Protecting our Apprenticeship System

I delivered the following speech focussed on Apprenticeships and End Point Assessment just over a year ago (March '19) at the Annual Apprenticeship Conference, in what now feels like a very different world. As we deal with the challenges presented by the COVID19 pandemic, it felt important to reflect back and try to remember just how important it is to protect the integrity of our Apprenticeship System as we make key decisions about its future. Let's hope that we get them right!

'So, it’s nearly a year now since we undertook our first and eagerly awaited End Point Assessment at NCFE Apprenticeship Services (now EPA+), our End Point Assessment business. Since this time, we’ve developed some fantastic insight into what it takes for apprentices to be successful at End Point Assessment. I wanted to share some of these insights today so that we can play a key part in enhancing the value and integrity of Apprenticeships. Something that we at NCFE care about very much.

1.     Begin with the end (point assessment) in mind

Words and an idea made prominent in the contemporary business world by Stephen Covey, although admittedly, he wasn’t referring to end point assessment at the time! Covey was encouraging his readers to look back at their life from an imaginary future death bed and to use this most poignant of perspectives to identify what is important to them. Then, to use this perspective to inform their current self how best to live through meritable behaviours and to achieve success and fulfilment in life. Applied to Apprenticeships, the principles hold true.

Understanding what is truly important at the ‘end’, should inform every step of the Apprenticeship journey.

Whilst most training providers and some employers have endeavoured to understand exactly what the ‘end’ of an Apprenticeship really entails, on occasions this understanding has been incomplete. On odd occasions the Apprenticeship Standard and Assessment Plan have not been understood at all, until it’s too late. And this of course creates a huge challenge for apprentices to showcase the best of their ability at End Point Assessment.

To give apprentices the best possible chance of success, it is crucial that training providers, employers AND apprentices ALL have a comprehensive understanding of what the End Point Assessment ‘looks like’. And whilst EPAO’s cannot teach providers, or apprentices how to ‘pass the test’ it is a core part of their role to provide all of the relevant information to inform programme design and delivery from the very beginning.

In such a new and rapidly changing environment the challenge of keeping knowledge up to date and accurate cannot be underestimated. Regular refreshes are key and as experts in the ‘end’, NCFE and the other very good EPAO’s out there can provide information and support that can make all of the difference.

2.     Building trust and integrity

I hope that it will heartening to know that the best EPAO’s will care about the success of apprentices just as much as you do, whilst maintaining their impartiality, objectivity and the integrity of End Point Assessment. At NCFE we believe that training providers and employers must work together with End Point Assessment Organisations, as trusted partners, in order to realise all of the benefits of our improved Apprenticeship system.

Understanding is the foundation of trust. Therefore, gaining absolute clarity in regard to roles, responsibilities and expectations is crucial.

At a practical delivery level; issues such as;

-         providing suitable venues and settings,

-         to making sure that line managers of apprentices are briefed AND bought-in,

-         to offering that last minute encouragement, advice and support, the ongoing role of employers and training providers during EPA is vital.

Good EPAO’s will work with you to ensure that ALL respective roles, responsibilities and expectations are understood and fulfilled.

At a more strategic level, recently we’ve been extremely pleased to see and be part of a much greater collaborative effort than I’ve seen for a long time within the sector. Not just between EPAO’s, Training Providers and Employers, but I’ve also got to applaud the efforts of some of our key stakeholders and regulators, including;

-         the Institute,

-         ESFA,

-         Ofqual,

-         Ofsted,

-         AELP and FAB,

to name just a few. All of whom have all made a proactive and concerted effort to engage, understand and respond to the challenges that we face as a sector. Thank you.

3.     Creating value

Particularly early in my career, my Dad used to regularly try to impart words of wisdom to help me along in my career. One of my personal favourites was the time he told me to always carry a plank of wood around with me at work, so that I looked busy. When I explained that I wasn’t sure that this was the best idea as I worked in an office and I may look a little menacing, he looked puzzled for a while. He finally said, ‘try a clipboard’ as he walked away briskly.

Whilst my Dad was sometimes a little off with his context, one thing he said to me really had a profound and lasting impact on my life. The simple words;

‘Always try to leave things better than you found them’

The simplicity and the universal application to everyone and everything, still gets me every time.

So, what’s this got to do with End Point Assessment? Well, it’s quite simple really. EPA can be so much more than just a set of assessments, a transaction, a process that simply determines: ‘Pass or Fail’.

We believe that great EPA delivery should be a valuable extension of an apprentice’s journey, even when the result isn’t exactly what everyone had hoped for! Where those who succeed in achieving their ambitions will understand why. And those who unfortunately do not, should have the insight needed to be better equipped next time around.

Our primary collective goal should be to create value. Value for the apprentice, for business and for society. At NCFE we want to make sure that training providers, employers AND particularly apprentices, are better than when we found them.

4.     The end, is just the start

End Point Assessment is quickly becoming the day to day ‘acid test’ of whether the teaching, learning and development of an apprentice undertaking an Apprenticeship has met the expected standard. Complementing the;

-         less frequent visits of Ofsted, or

-         External Quality Assurance that is one step removed from learners, or

-         Internal Quality Assurance functions that have a natural bias,

End Point Assessment Organisations stand at a new vantage point in the Apprenticeship System. The independence of End Point Assessment Organisations, combined with continuous and direct engagement with apprentices, creates an opportunity to gain deep insight into what works.

Delivering reliable and valid assessments and maintaining objectivity and impartiality are core features of being an End Point Assessment Organisation. Fairness, transparency and trust must reign, with no one apprentice placed at any advantage, or disadvantage through the EPA process. So, clearly there are lines that cannot be crossed. We cannot teach apprentices to ‘pass the test’, but we absolutely CAN translate EPA insights into the intelligent and informative feedback. Feedback that we need to nourish Apprenticeship systems as a whole, and through this, improve outcomes for apprentices and business everywhere.

Our new(ish) Apprenticeship System has great potential to deliver the economic and social benefits that were envisioned at the outset of the Apprenticeship Reform Agenda. It is apparent to me that the key to realising these benefits can be found in a mix of time-served approaches and innovative new ideas, partnerships and the relentless pursuit of quality. As we gain further insight at NCFE, we will continue to share our learning with you in the hope that we can play a big part in delivering a world class Apprenticeship System that we can all be proud to be a part of.