The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has worked hard throughout the Covid-19 crisis to support and reassure the sector as much as we possibly can.

A major consideration has been how do you keep apprenticeship training and end-point assessment (EPA) going without face-to-face contact. Lockdown and the resulting unprecedented restrictions on movement and interaction forced us to act decisively.

We worked closely with employer groups, external quality assurance providers and assessment organisations to create temporary flexibilities around the delivery of EPA for more than 100 apprenticeships, in occupations as diverse as accountancy, engineering, retail, nursing and teaching.

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Finishing apprenticeships

I’m pleased to say that this has allowed thousands of competent apprentices to finish their apprenticeships and progress on to the next steps with their careers.

With workplaces now starting to reopen, following requests from the prime minister for people to consider returning to work where possible, we have recently faced questions about when things will go back to normal for EPA. How much longer will the flexibilities remain in place?

I think it is important to acknowledge that while it is a great thing that the country is, by small measures, opening out again, we are all still adapting to these new and different ways of working.

Consideration of how to keep apprentices, their colleagues, trainers and assessors as safe possible remains paramount.

Added to that, many workplaces that do reopen will not be operating at full capacity or open to visitors.

A large proportion of our apprentices will, therefore, for a variety of different reasons, have to continue working from home.

A measured approach

How we conduct EPA needs to reflect this, so I want to reassure the sector that the Institute will be measured in our approach.

I committed in a series of webinars this week, with employers and education groups, to continue with the flexibilities until the end of the year.

We want these to continue in the short term as face-to-face learning and assessment gradually becomes more viable.

The institute will start reviewing flexibilities from September, but we are not planning to make any changes for the next few months. I hope that this will provide a degree of stability.

I would also like to make it clear that the institute will give stakeholders 12 weeks’ notice of a change or repeal of a flexibility.

There may well be certain areas, as we embark on the review process, where we find assessment practises we have developed during this crisis are better to what went before. One clear example is around the benefits of utilising digital technology to deliver observations and technical interviews. We will consider what has been learned from this situation and for the benefit of future employers and apprentices.

To recap, the temporary measures around EPA can broadly be split into two groups.

The largest group, related to where we permitted flexibilities in EPA delivery while maintaining the same assessment methods, for example, allowing workplace observations to be conducted remotely using video software, or tests to be sat by apprentices at home using remote monitoring technology. These were rolled out for around 80 apprenticeships.

A more radical approach was needed to make assessment deliverable in cases where general flexibilities were insufficient. They have been applied to more than 30 apprenticeships. These were achieved by using occupation-specific taskforces, including employers, Institute officials, the EQA provider, end-point assessment organisations, to work through the challenges of maintaining quality while delivering the EPA.

A good example was a flexibility allowing nursing and nursing associate apprentices to complete their apprenticeships during lockdown, which required closer alignment of professional mandatory qualification procedures and the EPA. I’m proud that this helped the NHS to cope with the influx of seriously ill patients due to the pandemic.

I would like to close by thanking everyone involved with apprenticeships and the development of T levels for your patience and support.

You have achieved incredible things for the benefit of apprentices, learners, employers and the wider economy in spite of Covid-19 and I look forward to planning for recovery.

Jennifer Coupland is chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education