Training providers will soon be allowed to sign off on parts of their own apprentices’ assessments in a government drive to cut red tape and costs.
Ministers have announced a series of apprenticeship assessment changes they claim will streamline and simplify the system while not compromising standards.
From April, standards will be reviewed and updated to allow for apprentice assessments during their course rather than having to wait until the end.
And assessment plans, which are currently detailed 30+ page documents, will be slashed, containing only the “must haves for occupational currency”.
Writing for FE Week, skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith revealed Skills England will begin reviewing and updating all 700+ existing apprenticeship standards from April.
In a further attempt to remove bureaucracy, the government said it will remove the need for training providers to upload apprenticeship data to multiple databases in order to be paid. FE Week is seeking more detail on this announcement.
In-house assessment
Apprentices must currently be assessed by independent organisations known as end point assessment organisations (EPAOs).
Current guidance from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) states: “The organisation delivering the assessment and the individual assessors making assessment decisions must ensure independence. For integrated degree apprenticeships the organisation does not have to be independent but the individual assessor must be.”
DfE has decided to allow part of an apprentice’s assessment to be conducted by training providers themselves in future.
It will be for EPAOs to decide which EPA elements can be delivered by training providers once reviews of each standard are complete. EPAOs will also be responsible for quality-assuring provider-assessed EPA elements.
Not having to rely on external bodies to assess each element of an apprentice’s assessment could save training providers time and money. For example, shortages of EPAO assessors for some apprenticeship standards can delay completion and achievement.
Responsibility for assessing the ‘behaviour’ elements of apprenticeship standards will be transferred from EPAOs to employers “to remove unnecessary duplication” and allow EPAOs and providers to “focus on assessing essential knowledge and skills”.
What’s the (assessment) plan?
EPAOs use published apprenticeship assessment plans, written by employers under guidance from IfATE, to produce assessment materials.
Current IfATE guidance has an extensive list of requirements for assessment plans, and it’s not yet clear which of these will be scrapped to create a “simpler” new model.
The government wants to slash the length of apprenticeship assessment plans. Published plans for some of the most popular apprenticeships currently stand at 30+ pages.
Smith said: “Following feedback, assessment plans will now be shorter and more flexible, focusing on the ‘must-haves’ for occupational competency and also allowing providers to deliver assessments in some cases without compromising quality.”
IfATE’s current guidance for assessment plans contains an extensive list of requirements they should include. This includes justifying which methods are required to assess the knowledge, skills and behaviours the apprentice should obtain through a standard.
New-style assessment plans will be “short (eg 2 pages) and high level” according to DfE’s fresh ‘assessment principles.’ They will also be able to allow “on-programme” assessments, such as “assessing a work-based project while on the programme.”
Reducing dropouts
The previous government got the ball rolling on reforming EPA last May. Officials floated a range of alternative models via the DfE’s expert apprenticeships group following concerns EPAs were too costly and burdensome.
By November, those plans appeared to have been shelved but have now been revived.
Amending assessments is the government’s latest attempt to improve dire apprenticeship drop-out and achievement rates.
As it stands, 45.7 per cent of students do not fully achieve their apprenticeships. Drop-outs have funding and accountability implications for training providers, even if apprentices leave with qualifications but no EPA.
Earlier this week, the governments scrapped rules requiring adult apprentices to undertake English and maths qualifications alongside their programme. This move was also designed to cut red tape and help increase the number of apprentices that complete and achieve.
The key here is the end to the sometimes obscene EPA charges. Back in 1987 with NVQs it was proposed that the exposure of any sharp practice by providers for the hairdressing NVQ in wrongly passing practical standards could be identified by employers or other providers should they have a learner start a higher level qualification, it of course was rejected. There is no reason why an element of external checking cannot be used, and it would be nice if Ofsted used inspectors who could judge practical standards again as another quality strand.
I remember when the new standards for Automotive came into play. Large corporate players with token input from a chosen few independents.
The EPA was like stepping back in time to the 1980’s. No consideration made for the modern SME’s of today.
EPA has become a way of the EPAO’s cashing in on the apprenticeship funding by insisting they are increasing standards, by failing perfectly good candidates and making them retake the EPA at additional costs. Sometimes destroying the candidates confidence in the process.
No wonder the UK average for apprenticeship completions is so low.
This is a ridiculous statement. The majority of EPAs are conducted to a very high standard and EPAO’s make very little profit from them. I do not know of any EPAO’s who are cashing in on apprenticeship funding. No EPAO wants to fail an apprentice. They want them to succeed and achieve.
In many cases I have found it is actually the training provider that has let down the apprentice. To say EPAOs are “sometimes destroying the candidates confidence” is a total rubbish.
Assessments should remain independent and with the EPAO/Assessment Organisation, whether that’s at the end of the Apprenticeship programme or during (whenever that apprentice is deemed confident and competent with certain KSBs. The assessment plans must be clear and standardised.