The Multiverse apprenticeship achievement rate was 52.6% in 2024-25, down from 59% a year earlier, according to FE Week. Multiverse gives the same figure in its own May 2026 post. Over the same year, its apprenticeship revenue rose 45% to £85.3m.
Corndel, now second by revenue, shows 78.3% on the Department for Education’s (DfE) Find apprenticeship training service. DfE’s national comparison for 2024-25 is 65.4%. That puts Multiverse 12.8 points below it and Corndel 12.9 points above.
This post explains what the figure measures, what Ofsted and Multiverse each say about it, and what the data cannot prove. It ends with a checklist for employers choosing a provider. It is an analysis of published sources, not a verdict on either company.
What did the 2024-25 data show about Multiverse and Corndel?
FE Week reported on 1 October 2026 that Multiverse’s apprenticeship revenue grew 45% to £85.3m in 2024-25, while its achievement rate fell from 59% to 52.6%. Corndel grew 48% to £63.5m and DfE shows 78.3% for it. The table sets both beside the national figures.
| Measure | Multiverse | Corndel | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprenticeship revenue, 2024-25 | £85.3m | £63.5m | Not applicable |
| Revenue growth on 2023-24 | 45% | 48% | Not applicable |
| Achievement rate, 2023-24 | 59% | Not retrieved | 60.5% |
| Achievement rate, 2024-25 | 52.6% | 78.3% | 65.4% |
| Gap to national, 2024-25 | 12.8 points below | 12.9 points above | Not applicable |
| Starts aged 25 or over, 2024-25 | More than 90% | More than 90% | Not applicable |
| Latest Ofsted report | Needs attention in four areas (February 2026 inspection) | Strong standard across areas, per FE Week | Not applicable |
Sources: FE Week’s revenue analysis for revenue, starts and age mix; DfE’s Find apprenticeship training pages for the achievement rates and national comparisons. The gaps are our own subtraction.
One correction to a common summary. Multiverse’s starts rose from 7,910 to 12,030, which is about 52%. That is strong growth, but not a doubling.
FE Week also ranks the leaders: Multiverse first, Corndel up from seventh to second, then BPP, QA and Kaplan.
What does an apprenticeship achievement rate actually measure?
DfE’s qualification achievement rate is the number of apprenticeship programmes achieved, divided by the number that ended in the year, times 100. DfE’s service describes it as apprentices who completed a course and passed the end-point assessment. An apprentice who leaves early counts as not achieving.
The rate is not a start-year cohort. DfE counts each programme in its “hybrid end year”, the latest of the achievement year, planned end year, actual end year or reporting year, according to its technical specification.
In practice, a provider that starts many more apprentices in one year will see the effect in the rate only as those programmes end. A single year’s rate therefore lags what the provider is doing now.
Is an achievement rate the same as a completion rate?
Not quite. DfE publishes retention and pass rates as separate measures, and the achievement rate needs both: the apprentice must stay to the end and pass the end-point assessment. Multiverse calls its 52.6% a “completion rate” in its May 2026 post, so one number appears under two labels.
DfE defines retention as learning aims successfully completed divided by leavers. It defines pass rate as aims achieved divided by those successfully completed. The two multiply into the achievement rate.
Neither label is wrong in conversation. But when a provider quotes a rate, ask which one it is. A high pass rate can sit beside a weak retention rate, and the two problems need different fixes.
What did Ofsted find at Multiverse?
Ofsted inspected Multiverse on 24 February 2026, gathered further evidence on 27 April, and published its report in May 2026. Four areas were graded needs attention: leadership and governance, achievement, curriculum and teaching, and participation and development. Inclusion was expected standard and safeguarding was met.
On achievement, Ofsted’s inspection report says too many apprentices on data and business analyst apprenticeships “leave their apprenticeship before completion”. It adds that, in 2024/25, just under half of apprentices who began their courses left early.
Inspectors also reported that apprentices too often complete work independently of their job role, which limits how far they can apply what they learn. And staff said their workloads were too high, given the number of apprentices they support.
The report is not all critical. Of those who completed, it says the majority gained a distinction, and most remain employed and gain promotion or more responsibility. The report counted 14,194 apprentices on 11 apprenticeships at levels 3 to 6.
Multiverse was graded Outstanding in a July 2021 inspection, under Ofsted’s earlier framework. The two reports use different grading systems, so they should not be compared line by line.
What does Multiverse say about its achievement rate?
