What's an end-point assessment (EPA)?

End-point assessment is an assessment of the knowledge, skills and behaviours which your apprentice has learnt throughout an apprenticeship standard.  All apprentices must take this independent assessment at the end of their training to confirm that they have achieved occupational competence.  Your apprentice can’t achieve an apprenticeship standard without satisfying all the requirements of the assessment plan, including the end-point assessment.

As part of the End-Point Assessment (EPA) the apprentice will be required to demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard you picked for the apprentice to follow.

The standard will detail the End-Point Assessment (EPA) plan which the apprentice will have to undertake to achieve their apprenticeship.  This will include the requirements for the EPA gateway, the assessment methods for the EPA, how the EPA will be graded, how re-sits and re-takes will work.

The End-Point Assessment (EPA) takes place once all the on-programme training has been completed and after the EPA gateway has been passed.  The EPA Gateway refers to the requirements that need to be met in order for the employer to put forward their apprentice for EPA.  This will include the English and Mathematics requirements, mandatory qualifications detailed in the occupational standard, any requirements or outputs for the assessment method.  In addition, the employer will need to confirm that the apprentice is occupational competent, that is, they are working at or above the level set out in the occupational standard and is ready to undertake the EPA.  The employer may seek input from the apprentice's training provider but the decision ultimately rests with the employer.

You must select an organisation to deliver the end-point assessment from the register of apprentice assessment organisations (RoAAO) and agree on a price with this organisation for the end-point assessment.

Although the provider will be involved in arrangements for end-point assessment, the assessment itself must be independent.

The training provider must contract with the apprentice assessment organisation on your behalf and have a written agreement in place with the apprentice assessment organisation to make payment to them for conducting the end-point assessment.

We expect that the cost of end-point assessment should not usually exceed 20% of the funding band maximum.  This cost is included in the overall cost agreed with the training provider for the apprenticeship.

When your apprentice successfully completes their apprenticeship they will be awarded a certificate.  The end-point assessment organisation will request the certificate on your behalf.

 

 


This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.  The information is applicable to England.  It is targeted at employers who are new to apprenticeships and contains the latest information at the time of writing.  If you are an employer who is already offering apprenticeships you may be operating under different rules.  For the latest, definitive information on apprenticeships, please visit the Apprenticeships topic on Gov.uk.