Aptem Apprentice integrates with three functional skills assessment platforms – BKSB, Skills Forward, and Century Tech – allowing learners to complete initial and diagnostic assessments directly from the onboarding wizard or learning plan, and returning results automatically into the learner’s record. This article explains how each integration is set up, what the experience looks like for learners and tutors, and how results feed into reporting.
Note: since publishing, Aptem has also integrated with Pass Functional Skills.
Which functional skills providers Aptem Apprentice integrates with
The three supported integrations differ slightly in what they offer and how they are set up.
BKSB
BKSB integrates with both the onboarding wizard and the learning plan, supporting initial assessments and diagnostic assessments. Results from completed assessments are returned automatically into the relevant learning plan component. BKSB is enabled at account programme level by an Aptem team member using an API key and secret provided by the customer.
Skills Forward
Skills Forward also integrates with both the onboarding wizard and the learning plan for initial and diagnostic assessments, with results returned into the learning plan. Setup requires an API key and token from Skills Forward, which are passed to Aptem for configuration. A webhook URL is then issued back to the customer and must be added into Skills Forward to create the return loop so that completed assessment data flows back into Aptem.
Century Tech
Century Tech is a more recently added integration and supports initial assessments only – diagnostic assessments are not currently available through the Century Tech integration. Setup differs from BKSB and Skills Forward: once Aptem enables the Century Tech module on the tenant, the customer enters their own API key directly in settings, with nothing else to supply to Aptem. The API key is stored securely in the backend and is not visible once saved.
Setting up functional skills integrations in Aptem Apprentice
Once the relevant integration has been enabled on the tenant, it is configured at programme level within the programme builder. Two locations are available: the onboarding wizard and the learning plan.
Onboarding wizard
Within the programme builder, enabling the functional skills step in the onboarding wizard allows a provider to select which integration to use – BKSB, Skills Forward, or Century Tech – and which subjects to include: English, maths, and optionally ICT. There is also an option to collect exemption evidence, such as GCSE certificates, at this stage. Only integrations that have been enabled on the tenant will appear as options.
Providers can configure different programmes to use different functional skills providers, which is useful where departments or subcontractors use different platforms.
Learning plan components
Initial assessments and diagnostic assessments can also be added as learning plan components, with a complete-by date and instructions. The component type is set to functional skills initial assessment or diagnostic revision, and the provider and subject are selected from the available options. Century Tech does not appear as an option for diagnostic components.
Separate components are needed for maths and English – one initial assessment component per subject, and one diagnostic component per subject where required. These components do not track off-the-job hours, as functional skills sits outside that calculation.
Functional skills components can be placed in either the main delivery programme or a subprogramme. Where subprogrammes are used for functional skills delivery, the learning plan components of initial assessment and diagnostic revision work in the same way as in a delivery programme.
What the learner experience looks like
In the onboarding wizard
Within the onboarding wizard, learners see a start English assessment and start maths assessment link for each enabled subject. Clicking a link opens a new tab and redirects them directly into the third-party platform, where they are authenticated automatically. The onboarding wizard does not block the learner from proceeding to the next step while the assessment is open, since the assessment is completed in the third-party platform outside of Aptem’s control.
The link text updates to reflect the learner’s status: start becomes continue once the learner has clicked through, and changes to review once the assessment is complete. This means tutors can see the assessment stage at a glance from within Aptem without needing to log into the third-party platform.
Century Tech requires a one-time password setup on first access: the learner enters their username and clicks recover password, then uses the emailed link to set a password. Once set, the browser session is maintained for subsequent subjects, so the process only needs to be completed once.
In the learning plan
Within the learning plan, learners see each functional skills component with its complete-by date and a start course link. Clicking the link redirects them to the third-party platform. The component status updates from not started to in progress as soon as the learner clicks through, and the component auto-completes once the assessment is returned. For Skills Forward, both maths and English courses appear in the platform as soon as the programme is applied to the learner; for BKSB and Century Tech, a course only appears after the learner has clicked through from Aptem.