In a 20 May 2026 post, Multiverse describes 52.6% as “below where we want it to be” and says it will improve by June, when the academic year ends. It points to changes in enrolment criteria, programme design and learner support. As of October 2026, we could not find a published 2025-26 figure.
Multiverse’s own explanation offers two reasons. First, on its AI programmes it chose to “optimise for access” and accepted lower completion as a result. Second, some learners use their new skills, earn the promotion or pay rise they wanted, and leave before finishing.
Both explanations are the company’s account. Ofsted’s report treats early leaving as a weakness. Whatever the reason for leaving, DfE’s rules count the outcome as non-achievement.
DfE’s 16 July 2026 release shows 2025/26 figures only as reported to date, while 2024/25 is final data. So a like-for-like update is not yet available.
What can explain the gap between Multiverse and Corndel?
The published sources do not say what drives a gap of about 26 points between the two providers. Three questions would need answers: which standards each delivers, who enrols, and how delivery is run. Without apprentice-level data, anyone who names one cause is guessing.
On standards, FE Week reports Multiverse’s data analyst standard at 50.1% (2,770 leavers) and business analyst at 42.3% (760 leavers). Achievement rates differ by standard nationally, so compare like with like.
On learners, Multiverse says it prioritised access. On delivery, Ofsted points to job-role fit and coach workload. Each could matter. None is proven to explain the whole gap.
There is also timing. Because the rate follows programmes as they end, growth in starts may show up later. That is a reading of DfE’s definition, not a forecast.
Is the fall part of a sector-wide trend?
No. DfE’s Find apprenticeship training pages show a national comparison of 60.5% for 2023-24 and 65.4% for 2024-25, a rise of 4.9 points. Multiverse moved the other way, so its gap to the national figure widened from 1.5 points below to 12.8 points below.
That comparison comes from the DfE pages shown against Multiverse and Corndel. DfE may present different comparison figures on other pages, so read each provider’s page as shown.
Why does the 25-plus skew matter for the youth apprenticeship push?
FE Week reports that more than 90% of both Multiverse’s and Corndel’s 2024-25 starts were aged 25 or over, against nearly three quarters at QA and Paragon. This sits against a government reform that shifts funding towards young people starting careers, and away from older, existing employees.
FE Week adds that ministers have defunded most level 7 apprenticeships and scrapped 16 standards this year, including popular management programmes. The mix at both providers is therefore in the part of the market that policy is moving away from.
Age mix is not a quality judgment. But the 2024-25 revenue ranking reflects last year’s demand, and the funding changes FE Week lists are new this year. For context on the youth side, see our CIPD apprenticeship guarantee coverage.
Related pieces cover the Union Learning Fund and local apprenticeship service and England’s vocational GCSEs replacing technical awards.
How should employers compare apprenticeship providers?
Compare providers on the achievement rate for your standard, not the provider-wide number, and ask what sits behind the percentage. DfE’s rate combines apprentices who failed the assessment with those who left early. The questions below separate those, plus job fit, workload, evidence and progression.
| Question to ask | Why it matters | A good answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
| What is your latest rate for my standard and level? | A provider-wide rate can hide a weak or strong standard | The latest DfE figure for that standard, with the number of apprentices behind it |
| How many left before the end-point assessment? | The rate combines leaving and failing | Early leavers shown separately, with reasons and actions taken |
| How do you check the job fits the standard? | Ofsted’s Multiverse report noted work done apart from the job role | A documented initial assessment and a named workplace task plan |
| How many apprentices does each coach support? | Ofsted’s Multiverse report noted high staff workloads | A stated caseload and cover arrangements |
| How do you evidence off-the-job training? | Funding rules require quantifiable delivery evidence | A dated, hours-based log and a signed training plan |
| What are your latest Ofsted grades? | New report cards grade each area separately | Report date, grade by area and what changed since |
| What happens to apprentices after they finish? | Completion is a means, not the aim | Tracked progression for completers and leavers |
Split The Missing Percentage
Ask the provider to break the gap between its achievement rate and 100% into early leavers and assessment fails, per standard, because the fix and your own role in it differ for each.
Choose a lower-rated provider only when the explanation is specific, such as a new standard, and the improvement plan has dates and numbers. Walk away when it cannot give standard-level figures.
What should employers ask about off-the-job training evidence?
For apprenticeships starting from 1 August 2025, DfE publishes a minimum number of off-the-job hours for each standard, with an absolute floor of 187 hours. Earlier starts needed at least 20% of normal working hours. DfE’s guidance says delivery evidence must be quantifiable.
