Functional Skills are no longer a mandated gateway to end-point assessment for apprentices aged 19 or over. What has not changed is how difficult an apprenticeship is to complete without the right level of English and maths, so many providers and employers still choose to support learners through level 2 in both.
Now that support is a choice rather than a requirement, the partner delivering it matters more, not less.
Most providers already have a Functional Skills partner that works for them. It has been chosen for good reason: cohort needs, existing contracts, funding arrangements, results that have already been proven with their learners. Aptem’s role is to support that choice, not replace it.
This is why Aptem has spent years building a network of Functional Skills integrations rather than backing a single provider. bksb and NCFE (formerly Skills Forward) have been part of the Aptem ecosystem for years, CENTURY joined more recently, and from July 2026 the network extends further with Pass Functional Skills. Four established providers, one platform, and no requirement to change who you already work with to fit the software.
Provider choice, built in
A platform that only supports one Functional Skills provider leaves everyone else with the same problem: change a partner that already works, or run a second system alongside the one actually being used, with results copied across by hand.
Aptem connects directly to CENTURY, bksb, NCFE, and Pass Functional Skills, so providers keep the partner they already rely on. Learners who are eligible for functional skills assessments access these within Aptem as part of a seamless onboarding journey, and results flow back into the learning plan.
Aptem Functional Skills integrations
bksb (Basic and Key Skills Builder)
One of Aptem’s longest-standing Functional Skills integrations, and a well-established name in initial assessment and diagnostics across English, maths, and ICT. Learners access bksb through a link on their learning plan, and diagnostic results populate automatically on their return.
NCFE (formerly Skills Forward)
Part of the NCFE group, and another long-standing route into initial assessment, diagnostics, and structured progression towards a Functional Skills qualification, connected to Aptem on the same principle: set up once, results handled automatically from then on.
CENTURY
A more recent addition to the Aptem ecosystem, joined ahead of Pass Functional Skills. Learners are registered automatically during onboarding, and initial assessment and diagnostic results feed straight into their learning plan.
Pass Functional Skills
The newest addition, live from July 2026, extends the same automatic set-up and results flow to a fourth widely used Functional Skills provider, giving even more providers the option to keep the assessment relationship they already trust.
A platform built around your choices
Providers with a Functional Skills partner outside this list are not left without options either. Aptem’s open API and webhook layer supports connections beyond the four integrations above, so a provider’s own delivery model does not have to bend to fit the platform.
These four integrations, plus the option to extend further through the API, give providers a proven route to Functional Skills delivery without being tied to a single provider.
If you want to learn more about how Aptem’s Functional Skills integrations fit into your delivery model, book a demo to speak with our expert team.
