Please note that there are currently no plans for new cohorts of Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprentices.
What are the Level 7 apprenticeships?
The Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprenticeship is a technical training route into the archives sector in England and is equivalent to the Master’s degree typically required to become a qualified archivist. Each apprenticeship lasts 3 years (36 months) followed by a six-month end-point assessment period.
The apprenticeship standard, which lists the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours that apprentices will learn, was developed by a trailblazer group made up of expert representatives from across the sector. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) approved the apprenticeship and a cohort of apprentices started in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
How do the apprenticeships work?
Unlike our past traineeships programmes, The National Archives does not run these apprenticeships. Instead, The National Archives helped to launch the apprenticeship scheme and then any archive across England (that had at least one qualified archivist to provide support) was able to choose to employ an apprentice. Level 7 apprentices are full-time employees with all the corresponding benefits, such as salary, pension and annual leave.
Apprentices receive 80% on-the-job training at the archive that employs them (equivalent to 4 days a week) and 20% formal training with a training provider (equivalent to 1 day a week). Westminster Adult Education Service delivers the off-the-job training for this apprenticeship nationally, with apprentices divided into regional groups. Apprentices will often use their one day a week of off-the-job learning to research, complete assigned self-learning projects or write up assignments that contribute to the portfolio of evidence that is used in the end-point assessment.
Once a month, the day of off-the-job learning will be a taught session, alternating between online and in-person. The in-person sessions are held in rotation at the apprentice-employing archives within the region, allowing apprentices to meet face to face and get exposure to different types of archives. Westminster Adult Education Service still runs the training at each in-person session – the host archive just provides the space.
The end-point assessment organisation for the Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprenticeships is CILIP Pathways. The end-point assessment for the Level 7 apprenticeships consists of two methods:
- A work-based project during the assessment period, written up as a report. The assessor will ask the apprentice questions about the project. The project should be a real project that fulfils a need within the organisation.
- A professional discussion, underpinned by a portfolio of evidence built during the learning period.
Employ an apprentice
It is not currently possible to recruit a Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprentice but if your archive service is interested in providing a training opportunity or diversifying your workforce, please feel free to contact armapprenticeship@nationalarchives.gov.uk to discuss this further.