Statement released by IfATE on the 23rd March 2020

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has issued further guidance on the continuation of End-Point Assessments.

The purpose of IfATE’s  guidance is to outline measures that permit professional discretion so that individuals are protected and disruption is minimised, whilst safeguarding the quality of apprenticeships in circumstances where there is not a good reason for extending an apprenticeship.

Every effort should continue to be made to ensure that apprentices can continue with their apprenticeship, and be assessed in accordance with current EPA (End-Point Assessment) plan and EQA (External Quality Assurance) requirements if possible. Where this is not possible, providers should first consider extending the apprenticeship in order to reschedule the EPA.

Training providers and EPAOs should make every attempt to communicate as much as possible through this period to ensure the apprentice is well informed.  EPAOs should continue to engage with their External Quality Assurance Provider (EQAP) throughout the application of this direction. EPAOs are to keep a specific log of any Covid 19 related actions and this should be available for review by EQAPs.

Further details can be found at: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/response-to-covid-19/

If you have any queries regarding forth-coming End Point Assessments, please follow the link below for further guidance provided by the National School of Healthcare Science at the EPAO: https://nshcs.hee.nhs.uk/coronavirus-covid-19-information/end-point-assessments/