In apprenticeships, off-the-job training is the learning that happens away from an apprentice’s normal day-to-day work duties but during paid working hours. It’s not about being physically “off-site” — it’s about learning new knowledge, skills, and behaviours that are directly related to the apprenticeship standard. Examples of off-the-job training include e.g.:

• 1:1s with personal assessor & technical mentors
• coursework & assignments
• projects
• team meetings
• shadowing colleagues

Key rules in England:

• Must make up at least 6 hours per week of the apprentice’s paid hours (for full-time staff).
• Can happen in the workplace or elsewhere, as long as it’s outside normal duties.
• Must be logged and evidenced for funding compliance.

In short, it’s structured learning time to help apprentices gain skills they can then apply in their job.