By the end of the apprenticeship, within the last three-six months of the apprenticeship once you are deemed ready, you will be registered for your end point assessment through an external assessment body, an EPAO such as NOCN, SIAS, C&G or EAL to complete a variety of assessments in line with the apprenticeship standards depending on the standard requirements.
EPA Gateway
The End Point Assessment Gateway is the point when all on-programme training and any mandatory qualification requirements have been met. At this stage, all Off the Job hours should be recorded and evidenced on One File. One File is an IT, cloud-based platform we use to track your apprenticeship and you can use to record activities within your apprenticeship.
When you have completed your training and your employer says you are capable in your occupation in line with your occupational standards, you enter the gateway.
The EPAO (End Point Assessment Organisation) will check any mandatory qualifications are complete such as your English and Maths GCSE’s and Level 3 qualifications, therefore, certificates for these qualifications will be required to upload for your EPA. Waterside will help you submit your documents to the EPAO portal (for example, a portfolio, CEL Competency Evaluation Log, job projects/write ups, planning documents and Synoptic Assessment Test/Observation SAT Schedule).
After the EPAO confirms that you have met all the requirements, the EPA will be booked and arranged in conjunction with you and your employer.
The End Point Assessment can involve a mix of assessments which will be detailed within your individual standard and can range from assessments such as;
- Knowledge Test, this is an online examination from multi-choice questions based on your apprenticeship standard chosen from a range of topics.
- Observation, this is a site-based activity either a maintenance, breakdown or installation type activities if completing engineering and either start up, operation or shut down activities if completing manufacturing. The assessment should last around two hours for you to be assessed on your competence of carrying out the task. During the observation, your employing representative can be on hand to reassure and provide advice to the assessor to provide guidance on site-based requirements such as SOP’s, policies and procedures.
- Technical Interview, this is a discussion with the external assessor on questions the assessor would like to explore in depth. To ensure you fully understand the reasons why you carried out the task, such as health and safety, legislation and or environmental constraints.
- Case Study, this is a hypothetical study where you will need to identify points of concern, hazards and look at recommendations for improvements answering several questions around the brief provided.
- Assessment of Behaviours, this is an assessment by your employer on how you carry out tasks in line with the standards in the workplace, such as how you work independently, how you work in a team, how you communicate, the quality of your work and the standards you work towards. The Core Behaviours mean that you are able to demonstrate the required attitudes, behaviours and interpersonal skills associated with the professional workplace to carry out your daily activities alongside the skills and knowledge elements.
