LEIA Assessment welcomes a new policy directed at the use of mandatory qualifications in apprenticeships from the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IfATE).
Many apprenticeships already include mandatory qualifications; which are the requirement to study and achieve specific qualifications as part of the overall Apprenticeship Standard. The standards that LEIA offer EPA for require a qualification to be completed prior to end-point assessment. However, the IfATE recognised that there was a need to refine the use of mandated qualifications in response to concerns raised on many employers / apprentices only completing the qualifications.
It launched a public consultation in December receiving over 300 responses from employers, trailblazer groups, awarding organisations, education and training providers, end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs), and its own apprentice panel.
What does the new policy mean?
- Mandatory qualifications will be in line with what employers recognise as needed and necessary. They will ensure qualifications match up to employer-defined knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices must learn to prove they can do the job.
- Integrate professional qualification tests and EPA where possible. Some apprentices currently drop out after getting their professional qualification, before sitting their EPA, which means they never complete their apprenticeship. IfATE wants to put a stop that.
Karen Slade, Head of End-Point Assessment at LEIA Assessment, said, “These changes are ultimately all about ensuring that the apprentice and employer get the most from the apprenticeship. It’s a positive step for future-proofing apprenticeships and supporting achievement rates.”
Next steps
The new criteria will come into effect on 6 July 2023. However, the introduction of the new policy does not mean that existing apprenticeships need to be compliant with it by 6 July. Instead, existing apprenticeships need to become compliant with the new policy as and when revisions to them are submitted from this date onwards.