How results return into Aptem Apprentice
When a learner completes an initial assessment, the results are returned automatically into the relevant learning plan component and into the learner’s profile, without the tutor needing to log into the third-party platform. The level of detail returned varies by provider.
BKSB
BKSB returns both initial assessment and diagnostic reports into Aptem. Initial assessment results show an overall level, with a breakdown by strand – for example, number, measure, shape and space, and data handling for maths, and reading, writing, grammar, punctuation, and spelling for English. Diagnostic results provide a more detailed picture, including percentage scores by topic area, which makes it straightforward to identify which areas require focused support.
Skills Forward
Skills Forward returns both initial assessment and diagnostic results. Initial assessment results show an overall level. Diagnostic results include percentage breakdowns by topic, such as implicit meaning, writing styles, and writing format and structure for English, giving tutors a detailed view of where a learner needs support within each subject.
Century Tech
Century Tech returns initial assessment results showing an overall level. Results use Century Tech’s own grading convention, which includes sub-levels such as lower, middle, and higher within each level – for example, level two middle or level two higher. Century Tech’s Help Centre provides definitions of these sub-levels. At level two higher, a learner is considered test-ready.
Where results appear within Aptem Apprentice
Completed assessment results are visible in three places.
Within the learning plan component, the result and the report pulled from the third-party platform are accessible directly from the component record.
Within the learner profile, the learning support section shows all initial assessment and diagnostic results. A show history button displays the full history of all assessments completed by the learner, including any repeat assessments, which is useful where a learner has been reassessed after an initial low result.
Within a review, the functional skills section of a progress review shows all assessment results returned via the integrations alongside any manually entered results. Exemptions can also be added here: where a learner has a valid exemption, the result requirement for that subject is removed. Completed reviews can be exported as PDFs.
Reporting on functional skills assessment results
For a cohort-level view of initial assessment results, a user generic report can be configured in Aptem to show all learners in a programme or group alongside their initial assessment outcomes. Diagnostic result detail is not available in user generic reports.
For more detailed data, including diagnostic results and a full assessment history, the OData feed is available. This allows providers to build Power BI dashboards or other custom reports drawing on the full functional skills data held in Aptem.
Frequently asked questions
Can BKSB be set up in a subprogramme?
Yes. There is no onboarding wizard in a subprogramme, but the learning plan components for initial assessment and diagnostic revision both work within a subprogramme in the same way as in a delivery programme.
Do diagnostic results sync automatically or do learning plan components need to be set up first?
Initial assessment results return automatically into Aptem and are visible in the learner profile and in a review, whether or not a learning plan component has been set up. For diagnostic results to pull through, a diagnostic component must be set up in the learning plan. Without the component, diagnostic data will remain in the third-party platform only.
Can different programmes use different functional skills providers?
Yes. The provider is selected at programme level, so different programmes can be configured to use BKSB, Skills Forward, or Century Tech independently. This supports providers where different departments or subcontractors use different platforms.
Why does Skills Forward show assessment courses before the learner has clicked through?
Skills Forward creates the learner entry in its platform when the programme is applied in Aptem, so both maths and English courses appear as soon as the learner accesses Skills Forward. BKSB and Century Tech work differently: the entry is only created when the learner clicks through from the Aptem link for the first time. If a learner clicks the maths link and then navigates to English within the third-party platform without first clicking the English link in Aptem, the English component in Aptem will not recognise that the course has been started. Clicking the correct link in Aptem first resolves this.
What access to the third-party platform do tutors need once the integration is set up?
The integration is designed to reduce the need to access the third-party platform directly. Initial assessment results and, for BKSB and Skills Forward, diagnostic results are all visible within Aptem. Tutors will still need access to BKSB or Skills Forward to set and manage the learning content and resources for each learner, but reviewing assessment outcomes can be done entirely within Aptem.
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