ST1360: where the proposed UK tattoo apprenticeship stands in 2026
TL;DR: ST1360 is a February 2024 proposal to develop the first UK national Level 3 tattoo artist apprenticeship standard. As of 19 May 2026 it remains at proposal stage with no target approval date, no confirmed funding band and no published end-point assessment plan. Council licensing, the under-18 ban and minimum wage law all continue unchanged regardless.
ST1360: where the proposed UK tattoo apprenticeship stands in 2026
Information, not legal advice. Verify current Skills England status before relying on this for funding decisions.
ST1360 is a proposal to develop the first ever UK national apprenticeship standard for tattoo artists. The proposal document, generated 14 February 2024, identifies the occupation as Level 3 within the Hair and beauty route, with a typical duration of 24 months and an estimated 45 annual starts. It carries the version reference ST1360_V0.0, which indicates proposal-stage drafting rather than a live approved occupational standard.
What is actually verified
As of 19 May 2026, the publicly accessible Skills England material for ST1360 is still the February 2024 proposal to develop an apprenticeship standard. The proposal itself states "Target date for approval: No target date". No separate Skills England page showing approval, withdrawal, or a published assessment plan has been located by InkKiln for ST1360.
The proposal describes tattooing as a distinct occupation because existing standards in beauty and healthcare were reviewed and considered insufficient for tattoo work. It would be the first standard of its kind, against a background of many informal apprenticeships across England.
The proposal also says there are no minimum qualifications needed to start. Entry requirements are described as a matter for individual employers. Typical entrants are said to come from arts or creative backgrounds, with prior experience in beauty, makeup artistry, or care work also flagged as potentially relevant.
What is not yet verified
Five points remain open and should not be relied on as confirmed.
The full Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours matrix could not be retrieved from the accessible proposal pages. The proposal says existing beauty and healthcare KSBs were considered insufficient, but the detailed KSB list itself has not been confirmed from a public source.
No approved end-point assessment plan was located. Statements that ST1360 will include a synoptic project, practical observation, or portfolio are speculative until a final EPA plan is published.
No funding band has been confirmed. Apprenticeship levy funding normally depends on a standard being approved and placed in a funding band. Until that happens, a studio cannot safely assume it can draw levy funds for a tattoo apprentice under this code.
No verified list of named trailblazer employers has been located. The proposal carries the trailblazer reference TB0874, but the specific employers, training providers, and trade bodies in the group were not retrievable from the accessible official material. Statements naming particular UK studios or trade bodies as ST1360 sponsors should be treated as unverified.
No transition arrangement has been published for people already partway through an informal tattoo apprenticeship if and when ST1360 commences.
What does not change either way
Tattooing in England and Wales remains separately regulated through local council registration or licensing of both practitioner and premises, under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 in England and the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 in Wales. Most of Greater London uses a Special Treatments Licence regime under the London Local Authorities Act 1991. Approval of an apprenticeship standard does not remove these obligations. See [[uk-tattoo-licensing-overview]] for the registration and licensing path.
The age limit is also unaffected. The Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 prohibits tattooing anyone under 18, with no exception linked to apprenticeship status.
The National Minimum Wage Act 1998 applies in the usual way. Informal unpaid tattoo apprenticeships are not exempt from minimum wage law simply because they are called apprenticeships. Where the legal tests for worker status are met, the wage floor and statutory record-keeping rules apply. See [[apprentice-rights-and-nmw-law]] and [[mutuality-of-obligation-tests]] for how this is judged.
Common misconceptions
"ST1360 is already an approved national tattoo apprenticeship." It is not. The verified source is still a proposal with no target approval date.
"A tattoo apprenticeship replaces council licensing." It does not. Practitioners and premises still need registration or licensing under the relevant local authority regime.
"The proposal mandates infection control and first aid certificates as gateway qualifications." The proposal text reviewed does not list those as mandatory external qualifications, even though the duties include sterilisation, waste disposal and first aid incidents.
"Tattoo apprentices can be unpaid because that is industry tradition." Minimum wage law applies according to legal status and working arrangements, not industry custom.
"ST1360 sets out the EPA and funding band already." Neither is verified from the official source.
Open questions
The full published KSB matrix for ST1360 has not been retrieved from the accessible proposal content.
No official May 2026 status update page specific to ST1360 has been located that would confirm approval, rejection, consultation closure, or withdrawal.
No final EPA plan has been found, so the assessment method is unverified.
No official funding band listing for ST1360 has been found.
A realistic commencement date can only be described cautiously. With no target approval date in February 2024 and no public approval record by May 2026, there is no honest basis to signpost a precise start date. The earliest realistic point would follow a later sequence of approval, publication, EPA confirmation, and funding-band placement.
Sources
- Skills England, Proposal to develop an apprenticeship standard L3: Tattoo Artist, ST1360 proposal PDF (generated 14 February 2024).
- GOV.UK, Tattoo, piercing and electrolysis licence (England and Wales).
- National Careers Service, Tattooist and body piercer career profile.
- National Minimum Wage Act 1998, legislation.gov.uk.
- Youth Employment UK careers guide, which notes there is currently no accredited tattoo apprenticeship qualification in the UK.
Information, not legal advice. Always verify the current Skills England standard status, funding band and EPA plan directly with the apprenticeship service before relying on this guide for funding or hiring decisions.