Prior Skills and Knowledge

Since there's no fixed duration for a standard, how would anyone know you didn't reduce the duration? If they compared it with another apprentices you have on the same standard they might, but you're allowed to vary your durations if you see fit. Why would they be untimely if they were given a longer duration that required? Aren't they more likely to complete a bit early?

The standard is Business Admin L3 which is normally 18 months. Therefore if they reduced the duration to 15/16 months the learner would be expected to trigger Gateway in this time and based on a conversation with the assessor they need the full 18 months.

If you think it's going to take 18 months even with reduced content, then you should plan it as 18 months. I'd log why it was going to take the full duration even with reduced content. It might be when lessons can be delivered, it might be that this learner has been assessed as requiring extra time, which might originally have led to a planned duration of 20 months were it not for the 5% prior learning. You'll have to deliver and evidence more OTJ for an 18 month duration than if you reduced to 15/16, so you're putting more work in, which I suspect nobody will argue with that.

That's the problem, the delivery is not reduced. The provider (as they are our subcontractor) believes the learners requires the full programme to be delivered, even though they have identified some knowledge and skills. Its a tough one.

I've had this before, but we wanted the apprentice to 'belong' to his cohort by attending all training. We reduced the price due to prior learning and indicated the training we weren't claiming funding for. In the unfunded sessions, we tried to give the apprentice some additional work or asked them to support others (the idea of stretch), which we were able to use as evidence towards the behaviours in his portfolio.