The EPA

If an apprentice opts not to take part in the EPA, it's a Withdrawal. True, that would be Outcome "No Achievement", but "No Achievement" could be withdrawal or fail, and they're very different things.

Hi Everyone,

In terms of the Apprenticeship Accountability Framework am I correct or not in thinking that a refusal to do any attempt at all with the EPA is a withdrawal and a Learner who has sat the whole EPA but has unfortunately failed does not count as a withdrawal even though the outcome is non achievement? 

That's correct Nicole. A failure is not a withdrawal, and you are still entitled to claim the completion payment if they have sat the EPA.

Thank you Ben as I have been claiming the completion payment for those that fail after sitting the whole EPA but not for those who have refused to even attempt it.

So in terms of Apprenticeship Accountability are the EPA Fails in with the EPA Passes/achievements  and the Refusal to even attempt the EPA in with with Withdrawals, if you see what I mean?

I do hope I have explained that  clearly

Yes, that’s correct. Apprentices are adjudged to have ‘completed’ even if they’ve failed, but if they don’t reach the end of the EPA period (i.e., they don’t attempt it) they’re withdrawals.

Thank you Ben.

I thought I was right then with going through all the Indicators on the Apprenticeship Accountability Framework and all the data I have been producing for an immnient Ofsted visit I started doubting myself!!

Need a lie down!

 

We can't then say interpret a student who has completed the learning aim, and been awarded a qualification by the institution as having achieved anything unless they pass the EPA?

 

Seems somewhat unfair, it's quite possible we could have a first class degree student being counted as achieving nothing because either they or their employer opted not to do EPA.  - Should we not be able to claim partial achievement in a case like that?

No, because the EPA is an inexorable part of the apprenticeship standard. They will have achieved the subsidiary/main aim(s), but the overall programme couldn't be considered achieved. Even in the case of a failure of the EPA, where you could still rightly mark the programme as completed, you are still advised to record the outcome as 'No achievement';

If the apprenticeship standard has resulted in a failure at the end point assessment, the Outcome on the programme aim must be recorded as code 3 ‘No achievement’

Partial achievement is only for HE learning aims, and I'd suggest would not apply to programme aims (though I am sure opinions will differ);

Code 2 'Partial achievement' should only be used for prescribed HE learning aims where the learner has achieved an award that is at a lower academic level than the qualification they were aiming for as identified by the learning aim reference. For example, a learner who is aiming for an HND but leaves at the end of the first year with an HNC.

Gary Salisbury If it was a degree apprenticeship, they'd still get the degree if they passed that bit, but they can't have the Standard if they didn't even attempt the EPA. You need to think of the Standard as a whole separate qualification in itself that requires assessment, it's not like a Framework that was just a sum of its parts. The trouble we have, is that employers and students don't always see the Standard that way, and don't care about passing it once they have the mandatory qualification within it.

You're correct Ben, definitely wouldn't use partial ach on a programme aim.

Code 2 'Partial achievement' should only be used for prescribed HE learning aims where the learner has achieved an award that is at a lower academic level than the qualification they were aiming for as identified by the learning aim reference. For example, a learner who is aiming for an HND but leaves at the end of the first year with an HNC.?

 

There's an injustice there though isn't there?, the student aiming for HND who doesn't EPA  becomes a non achiever, a peer who dropped out early with HNC a partial achiever.

 

 

 

The programme aim for both would be 'no achievement' because neither have sat the EPA, but their main aim (the degree) would be recorded according to whether they've achieved it fully (HND/1-achieved) or partially (HNC/2-partial achievement).

Gary Salisbury 

There's an injustice there though isn't there?, the student aiming for HND who doesn't EPA  becomes a non achiever, a peer who dropped out early with HNC a partial achiever.

That wouldn't happen. If you had an apprentice who was on an HND, and they didn't pass the HND but did do enough for the HNC, then didn't sit the EPA, the programme aim (the standard) would be a withdrawal, and the HND aim would be a partial achievement, and you'd claim the HNC for the learner. That is exactly the same as the peer who dropped out earlier.