Updated information from the Skills Funding Agency - November 2016
This month's update includes information on the Register of apprentice assessment organisations and the government's new programme to tackle shortage of end-point assessors.
Guidance
On Wednesday 12 October the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) published an update on the Register of apprentice assessment organisations for:
- employers seeking an independent end-point assessment (EPA) organisation
- potential applicants to the register.
The update includes:
- Introduction to the register (slides)
- Register of apprentice assessment organisations: introduction (document)
- Register of apprentice assessment organisations
- Register of apprentice assessment organisations: list of standards for application
View the Skills Funding Agency updates.
All apprenticeship standards must contain an EPA and an independent organisation must be involved.
The register of apprentice assessment organisations is a list of organisations that have been assessed to conduct independent EPA. Employers will select an organisation from the register, which is regularly updated.
Pearson is currently approved to offer EPA for 13 standards. We are also making regular applications for other sectors where we intend to offer EPA.
Employers involved in the delivery of an approved apprenticeship standard can ask an organisation on the register for more information about the service they offer.
They can also ask the SFA about an EPA organisation’s application to help them choose an organisation by emailing apprenticeassessment@sfa.bis.gov.uk.
New programme to tackle shortage of end-point assessors
On Monday 31 October the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) announced that the government has launched a new programme to tackle the shortage of end-point assessors in apprenticeships.
The scheme is funded by the DfE and commissioned by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) with the aim of improving capacity to deliver independent EPAs in apprenticeships.
It will be co-managed by the AELP and the Strategic Development Network and will work towards building a critical mass of EPAs.
From November, the DfE and ETF programme will offer 15 workshop packages across the country to help organisations understand the opportunities and decide on their role in EPA.
This will be followed by further workshops to help organisations become an approved Apprenticeship Assessment Organisation (AAO) and prepare them to deliver the EPA.
The first phase of the programme will include the development of eight industry-focused ‘Professional Dialogue Groups’ to explore the knowledge, skills and resources that are required by EPAs.
The findings will be used to create guidance and materials for EPAs to inform a programme of support to be rolled out in 2017.
The consortium will also form an expert ‘Reference Group’ to advise on programme activities and content to make sure it is relevant to all potential AAOs and staff.
