1. The Register of Apprentice Assessment Organisations
7 February 2017

2. Agenda
Policy and rules – general principles and mandatory requirements for higher apprenticeships, integrated degree apprenticeships, and degree apprenticeships where separate end point arrangements exist
Making an application to the register of apprentice assessment organisations – understanding the application form and process  
Undertaking end-point assessment - business model and requirements, emerging practice and considerations for organisations reviewing wishing to deliver end-point assessment

3. General principles and rules

4. Setting the scene Apprenticeship reforms:
Putting employers in the driving seat – standards designed by employers based on their needs
Simplifying the system – standards are short and easy to understand – describing knowledge, skills and behaviours
Giving employers purchasing power with levy funds available through a digital apprenticeship service which will enable employers to directly manage their apprenticeship programmes and purchase training
A Register of apprenticeship training providers
A Register of apprentice assessment organisations

5. The Institute
An independent employer-led body, the Institute for Apprenticeships, to support the quality of apprenticeship standards in England. It will become fully operational in April 2017 (shadow form with effect from 2016).
The Institute will be responsible for setting quality criteria for the development of apprenticeship standards and assessment plans; reviewing, approving or rejecting them; advising on the maximum level of government funding available for standards; and quality assuring some end-point assessments.
Draft Strategic Guidance for the Institute published 4 January 2017.
Draft Operational Plan for the Institute published 27 January 2017.

6. The role of EPA
All apprenticeship standards must contain an holistic assessment of the knowledge, skills and behaviours that have been learnt throughout the apprenticeship - referred to as the End Point Assessment
This is to ensure that apprentices are fully competent in the relevant occupation and give employers confidence that they are “job-ready”
All EPA, however organised, can only be carried out by organisations registered on the register of apprenticeship assessment organisations for the specific apprenticeship
EPA design and all decisions relating to how the EPA will be carried out are made by the Trailblazer Employer Group and apply to every apprentice following this Standard

7. The role of EPA
For all apprenticeships at intermediate, advanced, higher, and foundation levels, the EPA is always:
a separate and independent stage at the end of the apprenticeship
undertaken once all gateway requirements have been met (including achievement of any mandatory qualifications listed in the standard)
graded, where this is a requirement of the standard
undertaken by a third party organisation not involved in the delivery of the apprenticeship training
An apprenticeship is only achieved when the EPA is successfully passed.

8. The role of EPA in degree apprenticeships
For degree apprenticeships, there are two options for how the EPA is organised
Which option used is decided by the Trailblazer Employer Group and applies to every apprentice on this standard
Degree Apprenticeship EPA have a unique EPA additional flexibility to either :
Integrate their EPA into the design of the degree e.g. Digital Degree Apprenticeship OR
Retain a separate EPA and follow the same process as for apprenticeship at other levels – e.g. Management Degree Apprenticeship

9. The role of EPA in degree apprenticeships
Degree Apprenticeship at Batchelor and Masters’ can either :
Integrate their EPA into the design of the degree apprenticeship so that award of the degree is also the achievement of the apprenticeship e.g. ICT
HEIs delivering standards with this option must be registered on the ROAA specifically for this standard
Retain a separate EPA and follow the same process as for apprenticeship at other levels – e.g. management degree apprenticeship:
HEIs delivering standards with this option cannot EPA their own student apprentices and therefore do not need to be ROAA registered for this purpose
HEIs wishing to offer an EPA for this standard to other organisations MUST be ROAA registered

10. Useful Application Information
Meeting the EPA requirement in an integrated degree apprenticeship means in practice :
Meeting university degree awarding requirements including revalidating the underpinning degree where changes are material
Designing in the full range of apprenticeship KSE required and ensuring that competence can be evidenced by the apprentice
Enhancing or developing new content and assessments to include the full range of apprenticeship experience required in addition to the existing degree
Ensuring that experience gained and demonstration of competence in the workplace can be captured and verified
Creating/using work based projects, scoping and collating formal employer or other feedback, tests, practical assessments in university, employer or professional body assessments on the job within the apprenticeship
Confirm whether organisations are suitable to fund
Ensure organisations listed and new are:
financially robust
suitable entities to develop learning and services

11. End-point assessment organisations

12. Professional Discussion
EPA process
Assessment Organisation added to the RoAAO
Employer selects organisation from the RoAAO and informs provider
Provider & assessment organisation agree working arrangements & provider formally contracts with organisation
Assessment organisation delivers EPA & applies for certificate
Assessment organisation receives final payment via provider
Professional Discussion
If y

13. How the register will assist employers
Employers will use the Register to select an organisation to undertake end-point assessment for them. Employers determine which organisation they will select and the process for selection. The lead training provider will contract with the end-point assessment organisation, on behalf of the employer.

14. The end-point assessment organisation
An end-point assessment organisation must:
have current and relevant occupational experience of the standard
have relevant assessment experience and expertise
have expertise and capacity to design, develop and deliver the EPA methods as set out in the assessment plan
promote itself to employers to support informed employer choice
robustly manage conflicts of interest
undertake eligibility checks prior to apprentice undertaking EPA
directly deliver EPA
notify employer of the outcome of EPA
apply for the apprentice certificate on behalf of the apprentice
provide Quality Assurance of their activity
adhere to EQA requirements.

