Plans to test alternative ways of assessing apprentices have been kicked into the long grass.
Officials put forward multiple options to modify the current end-point assessment (EPA) model earlier this year, including one that would allow training providers and employers to assess their own apprentices rather than use an external organisation.
But FE Week understands the Department for Education decided the proposals didn’t have legs after exploring them with awarding bodies and providers. Any potential pilot has now been grounded.
End-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) are hopeful a wider review of EPAs could be launched next year as officials continue to seek to reduce admin and costs.
Trial adjourned
Since 2017, apprentices have had to pass an EPA to fully achieve their apprenticeship.
EPAs are carried out by regulated EPAOs with reference to the assessment plans for each apprenticeship designed by employers and approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
FE Week understands officials are concerned the cost, complexity and limited capacity of EPAOs is hampering apprenticeship completion and achievement rates.
Alternative proposals included allowing training providers to carry out part of the EPA themselves, rather than the whole process being done by an independent EPAO.
It was hoped this would relieve some of the assessor shortages reported by EPAOs. But there was concern about providers’ own assessment capacity, and that losing fully independent assessments would compromise standards.
Other suggestions involved transferring the assessment of “behaviours” from EPAOs to employers, and cutting the size of EPAs by removing the need for all knowledge, skills and behaviours to be assessed.
FE Week understands officials quickly found the proposals wouldn’t save any time or money and would just add confusion to the system.
The DfE declined to comment, but did confirm that officials “reviewed the apprenticeship assessment system over summer 2024, gathering evidence and suggestions for change from across a wide range of stakeholders including regulators, assessment organisations, training providers and external quality assurance providers”.
Rob Nitsch, chief executive of the Federation of Awarding Bodies, said his organisation was “pleased to contribute to discussions about the future of the EPA pilots and the optimisation of EPA”, adding that his team had “advocated for a wider review and are hopeful that this will come to fruition when resources allow”.
‘Expert’ apprenticeship pilot a damp squib?
The DfE caused controversy last year when it outlined plans to recruit a team of “expert” apprenticeship providers.
According to government guidance, those selected would receive a “mark of excellence” on the Find Apprenticeship Training website in a bid to drive up starts, especially with small and medium-sized employers, young people, and improve resource efficiencies and quality of delivery.
The providers would also be given “more access” to DfE systems to reduce the time and resources they commit to coaching non-levy paying employers through the apprenticeship system.
Entry criteria was strict and eliminated many of the largest apprenticeship providers from participating. Thirteen providers were selected in October 2023 and began the pilot at the end of that month.
But a year later the DfE has refused to say exactly what flexibilities, if any, the expert group had been testing. The promised quality mark also does not appear on Find Apprenticeship Training for the 13 expert providers.
The providers appear to have been used instead as a trusted group for suggesting potential policy developments.
DfE told FE Week the providers did, however, contribute to a new tool called One Login, which brings the digital apprenticeship service into one system.
Launched last week, One Login is said to remove the need for multiple logins to different elements of the apprenticeship service. It means apprentices can now track their progress, view available apprenticeships and apply for opportunities within one secure system without the hassle of multiple accounts.
Employers can also manage recruitment, track the progress of apprentices and ensure that all documentation and compliance requirements are met.
The service’s integration with training providers allows for “seamless access” to final assessments, ensuring apprentices meet all necessary standards in a simple, joined-up process.
The DfE declined to comment on the outcomes or future of the expert apprenticeship provider pilot, other than to say it will “update the sector in due course”.
Simon Ashworth, deputy chief executive and director of policy at the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, said: “AELP did have some concerns that the wider rollout of an expert provider kitemark scheme could lead to a two-tier system.
“Employers can already be confident that any provider directly accessing funding needs to be on the government’s approved apprenticeship register, with Ofsted passing judgement on the quality of provision each provider delivers.”
He added that AELP was “pleased” the new government had made improving flexibility of the apprenticeship programme a key priority, and believes a more “streamlined, less burdensome but still independent EPA needs to be part of this”.
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