IFATE announce flexibility on Functional Skills for EPA
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) have announced further flexibilities with regards to apprentices undertaking end-point assessment, whilst awaiting results for calculated grades. This flexibility will apply from the 22 May 2020.
This flexibility will apply to:
- All apprentices due to take a Functional Skills Qualification test and receive a result between 20 March and 31 July
- Those apprentices that are deemed by their training provider to have the required level of functional skills and sufficient evidence to demonstrate this to receive a calculated Functional Skills Qualification pass
- Are occupationally competent apprentices at gateway who are ready to progress to sit their EPA.
If you have an apprentice whereby this flexibility applies, you will need to:
Continue uploading gateway evidence into ACE360. In the functional skills components, upload a screen shot of the apprentice's Functional Skills test booking, titled -Exemption. This will allow you to confirm gateway readiness and change the status of the apprentice to gateway approved.
Whist the apprentice can undertake their EPA, using this flexibility, their overall apprenticeship certificate will not be claimed until their calculated grade has been released on 31 July. Should the calculated grade not be sufficient to meet the gateway requirement, the apprentice will need to re-sit their functional skills qualification, before their apprenticeship certificate can be claimed.
The apprentice may choose to wait until the 16 June and sit a live Functional Skills test (considering social distancing and local COVID-19 safe measures). Should an apprentice choose this option, the apprentice will remain at the status in training until a certificate can be uploaded for the gateway component.
If you are using Pearson as your Awarding Organisation – we will hold the evidence of the grade results and no further action will be required. Should the calculated grade be a pass, Pearson will apply the apprentice's overall grade, enabling certification to occur.
If you are using another Awarding Organisation – you must provide evidence of the apprentices calculated grade to epadelivery@pearson.com. This will enable Pearson to confirm the achievement of the apprentice's functional skills, apply the overall grade and request certification.
Information from this update was sourced here