Carl Lomas sat in on this week’s webinar by Skills England on assessment evolution for apprenticeships. Skills England outlined the year ahead and a vision for new style of assessment of the levy-funded apprenticeships across all sectors - on-programme assessment, simplicity and short assessment plans were all in the mix. Placing behaviour assessment with the employers. No funding change at this stage of the evolution.
Johnathon Walden opened with a welcome to employers, assessment organisations and training providers on a very busy webinar screen.
The webinar looked at changes to apprenticeship assessment over the year ahead.
Skills England;’ - ‘Present end-point assessment has brought rigour and prestige, but it has been challenging and is complex.’
The vision is much shorter assessment plans.
A goal for less detail, but still meeting employer needs, bringing greater scope. Employers are clearly best placed to assess behaviours. Assessment organisations will be encouraged to use most appropriate technology. Skills England expect majority of assessment to move to a minimum of prescription. The goal is flexibility and scope in assessment. Currency with employers will be important.
A picture of exchanges included time scale to implement. The journey of the reform work showcased in a circular bubble diagram as below. Policy sprints are underway. Skills England trialled in June with five apprenticeships, some of the work is nearing completion. OFQUAL have been an important part. Skills England are ramping up to achievement in the next 12 months, keen to get cracking as soon as possible.
Content of new assessment plan will be significantly different. The new assessment plans will be less prescriptive and be more flexible. Each assessment organisation will then develop their own detailed assessment specification. Behaviours move into employer responsibility. Assessment of Knowledge and Skills units will be summarised. There will be a performance descriptor for pass and any grades above a pass.
Securing quality and confidence, Skills England have delivered these well attended webinars today, supporting that we are keen to ensure assessment supports the apprenticeship journey, For employers we are keen to see currency, employers will have a new role to assess the behaviours. We are looking towards assessment organisation to look at on programme assessment. We are asking professional bodies to engage sectors. We will work with Trailblazer groups and assessment organisation and training providers to see assessment plans land in the correct place. Using the groups to refine and test, taking the feedback to submit for approval of assessment of apprenticeships.
At this stage funding will not be changed.
Q and A session - Assessment plan revisions, a new ST code may be attached to a new assessment. SE, ‘Transferring candidates from old to new is complex, moving from end-point to on-programme is significant and not yet decided how candidates will do this.’ ‘We will be working with Trailblazer groups and assessors to create flexibility and still fall inside OFQUAL balance for consistency. There will be an aspiration for assessors to meet on-programme assessment and we will work with Trailblazer groups to match appropriateness.’ ‘Individuals can train and assess.’
Closing, This process is to focus on assessment to meet employer need. We look forward to working with all partners over the next year.
Key slides as below
