Here at Training Qualifications UK, we like to make sure you’re kept aware of all the most important goings-on in the world of End-Point Assessment. With that in mind, this week we provide information about Year-End Preparations, Gateway Requirement Support Documents, Appeal Timeframes, a change to HR qualifications, Controlled Environment requirements, the Business Administrator standard and a version change on Customer Service Specialist.
Year-End Preparations – Important Reminder!
The end of the academic year is fast approaching, and we’re preparing for it by reviewing our pipeline data on Verve EPA.
As per our previous communication, estimated EPA dates are vitally important to allow TQUK to forecast effectively, but more critically to enable planning and ensure sufficient resourcing availability for allocations is in place. This in turn will support all Apprentices to conduct their End-Point Assessment in a timely manner.
Therefore, it is important that the information entered on our Verve EPA System is accurate, including all estimated EPA dates.
As we plan and work towards supporting our Centres, we ask that all Providers review the EPA dates given on Verve EPA to ensure they are up to date and accurate. For internal planning, we again ask for this activity to be reviewed and for all Training Providers to ensure that Verve is up to date by Friday 4th June.
Should you require any support in relation to this update, or wish to discuss preparations for year-end requirements, please contact us at epa@tquk.org
Gateway Requirement Support Documents
To support our Centres with standard-specific Gateway requirements that must be achieved for your Apprentices to successfully progress through Gateway, we have produced new Gateway Requirement Support Documents.
These newly-produced Gateway documents have been written to support our Centres to sufficiently prepare for all Gateway requirements and will be Live to view and download on our Verve EPA Suite by Thursday 27th May.
Appeal Timeframe – Reminder
On Monday 1st March we altered our approach and timeframe for any submitted appeals. The time frame to submit your intention to appeal is now two weeks from the date of End-Point Assessment results being issued.
Please note, If we do not receive any requests or intent to appeal in this time period, Training Qualifications UK will proceed to ESFA claiming. Should an intent to appeal request be submitted within a two-week window, TQUK will permit an additional two weeks for a completed Appeal Form to be submitted.
As per our previous updates, a flow chart of the outlined changes can be viewed here.
HR Qualification Change
As per the latest update from IfATE, please be advised that any new HR Level 5 Apprentices who start their Apprenticeship from the 1st June 2021, must be registered on the new Level 5 Associate Diploma in People Management.
The current HR standard for both level 3 and level 5 are under review. We are committed to releasing further information to all Providers once additional information from the trailblazer group has been released, this is not expected until at least 22nd June 2021.
Controlled Environment Requirements
All Training Providers, Employers and End-Point Assessors working on behalf of Training Qualifications UK are asked to adhere to our controlled environment conditions in order to ensure assessments are conducted with the assurance of their validity and fairness to Apprentices. Controlled environments are required for applicable assessments, regardless of their delivery method, and this includes both face-to-face on-site assessments and those conducted remotely.
We would like to offer a reminder of the importance of exam conditions and controlled environments for all End-Point Assessments. To further support our Centres, we kindly ask that you please refer to our Controlled Environment Guidance Document, detailing the set requirements. This document is Live and can be viewed or downloaded on our Verve EPA System.
Business Administrator
An update has been applied to the Project Presentation Apprentice Brief, removing the disclaimer. Furthermore, the following details have now been included:
- Additional information around the question and answer aspect of the assessment.
- A Contingency Planning section to provide guidance around short-term cancellations.
- A resit/retake section to provide additional support and guidance.
The disclaimer that previously sat within the Apprentice Brief has been isolated as a separate document now found in Verve EPA, as a Project Summary and Disclaimer document. This resource can also be used to provide a summary of the project undertaken by the Apprentice pre-gateway where a formal written report is not submitted.
Customer Service Specialist Version change
As per a recent communication, we have performed a review of the assessment materials relating to the Customer Service Specialist Standard, and we are pleased to announce that new versions of all the assessment materials are now available on Verve EPA.
This version change is accompanied by a Summary of Change, which outlines all the changes that have been implemented. These alterations are primarily focused on additional support and guidance for the Apprentice and do not alter the process of assessment or requirements of the Apprentice. However, there is now the addition of a Project Scope Template and Checklist which is to be completed and submitted at Gateway. As of Tuesday 1st June, this will be required at gateway submission. This is designed to support the review and approval of the Work Based Project scope by the appointed End-Point Assessor, post-Gateway.
