We are now live with the process changes we have been communicating over recent weeks. We are confident these changes will improve the experience for everyone involved and most importantly the Apprentice on their End-Point Assessment journey.
An update of all the processes that have changed is below.
Gateway Changes
Required information on Verve EPA at Gateway
Any Apprentice submitted for Gateway that does not have the required information completed on Verve EPA will be put on hold until the information is filled out correctly. This is to assist us in:
- Fully informing End-Point Assessors of significant Apprentice information vital to the assessment
- Implementing internal processes including assessment bookings and certificate claims
- Recording the necessary information for certification claims and EQA audits
When we do not have all the information we require for the entire End-Point Assessment journey, it can lead to the journey stalling or becoming disjointed as we put Apprentices on hold at Gateway or delaying assessment components due to having to request information. With this change, we will have all the information we require at Gateway to enable a smoother process.
Please find a guidance document that explains what information we require on Verve EPA, why we require it and how it will be used – this is also available in the Support Materials section on Verve EPA.
Assessment Preference Document
We are currently working on reviewing and updating all our assessment documents across all 36 standards that we offer. As part of this change, we will be updating all Gateway meeting documents to require an assessment preference for all components. In the meantime, whilst we work our way through these, we have put together an Assessment Preference document that must be completed on all new Gateway submissions before the Apprentice can pass through Gateway. We would suggest that this is completed during the Gateway meeting.
Please note, if the Assessment Preference document is not completed, the Apprentice will not be able to pass through Gateway and will be put on hold. The completion of this document will be key to us being able to allocate an End-Point Assessor to an Apprentice within our agreed SLA and understand the requirements of the assessment. It should be uploaded to the “Gateway Meeting Record” section alongside the completed Gateway Meeting Record form.
All Assessment Preference documents are standard specific and detail the relevant assessment components to that standard. The below standards have the required section already on the Gateway Meeting Records and therefore do not require an Assessment Preference document to be completed:
- Learning and Development Consultant/Business Partner
- Learning and Development Practitioner
- Learning Mentor
- Retailer
- Retail Team Leader
- Retail Manager
An example document has been uploaded to Verve EPA for context, the rest can all be found in the Support Materials section on Verve EPA.
Portfolios required at Gateway
To allow our End-Point Assessors to be suitably prepared for the End-Point Assessment process and to improve the experience for Apprentices along their journey, any standard that requires a Portfolio, Reflective Journal, Learning Journal, Project, Project Synopsis or Showcase, whether assessed or used as a supporting mechanism, will have to have this uploaded or provide an E-Portfolio link and password to Verve EPA before the Apprentice can pass through Gateway.
This is to provide the End-Point Assessor with all the tools to prepare themselves fully to create relevant questions, thus giving the Apprentice a better overall experience. Once uploaded and approved as part of the Gateway checks, the portfolios will not be amendable and will be final. Therefore, please ensure everything is uploaded at this point.
If you are aware of any Apprentices that will be submitting a hard-copy Portfolio, Journal, Project or Showcase, please contact the End-Point Assessment Team as early as possible to discuss how to move forward.
Please see Verve EPA for the full list of standards detailing what is required at Gateway for each – this is also available in the Support Materials section on Verve EPA.
MCQ booking moving in-house
The booking of MCQs onto our Verve EPA system is now managed internally by the End-Point Assessment Team, taking the responsibility off our End-Point Assessors and thus freeing up their time to focus on the rest of the End-Point Assessment. This will require MCQ dates to be agreed prior to the Apprentice being submitted through Gateway (we suggest the dates to be arranged at the Gateway meeting) and added to either the Gateway Meeting Record or Assessment Preference document.
The date agreed for the MCQ must not be within five working days of the Apprentice coming through Gateway and may be subject to change if Gateway requirements are not met.
We require this five-day minimum lead-time to ensure the booking is included on our report that the Assessment Team use to send out MCQ links. When the Apprentice is then submitted through Gateway on Verve EPA, our End-Point Assessment Team will complete their usual Gateway review and update the system with the dates submitted. The End-Point Assessor will then be informed so they are aware of dates in preparation of the Assessment Planning Meeting. All Assessment Planning Meetings will be provisionally scheduled to take place on the same day as the MCQ, however, these are only a provisional date and may change depending on the End-Point Assessor availability.
If you have any questions please email epa@tquk.org or contact the Customer Service team on 03333 583344.
