Purpose
The purpose of this article is to help training providers to deliver Apprenticeship Units in Bud from 1st April 2026.
Please note that this is based on the draft funding rules published on 17th March 2026. We are expecting further information to be published in the near future, and we will update this article accordingly.
Further information needed
As a new initiative, Apprenticeship Units require additional clarity before we can make informed, long-term platform decisions.
We're also aware that other new initiatives (e.g. Foundation Apprenticeships) have had a slow start with very little uptake in the first few months. Since Apprenticeship Units will be limited to selected providers, we will:
- Monitor adoption and useage closely
- Priortise further developments based on customer demand
If you plan to deliver Apprenticeship Units, please inform your Customer Success Manager.
We will continue to monitor developments before commiting to major platform changes. This ensures that we remain focused on our key roadmap priorites for 2026, including:
- Flexible Learning
- Expanded integrations
- Enhanced reporting
Please look our for our monthly product update emails for updates.
Future Enhancements
Based on the information published as of March 2026, we have identified changes to the current platform that would better support Apprenticeship Units. We are still expecting further announcements to be made to conclude our impact analysis. Current identified changes may include:
- Programme Build - a new programme type specifically for Apprenticeship Units.
- Enrolment - a new enrolment process specifically for Apprenticeship Units. This could look similar to the existing Apprenticeship enrolment process, with the information irrelevant to Apprenticeship Units removed, providing a faster and more relevant enrolment experience.
-
ILR automation - ILR automation with specific Apprenticeship Unit data, such as from 1st August:
- Funding Model: 39
- Programme Type: 34
- Milestones - automated milestone tracking to apply LDM codes to trigger payments.
How to Deliver Apprenticeship Units in Bud from 1st April
The steps below outline how providers can deliver Apprenticeship Units in Bud using the system as it works today. We are still awaiting key confirmations and publications from the DfE before committing to material platform changes such as full enrolment requirements and funding information. However, we want to give clients a clear route forward now, so you can begin planning delivery in Bud from 1st April 2026.
Programme Management
Create a new 'Apprenticeship Standard' programme for each Apprenticeship Unit.
You will be able to select the Apprenticeship Unit from the list of standards and this will pull through all of the criteria for the Apprenticeship Unit, just like any other Apprenticeship programme.
Enterprise customers will be able to use the custom Flexible Enrolment Questions feature to add Apprenticeship Unit specific questions to the enrolment process for that programme.
Complete the Apprenticeship Standard programme build as normal.
Enrolment
We recommend using the Apprenticeship enrolment process as it will enable several key requirements for Apprenticeship Units, including:
- Eligibility checks
- RPL considerations
- The Training Plan document
- Funding agreement with the employer
- ILR automation
When creating the application, please select the either the 'Restart' or 'Transfer' options. This is to ensure that there are no 8-month minimum validation rules applied that will prevent you from completing the application. We recognise that this is not ideal and have a plan to implement a change that will allow you use the normal apprenticeship workflow. Please look out for updates in future release notes.
If needed, you can use Training Provider Questions (TPQs) to capture additional Apprenticeship Unit–specific data.
Important Notes
Some elements of the standard Apprenticeship enrolment process are not required for Apprenticeship Units. For example:
- Apprenticeship Agreement: not required
→ Select ‘signatures obtained offline’ to bypass this step
Individualised Learner Record (ILR)
After enrolment, Bud will generate an ILR as normal. However, for Apprenticeship Units you must make the following manual updates:
Initial setup
- Change the Funding Model from 36 (Apprenticeships) to 99 (Non-funded)
-
Add a Learning Delivery Monitoring (LDM) code: 403
→ Indicates delivery of an Apprenticeship Unit funded via the Apprenticeship Service - Remove the 'Restart Indicator' in the Funding and Monitoring section
During delivery
- To trigger the first 30% payment, record milestone progress by adding: LDM code: 404
Note
- Originally published on: 26/03/2026
- Last updated on: 26/03/2026