End Point Assessments

What Are Apprenticeship End Point Assessments

The new apprenticeship standards are designed by employer groups with the aim of better meeting the needs of employers in the development of their apprentices. The Apprenticeship reforms introduced significant changes to the way in which apprenticeships are delivered and to the way in which apprentices achievement is assessed.

Each apprenticeship standard includes specific knowledge, skills and behaviours, achievement of on-programme milestones, achievement of English and maths at a specified level and, in some cases, the achievement of a specific qualification, all of which needs to be achieved prior to undertaking their End Point Assessment(EPA).

While on their apprenticeship, the apprentice undertakes a programme of workplace and off-the-job training designed to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are set out in the appropriate apprenticeship standard and that the apprentice will require in their job role. This programme includes a requirement to spend 20% of their time undertaking off-the-job training.

At the end of their on-programme activity, the apprentice is assessed by an independent organisation which must be approved to deliver the EPA for the particular apprenticeship standard. The end point assessment replaces the previous continuous assessment approach with an independent assessment of whether or not the apprentice has met the requirements set out in the apprenticeship standard.

The organisation carrying out the EPA must be approved on the Register of End Point Assessment organisations to deliver the specific EPA and the organisation and the assessor must be independent of the employer, apprentice and the training provider delivering the apprenticeship.