National Apprenticeship Week 2026: Shaping the Future of the Costs Lawyer Profession

National Apprenticeship Week 2026 feels particularly significant for us at ACL Training (ACLT). We are at an exciting stage in our progression to delivery of the Costs Lawyer Apprenticeship. Not only this, but it coincides with our major milestone in our own history as it has been 25 years since ACLT was incorporated. Twenty five years of supporting, educating and developing Costs Lawyer training. This serendipity seems like a great moment to reflect upon how far the Costs profession has come, and how far it still can go.

When I joined ACLT in 2023 as Head of Education, I stepped into a role with a clear purpose: to strengthen the pathways into the Costs Lawyer profession and ensure our training offer continues to evolve with the needs of Costs profession.
Very quickly, one challenge stood out.

The Costs Lawyer profession is highly skilled, essential to the justice system, and increasingly in demand but unlike other legal professions had no dedicated apprenticeship route. Career stories are often characterised by happen-stance, they fell into the field by accident. In talking to employers, it became clear that it is difficult to build early career pipelines. When talking to students, or those in the early career stages in entry legal roles, it became abundantly clear that there are so many talented individuals out there who might have thrived in the role and simply don’t know the profession exists.

Recognising this gap, ACLT put out a call to the profession in 2023 to gauge interest in establishing a Trailblazer Group. The response was clear: employers wanted a structured, accessible route into the profession, and they were ready to help shape it. The Trailblazer Group has been expertly chaired by Paula Walkden of Irwin Mitchell LLP since their inception, and some [ ] have been involved in the group and contributed to the development of the standard.

What is a Trailblazer Group?

In the apprenticeship sector, Employer Trailblazers are employer‑led groups responsible for designing new apprenticeship standards. They define:

• what the occupational role involves
• the knowledge, skills and behaviours required
• how apprentices should be assessed
• what employers need from future professionals

Trailblazers are employer‑led by design.

They ensure that apprenticeships reflect real‑world practice, not the assumptions of those involved in education and training. ACLT’s role was to support, coordinate and contribute our training expertise, but the direction and decisions came from the profession itself. This collaboration and the diversity of Costs expertise within the group strengthens the standard, which draws upon the CLSB’s Competency Statement but goes further, adding additional knowledge, skills and behaviours for apprentice Costs Lawyers.

2023–2025: Building the First Costs Lawyer Apprenticeship Standard

Once the Trailblazer Group was formed, the work began in earnest.

Step 1: Developing and approving the apprenticeship standard

The first task was to create the apprenticeship standard itself. This involved:

• defining the knowledge, skills and behaviours required
• designing the assessment plan
• consulting across the profession
• submitting the draft to the Department for Education (DfE)

The DfE’s approval process is intentionally rigorous and can take many months. In 2025, the Costs Lawyer Apprenticeship Standard was approved.

Step 2: Determining the funding band

Once the standard was approved, the next stage was for the DfE to determine the funding band. This is the maximum amount of public funding available for training and assessment.

This required ACLT to provide detailed information and costs to the DfE. Funding band decisions are scrutinised carefully and are subject to ministerial approval. Only once the funding band is confirmed can providers and employers understand the financial framework for delivery.

Step 3: The CLSB becoming the End‑Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO)

The Costs Lawyer Apprenticeship will be regulatory aligned. This means it will follow existing regulatory arrangements for the training and qualifying experience requirements for Costs Lawyers under the CLSB Training Rules. With the standard and funding band in place, the next requirement was for an organisation to be approved to assess apprentices at the end of their programme. For the Costs Lawyer apprenticeship, this responsibility sits with the Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB) in line with the Training Rules. The CLSB had to apply to the DfE to become an EPAO. This is a demanding process and must be completed before any training provider can apply to deliver the apprenticeship.

Step 4: Opening the Standard to Providers: The Gaps in Provision Route

Once the standard was approved, the funding band confirmed, and the CLSB recognised as the EPAO, the next stage was to identify who would deliver the apprenticeship. The DfE does not select providers. The standard becomes “live” to any currently approved training providers on the Apprenticeship and Provider Register (APAR,) who may come forward and apply to deliver the standard. If no providers come forward, employers may put forward a business case demonstrating why no other provider is qualified to deliver the standard, and instead nominate a preferred, non-approved provider to do so. This is then considered by the DfE and if they consider there to be a gap in provision they will invite the nominated provider to apply under the Gaps in Provision route.

As the current, sole accredited provider of Costs Lawyer training, this was how ACLT came to be nominated. We are grateful for the trust placed in us by employers.

Stage 5: Applying to Join the APAR Register

We received our invitation from the DfE to apply to be accepted onto the APAR register in late 2025.

This is a highly challenging part of the process. Whilst we are already accredited by the Costs Lawyer Standards Board to deliver the CLPQ, this oversight is not transferable to the requirements of apprenticeship delivery. To become an APAR approved provider, requires use to demonstrate that we can deliver within a wider regulatory framework. We must demonstrate to the DfE our viability and capacity to deliver high quality training that meets the requirements of The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and Ofsted. This is a significant step in terms of regulatory responsibility.

It requires robust systems, detailed evidence, strong governance, and a learner‑centred approach at every stage.

It is important to be transparent: Approval is not guaranteed or automatic. The process is rigorous, and rightly so. If our application is unsuccessful, we will not be permitted to reapply for 12 months.

We are approaching the application with confidence, but also with realism and respect for the standards expected of apprenticeship providers.

So, both exciting and nerve wracking times ahead.

Why This Matters for the Profession

We hope that Costs Lawyer Apprenticeship is more than a qualification. It is a new gateway into a profession that underpins fairness, transparency, and access to justice providing employers with additional flexibility in how they scale and upskill their employees. We hope that the apprenticeship will:

• widen access to those seeking a legal career
• support social mobility
• help employers build sustainable talent pipelines
• raise awareness of a career path many people never knew existed
• ensure future Costs Lawyers are trained to a consistent, high standard in delivery of legal services

Being part of the team that helped bring this apprenticeship to life has been one of the most rewarding projects of my career.

Looking ahead:

As we mark National Apprenticeship Week 2026, I’m proud of how far we’ve come since 2023:

• The Costs Lawyer Occupational standard: approved
• Funding band: determined
• The CLSB’s application as the EPAO: approved
• Employer nomination for APAR: approved
• ACLT invited to apply under Gap in Provision: approved
• ACLT’s APAR application: submitted

We will continue to keep the profession updated as our APAR application progresses. If and when we are approved, we will make a formal announcement and set out the next steps for employers and prospective apprentices. If we are not approved, we will communicate that openly as well and explain what this means for future timelines. It is important to be transparent. The future of this initiative deserves nothing less. A new era for Costs Lawyer training is on the horizon, and I look forward to the moment we can open applications for our first apprentices.

Author

Madeleine Jenness

Head of Business (Education & Training)