13 Apr CMI qualifications without the apprenticeship levy: what employers need to know in 2026
If your organisation has been developing managers and leaders through levy-funded apprenticeships, the next few months will require some decisions. This month, the government confirmed that Levy funding for Level 3 to Level 6 management and leadership apprenticeship standards will be removed from September 2026, as part of its Growth and Skills Levy reforms. The Team Leader standard, the Operations Manager standard, and several other CMI-aligned routes are among those being defunded.
For many L&D Directors, this will feel sudden. For some, it will create a genuine leadership pipeline problem if they do not plan ahead. But the CMI qualifications your managers have been working towards do not disappear when the Levy funding does. What changes is how you pay for them.
This post explains what is happening, what it means for your development plans, and how to keep your people progressing towards recognised CMI qualifications without interruption.
What the government has actually confirmed
The reforms to the Apprenticeship Levy, now being rebranded as the Growth and Skills Levy, represent the most significant restructuring of apprenticeship funding since the Levy launched in 2017.
From January 2026, Levy funding for Level 7 apprenticeships was removed for learners aged 22 and over. From September 2026, funding for core management standards at Level 3 through Level 6 is also being removed, redirected towards new modular units in AI, digital skills, and engineering, and towards entry-level routes for younger workers.
The Chartered Management Institute mounted significant opposition, gathering more than 5,000 signatures from employers, training providers, and apprentices on a petition calling for the standards to be retained. CMI’s director of policy described the decision as “a critical setback to efforts to revive the UK’s lagging productivity.” The decision stood.
What this means in practical terms is that employers who have been using the Levy to fund management apprenticeship cohorts will lose access to that funding mechanism for new enrolments after September. Learners already registered should be protected, but the pipeline beyond that point needs a new model.
CMI qualifications are not going anywhere
This is the important distinction that often gets lost in the noise around funding changes: the apprenticeship route to a CMI qualification and the CMI qualification itself are not the same thing.
The Chartered Management Institute is the UK’s only professional body for management and leadership with Royal Charter status, and the only organisation that can award Chartered Manager status. CMI qualifications are regulated by Ofqual, aligned to the Regulated Qualifications Framework, and recognised by employers across every sector. None of that changes simply because the government has redirected the Levy.
What the apprenticeship route provided was a funded delivery mechanism: a 12-month-plus programme, off-the-job training requirements, a gateway, and End-Point Assessment. What the qualification route provides is a structured, assessed, internationally recognised credential at a level appropriate to your manager’s experience and responsibility.
You can access the CMI credential without the apprenticeship wrapper. That is what direct-funded CMI delivery means, and it is how most individuals and many organisations have always accessed these programmes.
What direct-funded CMI delivery looks like
Direct-funded delivery means the organisation or individual pays the programme fee directly to the provider, rather than drawing down from a Levy account. The qualification structure, the assessment rigour, the CMI accreditation, and the pathway to Chartered Manager status are identical.
For employers, there are a few things worth understanding about how direct-funded CMI programmes typically operate:
- They are not tied to the apprenticeship standards framework, which means programme design can be more flexible and responsive to your organisation’s specific needs.
- Learners can join on a rolling basis, rather than waiting for a cohort start aligned to the academic or funding calendar.
- The programme can be delivered as an open programme, where your managers join a cohort drawn from multiple organisations, or as a closed cohort exclusively from your organisation if numbers are sufficient.
- Remote, online delivery is standard, which reduces the operational overhead of scheduling and travel.
- The time commitment is comparable to the apprenticeship route: programmes typically run over two years, with learners dedicating approximately six hours per week.
The levels available run from Level 3, designed for aspiring managers and team leaders, through Level 5 for middle managers, Level 6 for senior managers moving towards executive roles, and Level 7 for senior leaders. There is also a Level 5 professional coaching pathway for those building coaching capability alongside their management development.
I saw returning to education as a golden opportunity to enhance my existing leadership skills and abilities, while adopting a growth mindset.
Why Aicura is a strong option for this transition
Aicura is a CMI Strategic Delivery Partner, which means its programmes are formally accredited and quality-assured by the Chartered Management Institute. We are not simply a course provider offering CMI units; Aicura is a specialist leadership and management development firm, built around the discipline.
The C30 leadership framework, developed by Aicura, maps the 30 capabilities that effective managers and leaders need to develop across their careers. CMI qualifications are delivered within this framework, which means learners are not just working towards a credential: they are developing against a structured, evidence-based model of leadership capability.
Programmes are delivered by practitioners with substantive leadership experience. Aicura’s coaching team includes former chief executives, clinical psychologists, and academics from leading universities. That depth of expertise is particularly relevant for senior cohorts working at Level 6 and Level 7, where the programme content requires experienced facilitation.
Christian McBride, founder of Genuine Solutions Group, returned to formal education after 20 years to complete a Level 7 programme with Aicura. His advice to other senior leaders considering the same step: “Simply do it.”
For organisations looking to transition existing apprenticeship cohorts, or to build a management development programme that no longer depends on the Levy, Aicura can design and deliver closed-cohort programmes tailored to the organisation’s structure and strategic priorities.
How to think about your options before September
The organisations that will handle this transition most smoothly are those that treat it as a planning exercise rather than a crisis. There are a few questions worth working through now.
First, which managers are currently mid-programme on a funded apprenticeship route? Those learners should be protected under the existing funding arrangements, but it is worth confirming this with your provider and understanding the gateway and End-Point Assessment timeline.
Second, what does your leadership pipeline look like beyond current cohorts? If you have managers who were due to start a Team Leader or Operations Manager apprenticeship in 2026 or 2027, you will need an alternative route. Direct-funded CMI delivery is the most straightforward like-for-like replacement.
Third, does your remaining Levy balance need to be used before expiry? From April 2026, the Levy expiry period will be reduced from 24 months to 12 months. If you have unspent funds and a cohort that could start before the September management apprenticeship defunding date, it may be worth exploring whether that window is workable.
Fourth, is there a case for treating the transition as an opportunity to design a more coherent development architecture? The apprenticeship route, for all its strengths, came with significant administrative and compliance overhead. A direct-funded CMI programme, delivered through a specialist partner, can be designed around your organisation’s actual needs rather than the apprenticeship standards framework.
Next Steps
If you are working through the implications of the Levy changes for your leadership development plans, Aicura is well placed to help you map the options. Whether you are looking to continue existing cohorts on a direct-funded basis, design a new programme architecture, or explore what a closed-cohort CMI programme could look like for your organisation, the starting point is a conversation.
Details of Aicura’s full CMI programme, ranging from Level 3 to Level 7
Get in touch via aicura.com/cmi.