Per DfE’s off-the-job training guidance (version 6, August 2026), the training must be new, relevant to the standard and during normal working hours. Initial assessment, progress reviews, exams and standalone English and maths do not count.
Ask a provider to show you the records it keeps:
- A dated log of hours delivered.
- A training plan signed by the provider, employer and apprentice.
- A written explanation of any gap between planned and delivered hours.
The employer shares this duty, because the time has to be protected working time.
How do you check progression after the apprenticeship?
Ask for progression data covering both completers and leavers. DfE’s provider guide suggests tracking former apprentices’ onward journeys, such as promotions and pay rises. A provider that reports only completers’ outcomes is describing the group that stayed, not everyone who started.
Ofsted’s report on Multiverse says most apprentices who complete remain employed and gain promotion or more responsibility. That is useful, but it says nothing about those who left early.
Track Your Own Leavers
Keep your own simple record of who left, when and why, because your data will reach you months before the provider’s published rate does and lets you act within the same cohort.
For a practical method, see tracking enrolment, attendance and completion data.
What does this data not tell us?
It does not tell us why apprentices left, whether Multiverse’s 2025-26 rate has improved, or how Corndel’s rate moved in 2023-24. It also does not show revenue per apprentice or profit. Revenue here is DfE funding data reported by FE Week.
Several points come from secondary reporting. Multiverse’s 52.6% rests on FE Week and the company’s own post. When we checked on 5 October 2026, DfE’s provider page for Multiverse still showed 59% for 2023-24.
Labels also differ across sources. FE Week calls the measure a qualification achievement rate, Multiverse a completion rate, and DfE’s service describes completing and passing. The number is the same, but the wording changes what readers assume.
What should you do next?
Open DfE’s Find apprenticeship training page for each provider on your shortlist. Note the achievement rate, the number of apprentices behind it, the national comparison and the review counts. Then ask each provider for its standard-level figures in writing, using the table above.
Hold a short call to cover early leavers, job-role fit, coach caseloads and off-the-job records. Set a check at six months to review who has left and why, while there is still time to change course.
When you set budgets, weigh provider quality alongside price. Our corporate training budget benchmarks for 2026 are a useful starting point.
FAQ
Q1. What is Multiverse's apprenticeship achievement rate?
FE Week reported that Multiverse’s achievement rate was 52.6% in 2024-25, down from 59% in 2023-24. Multiverse confirmed the 52.6% figure in a May 2026 post, where it calls the number a completion rate and says it is below where the company wants it to be.
Q2. How is an apprenticeship achievement rate calculated?
DfE’s qualification achievement rate divides the number of apprenticeship programmes achieved by the number that ended in the year. An apprentice counts as achieving only by completing the programme and passing the end-point assessment. Programmes are assigned to a year by their “hybrid end year”, not by when they started.
Q3. Is an apprenticeship achievement rate the same as a completion rate?
No, though the terms are often mixed up. DfE reports retention and pass rates separately, and the achievement rate needs both: the apprentice must stay to the end and pass the assessment. Multiverse uses “completion rate” for the same 52.6% figure, so always ask a provider which measure it is quoting.
Q4. What is a good apprenticeship achievement rate?
DfE’s national comparison for 2024-25 is 65.4%, up from 60.5% in 2023-24, so anything above that is above average. Corndel’s page shows 78.3% as of October 2026. Rates vary by standard and level, so compare a provider’s figure for your specific apprenticeship, not only its overall rate.
Q5. What did Ofsted say about Multiverse in 2026?
Ofsted inspected on 24 February 2026 and graded four areas needs attention: leadership and governance, achievement, curriculum and teaching, and participation and development. Inclusion was expected standard and safeguarding was met. It noted that of those who completed, the majority gained a distinction and most remained in work.
Q6. Should employers avoid a provider with a low achievement rate?
Not automatically. A low rate is a prompt for questions, not a verdict. Ask for the rate for your standard, how many apprentices left early, what has changed, and when results should improve. Choose a lower-rated provider only if the explanation is specific and the improvement plan has dates and measurable targets.
Q7. Where can employers check a provider's achievement rate?
DfE’s Find apprenticeship training service shows each provider’s achievement rate, the number of apprentices behind it, a national comparison, and employer and apprentice ratings. DfE also publishes provider-level achievement rate data in its apprenticeships statistics on Explore education statistics. Always check the academic year shown.
