Free Download – Essential Overview of EPA Requirements
With so many apprenticeship assessment plans, each with their own individual requirements and nuances, it can be very difficult for training providers delivering a range of apprenticeship standards to remember the specific EPA requisites for each one.PAL understands that this can be confusing, and that delays to assessment may occur when mandatory requirements are not met, which could be frustrating [...]
Free Downloads: Latest ESFA Audit Working Papers and Guide
PAL's Compliance team has now been able to access the latest ESFA audit working papers. Our expertise as auditors of ESFA-funded programmes has also enabled us to create a spreadsheet for training providers which identifies the changes compared to last year's working papers, and defines what will need to be done differently this year to meet audit expectations. The spreadsheet [...]
PAL Winter Newsletter
PAL's winter newsletter is now available, containing important information about Christmas and New Year service arrangements, plans for potential winter disruption, as well as the latest EPA news and a selection of insightful press articles from PAL Click here to read the newsletter!
PAL Announced as Finalist for EPAO of the Year
Following our successful bid to be named Multi-Standard EPAO of the Year (SME) in the inaugural FAB EPA Award ealier this year, we are delighted to announce that PAL has been confirmed as a finalist for the FAB 2022 awards in the EPAO of the Year category. PAL is honoured to be short-listed alongside fantastic and esteemed end-point assessment organisations. [...]
PAL Expands EPA Offer to New Sectors
We are very excited to announce that PAL is now approved to deliver end-point assessment for additional standards in other sectors. PAL is now able to offer EPA for the following apprenticeship standards: Early Years Practitioner Early Years Educator Early Years Lead Practitioner Customer Service Practitioner Customer Service Speicialist Since 2017, PAL has been refining its EPA offer and [...]
PAL Takes Best-in-Class Award at Inaugural FAB EPA Awards
Further to our recent post about being shortlisted as a finalist at the inaugural Federation of Awarding Bodies EPA Awards, we are absolutely thrilled to share that PAL was judged to be the winner of the Multi-standard EPAO of the Year (SME) category. All category winners and those organisations judged as highly commended will be entered into the FAB [...]
PAL Shortlisted as Finalist for Inaugural FAB EPA Awards
We're absolutely delighted to announce that PAL has been shortlisted for the Federation of Awarding Bodies EPA Awards 2022! The awards ceremony celebrates the achievements of end-point assessment organisations over the past year and will take place at FAB's EPA 2022 Conference on the 19th of May. PAL is a finalist in the Multi-Standard EPAO of the Year (SME) [...]
Maximising the Benefits of Professional Discussion and Minimising Threats to Validity
This White Paper will review the use of Professional Discussion (PD) as an assessment method and will include an insight into the findings of published academic research, in particular a study by Ahmed, Pollitt & Rose (2009). What is Professional Discussion? This use of PDs has become increasingly significant in End-Point Assessment (EPA) either as a discrete component with [...]
ESFA Best Practice Guides for End-point Assessment
The ESFA has published three guides to support high-quality end-point assessment for apprenticeships. Each guide is specific to either the apprentice, employer or training provider. Contents include how best to prepare for end-point assessment and important information about resits and retakes. The links to the documents can be found below: Apprentice Guidance Employer Guidance Training Provider Guidance [...]
End-point Assessment Methods – An informative video from IfATE
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has produced a useful, short video clip that explains the application and purpose of the most common assessment methods used in EPA. Click here to view the video.
Apprentices Must be Confident to Discuss Their Development at EPA
Contributed by Lucy Smith, Professional Assessor at PAL. End-point Assesment has changed the face of apprenticeships. Not just in terms of how programmes are delivered, but also in terms of the additional skills apprentices have to develop in order to prove their competence and ability. Ensuring the apprentice is fully proficient in the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours within the Standard [...]
The Importance of Funding Compliance
Successful providers must have effective funding compliance and data validation arrangements. My team are proud to be part of a service that is securing learning provision and funding to thousands of learners and their employers. An effective funding compliance regime is not only a source of financial safeguarding and assurance to training provider management, but it is also a [...]