From Vision to Reality: Wales’ First Regulatory Services Apprenticeship

23 October 2025

As Shared Regulatory Services marks its 10th anniversary, another milestone has taken shape - the launch this summer of Wales’ first Regulatory Services Apprenticeship.

The Level 4 apprenticeship in Regulatory Compliance is the culmination of years of determination and advocacy from Helen Picton, Head of Shared Regulatory Services.

While a similar apprenticeship route has been available in England since 2018, Wales had no equivalent - and no clear path to create one. 

Helen has been at the forefront of the campaign to make this a reality: “Early on there had been an assumption that local authority employers in Wales would simply make use of the English Level 4 Regulatory Compliance Officer apprenticeship.  However, the different funding mechanisms in Wales mean that employers would do so at a loss because they wouldn’t be able to make us of the apprenticeship levy already paid.  

“Great results were being seen in England with popularity of the apprenticeship route growing. Meanwhile in Wales, we had an ageing workforce and no clear pipeline to bring new talent into the profession.”

There was only one thing for it - a brand-new Welsh apprenticeship scheme had to be devised.

That meant starting from scratch in building a business case, providing cohort projections and liaising with Welsh Government every step of the way. A turning point came when Directors of Public Protection Wales published Building for the Future - its Workforce Strategy that highlighted the urgent need to future-proof regulatory services. 

The report was presented to a Welsh Government Minister, who asked officials to take forward development of the apprenticeship.

According to Helen, it was great timing: “I was pushing from the bottom up, and the Minister’s interest added top-down pressure. That momentum helped us develop the qualification.”

From there a steering group was formed, and working with the appointed awarding body Agored Cymru, a new Level 4 Diploma in Regulatory Compliance was developed. This formed the foundation for the new Welsh apprenticeship pathway, which was then matched with a funding model to enable training providers to apply to deliver the scheme.

Helen’s belief in the Welsh apprenticeship model has always been centred on improving access to the Regulatory Services disciplines of Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Licensing: “People tend to think apprenticeships are just for school leavers, but they’re not - they’re open to all ages and backgrounds.

“A few years ago, I spoke at a conference about apprenticeships in regulatory services. There, I met some Trading Standards Officers who had come into the profession in England via the apprenticeship route - many from completely different careers.”

Helen added: “One had been a teacher, but decided to leave teaching, take a pay cut, retrain and became a Trading Standards Officer. That kind of career change brings a wealth of transferable skills.

“This Level 4 apprenticeship won’t instantly create qualified Environmental Health Officers or Trading Standards Officers - but it creates a pathway. It allows us to bring people in, develop their talent, and help them move forward in the professions.”

The apprenticeship has already been recognised by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, meaning successful apprentices in Wales will receive exemptions from the first year of the professional qualification - a major boost in terms of career progression.

As Helen approaches her own retirement next year, she reflected on what’s been achieved: “There were definitely moments in the last five years when I questioned if it would ever happen, but I just felt so strongly that we needed it - and I’m glad I kept pushing. I hope it’s something that continues to grow and gives people a real chance to join these great professions and earn as they learn.”

SRS has wasted no time in making use of the apprenticeship and recently recruited its first two Regulatory Services Apprentices.