By Darren Shaw
A huge amount of progress has been made through 2022 with the
reforms to how quality assurance works for apprenticeship end
point assessment (EPA).
Now as we approach Christmas and the new year, I wanted to take
this opportunity to update the sector.
To recap, the outgoing system for external quality assurance
(EQA) of EPA provided multiple options. In addition to the
Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE),
EQA could be provided by professional and employer groups, or
established qualifications and higher education regulators Ofqual
and the Office for Students.
We agreed to simplify and strengthen the process in response to
concerns that it was over-complicated.
Following consultation, it was decided that EQA would
predominantly be covered by the regulators, Ofqual, or, for
integrated degree apprenticeships, the Office for Students.
Phase one of the transition process, which we updated on in
May, required end point assessment organisations (EPAOs), for
apprenticeships previously overseen by the IfATE EQA service, to
apply for Ofqual recognition.
A minimum of one EPAO for each apprenticeship had to achieve
Ofqual recognition before Ofqual could become its EQA provider.
We can now reveal that 66 EPAOs have now achieved
recognition with Ofqual - which means that Ofqual provides EQA
for 508 apprenticeships in total.
An additional 78 apprenticeships, which were previously quality
assured by professional and employer groups, are due to transfer
to Ofqual by early January 2023 through phase two of the
transition process.
Added to that, arrangements for OfS to oversee EQA for
apprenticeship end point assessment provided by universities, for
the integrated degree apprenticeships, have been in place since
July.
All EQA providers will continue to follow guidelines for EPA
quality assurance set out in IfATE’s EQA framework.
I, along with my colleagues at IfATE, Ofqual and the OfS, would
like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved for your
co-operation and patience as the transition progresses. We will
be left with a simpler and better system going into 2023 which is
a really good thing for everyone.
Darren Shaw, deputy director for change implementation for the
Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE)
