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 look at the impact of the extension of flexibilities until August 2021, the Children, Young People and Families Manager standard, and new resources and documentation available on Verve EPA.
Apprenticeship flexibilities extended until the end of August
As you may be aware, in response to the latest escalations with the spread of COVID-19 over recent months, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has announced that the current flexibilities and discretions in place to support EPA will now remain operational until at least the end of August 2021.
This means that no flexibilities will be withdrawn before the end of August.
The flexibilities that have been approved will ensure that all Apprentices are still able to complete their End-Point Assessment, allowing for high-quality remote assessments, rather than face-to-face.
Our COVID-19 delivery documents to support remote assessments are up to date and can be viewed on our Verve EPA Suite.
Should you require any support or further information, please feel free to contact us at epa@tquk.org and a member of the team will be happy to support.
Children, Young People and Family Manager
As outlined in our previous updates, we have been working closely with the IfATE, Ofqual and the Trailblazer Group to support the approval of a dispensation to allow the current Children, Young People and Family Manager’s Assessment Plan to become deliverable, allowing Apprentices to undertake their End-Point Assessment. We are conscious that there are many Training Providers, Employers and Apprentices who are patiently waiting for an update into how these talks are developing, and when End-Point Assessment within this standard will become deliverable.
We are pleased to announce that we are now in the final stages of approval for an agreed set of dispensations for the delivery of the End-Point Assessment, and we are confident that in the next few weeks, we will have formal approval to deliver these dispensations. These dispensations will allow Apprentices to proceed through Gateway and complete their Apprenticeship programme.
We want to thank those who have been waiting for these changes for your patience. In this time, we have worked hard to ensure that End-Point Assessment would permit Apprentices to achieve the grade that appropriately represents their competence within their role.
Once the dispensations are formally approved by the IfATE, we will provide a second update with a specific date regarding when we can accept Apprentices through Gateway, as well as the detail as to what the dispensation is etc. Furthermore, we will then be inviting Training Providers with Apprentices on this Standard to access Process Training, with a focus on the agreed dispensations.
If you have Apprentices currently registered on-programme for this standard, but have not yet registered them with us for End-Point Assessment and wish to do so, please contact us directly so we can support you accordingly.
Written Project – Word Count Guidance available on Verve EPA
A new support document is now available on our Verve EPA Suite for all centres to access and review.
This guidance document has been produced to outline the actions that will be taken by Training Qualifications UK, where the word count on written projects are either under or over the revised threshold. We encourage all on-programme Assessors and Tutors to review this resource to support your Apprentices.
Teaching Assistant Reminder
There have been a number of submissions recently by Training Providers where Apprentices are producing assignments for End-Point Assessment. This piece of evidence is not permissible within the assessment plan, so we strongly encourage all providers and On-Programme Assessors to review the support materials on our Verve EPA Suite, for required evidence that should be submitted for End-Point Assessment. This is to again support Apprentices, helping to avoid potential Fail outcomes.
Adult Care Worker and Lead Adult Care Worker Support Materials
New resources are available for these standards and can now be seen on our Verve EPA Suite. Please can all centres who deliver this Standard download the documents.
This will ensure you always have access to best practice and guarantee the most up to date and accurate versions are in use at all times.
The latest documents are labelled as ‘Version 2’ on the bottom right corner of the document. There is also an additional document called ‘Overall Assessment and Apprenticeship Grading’. This is a new document for this standard, which outlines how the two assessment components come together, to produce the final grade for the End-Point Assessment.
Verve EPA Support videos
Watch this space…further guidance and support videos are in production to further support with the use of our Verve EPA Suite more effectively.
We will of course keep you all updated as soon as they are available to view.
We are closely following the government guidelines in response to the current pandemic and are committed to fully supporting all our centres during this difficult period.
Should you require any further support, please contact us at epa@tquk.org.
We hope you are all keeping safe and well.
