assist with drafting documents, based on the group’s occupational expertise input
- arrange support from other Skills England officials as needed
- aim to provide feedback to queries and drafts within 5 working days, or advise where this may take longer
- help you to work through any issues that may arise
- attend trailblazer group meetings (in-person or remotely) to provide updates
- aim to develop an understanding of the occupation and sector
- give advance warning of any significant periods of annual leave, so workarounds can be arranged
- provide periodic updates on the performance of your apprenticeship
Trailblazer groups’ commitments
Trailblazer groups will:
- agree and commit to a development work plan, enabling your occupational standard and EPA plan to be published within agreed timescales once your occupation proposal has been agreed
- follow our guidance and processes to develop the occupation proposal, occupational standard and EPA plan and to collate funding evidence
- aim to meet on a regular basis (in-person or remotely) during the development process
- provide your product manager with opportunities to improve their understanding of the occupation and sector
- respond to your product manager in a reasonable time
- allocate time at meetings for your product manager to provide updates
- give your product manager as much notice as possible to attend meetings
- tell us about any good news stories that we can help promote
- tell us about any delivery or trailblazer group issues that we can help you resolve
- work inclusively and collaborate with other employers or trailblazer groups
- provide guidance to new chairs or groups, if requested
- provide feedback on process and policy improvements through surveys
Engaging training providers
To deliver apprenticeship training, training providers must be registered on the apprenticeship provider and assessment register service (APAR).
Training providers can be:
- universities
- higher education institutions
- further education colleges
- private training organisations
- employer-providers
Training providers can provide input and feedback during the development process. They may also help with consultation and promotion.
Provider networks can help you contact training providers:
- The Association of Colleges (AoC) and Association of Employer and Learning Providers (AELP)
- University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC): uvac@bolton.ac.uk
Engaging end-point assessment organisations
EPAs must be undertaken by an independent third party who has not been involved in the training or employment of the apprentice, and has no other conflict of interest.
EPAOs can provide input and feedback during the development process. They may also help with consultation and promotion. You need at least one quote from an EPAO for delivering the end-point assessment to inform our funding band recommendation for your apprenticeship.
Withdrawing Skills England support
In exceptional circumstances, we may withdraw our support for a trailblazer group to develop an apprenticeship. This may be applied at any time in the development process because:
- there is no prospect of the occupation proposal, occupational standard or EPA plan meeting our quality criteria
- the trailblazer group confirms that another apprenticeship meets their requirements and no longer wishes to develop the apprenticeship
- the trailblazer group refuses to or is unable to comply with policy in the development of their occupation proposal, occupational standard or EPA plan
- the trailblazer group fails to submit an occupation proposal within 6 months of contacting us, or an occupational standard and EPA plan within the agreed timescales once the occupation proposal has been agreed for development, except when Skills England believes there are reasonable mitigating circumstances
- we consider the trailblazer group to no longer have the support of a representative cross-section of employers in the occupational area
- the trailblazer group refuses to work with other individual employers or groups of employers when requested to do so by us
Your product manager will discuss any issues with you before any decision to withdraw our support made.
Where support is withdrawn from a trailblazer group and the occupation is listed on an occupational map, we will consider whether it should remain on the maps.