The following information details the latest updates in relation to a few specific areas linked to our End-Point Assessment offer and the outbreak of Coronavirus.
- Teaching Assistant Standard – LIVE
- Customer Service Practitioner & Customer Service Specialist – Update
As well as a further update and/or reminder regarding:
- Hospitality
And finally to request:
- COVID-19 Apprenticeship success stories
Teaching Assistant – Approved Alternative Assessment Method to Observation – LIVE
Further to the update we provided last week, we can confirm that following the IfATE’s approval to temporarily replace the Observation assessment with a Reflective Statement validated by an Expert Witness supported by a Question & Answer session, Assessor training has since taken place and we are now LIVE with our delivery of this alternative assessment method from today!
A reminder that if your Apprentice has already progressed through Gateway you do not need to contact us. EPA Assessors will be in contact directly with Apprentices to discuss their option to undertake the replacement assessment component and schedule, as applicable.
For all future Apprentices you submit for Gateway we have made an Alternative COVID-19 Gateway form, which we ask you to complete and which confirms the Apprentice’s assessment preferences for this observation or replacement assessment. This updated Gateway Form can be found on VERVE EPA and includes COVID-19 in the title.
Customer Service Practitioner & Customer Service Specialist Standards
We are pleased to confirm that at the end of last week the IfATE approved the Task Force group’s proposed alternative assessment method to replace the included Observation assessment within both Customer Service standards.
This means that Apprentices can be offered an alternative assessment consisting of a Witness Testimony from someone familiar with the Apprentice’s work, supported by a Question & Answer session between the Apprentice and End-Point Assessor. Further details will be included in our Apprentice Briefs, which will be available soon.
We ask for your patience this week as we prepare the assessment materials and support guidance which will be available on VERVE EPA from Friday 15th May. Assessor training is scheduled for this week with a planned go LIVE date on Monday 18th May.
If your Apprentice has already progressed through Gateway you do not need to contact us. EPA Assessors will be in contact directly with Apprentices to discuss their option to undertake the replacement assessment component and schedule as applicable from Monday 18th May.
For all future Apprentices you submit for Gateway, we have made an Alternative COVID-19 Gateway form, which we ask you to complete and which confirms the Apprentice’s assessment preferences for this observation or replacement assessment. This updated Gateway Form will be available on VERVE EPA from Friday 15th May and includes COVID-19 in the title.
Hospitality & Catering Standards
Following the updated information shared last week we’d like to update you that work is underway to produce these revised assessments and associated support materials/EPA Assessor training and can confirm that we will be ready to go LIVE with the delivery of these from Tuesday 26th May.
To recap, the replacement assessments linked to Practical Observations will be an On-Programme Evidence Portfolio with Question & Answer Session for the following standards:
- Hospitality Team Member
- Hospitality Supervisor
- Commis Chef
- Chef De Partie
- Production Chef
- Senior Production Chef
In addition to a replacement of the Culinary Challenge assessments with submitted menu plans (costings as applicable), MOCK EPA evidence, Witness Statements and other on-programme evidence as required supported with Question & Answer Session are needed for the following two standards:
- Commis Chef
- Chef De Partie
As both replacement assessments rely heavily upon mock EPA and on-programme evidence it might not be possible for all Apprentices to undertake these replacement assessments and we ask that attention is given to our updated guidance documents which will be published by our go LIVE date of 26th May.
Where evidence does not support Apprentices to undertake these replacement assessments, the DELAY option must be chosen to provide the best possible assessment opportunity for each Apprentice.
COVID-19 Apprenticeship success stories
Please share with us your good new stories so we can help celebrate all the hard work you are doing to keep Apprenticeships progressing and innovative ways you are working with your Apprentices. Get in touch on epa@tquk.org and give your email the subject line: ‘COVID-19 Apprenticeship success stories’.
