One of Springboard’s apprentices has become one of the first apprentices to complete their end point assessment and apprenticeship remotely, due to government restrictions and social distancing. Business Admin apprentice, Adam, who works at Great Annual Savings, sat his end point assessment at home using remote video software to adhere to exam conditions.
Springboard’s ‘on programme assessor’, Jasmin Richardson, worked closely with the employer and end point assessment organisation, TQUK, to prepare Adam for the remote end point assessment, making sure he knew what to expect at each stage.
Andrea Whincop, Springboard’s Apprenticeship Lead, commented that “this was a new experience for all involved therefore it was more important than ever that Jasmin was able to support Adam with regular telephone contact to prepare him for this final stage of his apprenticeship.”
“Adam has been a dedicated, hard working apprentice throughout his programme and with Jasmin’s support and the advances TQUK have made with their technology and processes he has been able to achieve his apprenticeship without any delays.”
Due to the current pandemic crisis many end point assessments across the country have been suspended as these usually take place face to face with invigilation from the training provider. We are delighted that EPA initiatives are enabling apprentices to prepare for and complete their assessments remotely and are now planning for more of our apprentices to do the same.”
TQUK have already been actively using remote assessments for the Business Administrator Standard, using the GoToMeeting facility, however one key factor which assessors have had to take into consideration is the change of environments for the apprentices, and some of the challenges this may include.
Kayleigh Robinson, one of Adam’s assessors, had the following to say: “My main priority was that Adam did not feel disadvantaged in any way and that he was comfortable to undertake the assessment; therefore I ensured that this was confirmed a number of times. We also discussed contingencies, so that if connection was lost, we had alternatives arranged. I made sure to check in with Adam on the morning of his afternoon assessment, to again check he was still okay to go ahead. Adam responded wonderfully to the change in his environment and made sure that he was prepared, which is essential and contributed certainly to the positive grade achieved.”
When asked about the remote assessment practices, Kayleigh had the following to say: “It has been a positive change made by TQUK as a result of government advice to allow end point assessment activities to take place in the Apprentice’s home. Things are worrying enough during this time and these changes ensure that there is no unnecessary pressure added if the Apprentice can complete their end point assessment as originally planned in line with the expected end dates.”
Kelle McQuade TQUK’s End-Point Assessment Director had the following to say: “Congratulations to Adam on passing his Apprenticeship. The positive words from his assessor Kayleigh really underline how well Adam performed during his assessment, and that’s doubly impressive at this difficult time.
We’re delighted that the remote methodologies we’ve put in place during the COVID-19 situation have worked so well. Life is full of challenges at the moment, but everyone is bringing their very best and going above and beyond to ensure Apprentices can achieve the goals they’ve been working so hard towards.”
When asked about completing his apprenticeship during lockdown, and the support received from Springboard, Adam said: “I was offered unlimited support from my assessor at Springboard during this unusual period we are going through. Jasmin, my assessor, was available for help at all times and offered me various resources in order for me to be fully prepared for my end point assessment.”
When speaking about completing his end point assessment, Adam said: “Completing my EPA in lockdown was fine, but was a little challenging as my preferred method was face to face and I had to complete it over video call. Other than a few external distractions, having to complete my EPA at home was okay and I was fully prepared thanks to the help of my assessor.”
When speaking about his end point assessor, Adam said: “My end point assessor was great, from the moment I first spoke to her a few weeks before my EPA, right until the end of the assessment. She offered her help and guidance leading up to my EPA and stressed that I should contact her if I was stuck with anything or needed any clarity on what was going to happen. Before my EPA started, she went through various situations which could potentially happen and what would happen in the event of one of these. I was made to feel at ease throughout my EPA and this made me feel more confident when on the video call.”
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