15. The end-point assessment organisation
An end-point assessment organisation must not:
promote its service to employers unless it is on the RoAAO
Change the approach to and delivery of EPA as set out in the assessment plan
deliver end-point assessment to non-apprentices
delegate end-point assessment to a provider
deliver the learning elements to the same apprentice*.
* Except for an integrated degree apprenticeship

16. Making an application to
the register of apprentice
assessment organisations

17. Making an application
We use the Bravo Solution portal for this process as it is the most suitable platform we have for managing the application process securely and efficiently.
The Register opens every month for applications. We take any new applications for review at the end of each month. For a few days each month the application will not be available whilst we update it.
Any application needs to answer the questions asked and reflect the requirements of the assessment plan/s.
We will provide outcomes 6 weeks after the end of the month.
If you miss a monthly submission you cannot ‘roll over’ a partially completed application and submit it in a later month.
There is no limit to the number of applications an organisation can make or the number of standards that can be included in an application.

18. The application process
The application has four sets of questions. Each one gives us information about the applicant and their suitability to be an end-point assessment organisation:
Information about the organisation
Their financial governance
&
Financial self-assessment
The organisations occupational capacity & capability
The organisations assessment capacity & capability
All applicants:
complete the online application form
respond to questions, make declarations, complete the financial health self-assessment, including submitting latest financial statements, submit accompanying documents where relevant.

19. HEI applications HEIs funded by HEFCE
are exempt from Financial Health questions [Q1-11 & declaration]
For apprenticeships with a separate EPA
All other sections of the application must be completed
For apprenticeships with integrated EPA
Exemptions to some questions apply
Applications for additional standards
You can apply multiple times, to extend your register listing
We will take into account previously held evidence (timebound)
We will send, with the slides, a listing of the questions required / not required

20. Evaluating applications
Standard
We will not evaluate your application if you do not select a standard.
Organisation
We will not refuse your application on the basis of your response to any of these questions unless we have evidence that any of your responses has been given in a deliberate attempt to deceive us.
Compliance
and financial management
We will refuse your application if any of your responses fail the compliance and financial management requirements.
Financial health
We will refuse your application if your financial health assessment outcome is ‘inadequate’. You will need to achieve a minimum of the ‘satisfactory’ grade. The basis for the calculation is set out in documentation referred to in this guidance.
Capacity and capability
We will refuse your application if your responses do not assure us that your organisation has the required occupational and assessment capacity and capability to deliver EPA in line with the requirements of the assessment plan and the information set out in this document. For example, you have not provided evidence of your policies.
SFA aim - Satisfied that an EPA organisation is suitable for employers to consider to select to undertake independent EPA and has sufficient capacity and capability to deliver this assessment for a particular occupation.
You can be declined at overall application level – by failing the Financial Health assessment
You can be declined at individual standard – by failing to meet [min score ?]
May be approved for some but not all standards in a multi standard bid

21. Things to be aware of… Information about your organisation
Complete everything accurately
1.5 Compliance
1.5.6 – repaying funding. If you have previously or currently underspent against a previous SFA funding contract, this should have been clawed back through SFA processes. This does not classify as outstanding repaying public funding - tick “D”
Confirm whether organisations are suitable to fund
Ensure organisations listed and new are:
financially robust
suitable entities to develop learning and services

22. Typical pitfalls
No indication of how assessor occupational practice is maintained
Submission of scanned certificates rather than clear summaries of assessor experience
Lack of recognition of particular requirements of the assessment plan
Overly brief descriptions in responses, especially of the delivery model

23. Checklist I
The organisation or staff occupational/assessment capacity & capability :
respond to ALL the guidance bullet points
Include experience, capacity, capability in the last 3 years..
…Working in the occupation or working with or for employers in the specific occupation
Demonstrate relevant experience with the occupation, competencies and job roles - delivery of qualifications is not enough
Make your evidence relevant and specific to the individual standard and assessment plan
Detail and explain how your evidence supports your case – don’t just attach certificates
It is ok not to have current capacity for everything ..
…..you must clearly set out what actions you will take to meet this requirement and how / when this is planned
Clearly identify where evidence is general to all apprenticeship delivery OR is supporting a specific standard

24. Checklist II
For each standard/occupation that you wish to be registered as an EPA Organisation for; you need to set out separate evidence [or clearly specify which standards your evidence relates to] for the following :
1.9.1 (CC04a) organisational occupational competence to deliver EPA in this occupation
(CC05a) current organisational capacity and capability to deliver a full end point assessment process for this occupation / standard
1.10.2(CC05b) your organisation action plan and processes to be put in place to deliver the processes NOT ticked in (CC05a) for this occupation [i.e. where you don’t have current organisational capacity and capability to deliver an end point assessment for this occupation / standard]
1.10.3(CC06) the type/mode of assessment you will be delivering for this occupation / standard and how this is relevant to the assessment plan requirements
(and within (CC07a) and (CC10) your ability and capacity to deliver this type/ mode of end-point assessment)
(CC07a) staff have occupational and assessment experience, expertise and competence to deliver in this occupation/standard
(CC10) How the assessment delivery model will actually operate in this occupation/standard

25. Undertaking end-point assessment

26. What you need to consider
Resource implications
Costs of development of assessment tools
Eligible assessment costs
‘Back office’ functions
Resources – including premises
Security & data
Others………

27. Further information
For more information on the process read the pre-application guidance: New Future Apprenticeship support package, including workshops and one to one sessions. Information is available on the Education & Training Foundation website Information on the Trailblazer process and individual Standards and their Assessment Plans can be found here: Register questions: