REWARD
EPA with IPP Education Limited – one year on
IPP Education Limited has been an end point assessment organisation (EPAO) for over a year now, so to celebrate this first birthday, Leigh-Ann Hart ACIPP, end point assessment (EPA) executive, IPP Education Limited, looks back over the last 12 months and provides a glimpse into the department’s future plans
I t’s been one whole year since Gemma Mullis introduced us as the new kids on the EPAO block and I’m so excited to be sharing just how well our first year has gone. Delivering EPAs for Level 3 V1.0 has been, in short, a huge success. From day one we have consistently found that the number of apprentices we’re dealing with have surpassed all expectations – we have more than quadrupled our original expected pass rate for the year. To cope with these ever-increasing numbers, we have been steadily developing our assessments, doubling the amount of role simulations we originally had and bringing new assessors in to ensure all assessment requests are covered. We have also expanded our EPA team (welcoming the wonderful Rachel) and had some job role changes to reflect the hard work and increased responsibilities which have been taken on. A lot of time has been spent listening to feedback from apprentices and training providers to ensure we’re delivering the best service and providing the most encouraging and effective experience possible. Constantly evolving and changing There are still just two levels of apprenticeships available – Level 3 and Level 5. However, this is payroll and as we know, everything constantly evolves and changes, so in alignment with this, the apprenticeships are reviewed every three years and can be amended to make way for newer versions.
So, as well as delivering assessments for Level 3 V1.0, we have also been working on Level 5 V1.1 and Level 3 V1.1 over this time, building new areas on our learning platform for mock assessments, as well as the live assessments needed to pass. Creating the material for Level 5 felt just as new and exciting as it did with our first Level 3 assessments, pitching it to a new level and covering a different knowledge set. Now we have settled in to delivering them, we’re really happy with the final product and how this has been received. There were also some big changes on the new Level 3 version. The second assessment has changed entirely from a role simulation to a project report and apprentices now need to provide a portfolio for their professional discussion. We’re working on improving the mock materials and guidance we produce for our training providers for these updated assessments, so we can be confident that we give as much support for any new version as we did for the old. We’re pleased to share that the Level 5 apprentices have been steadily working their way through their six-month EPA period and we’ve already had some complete their apprenticeships. We look forward to welcoming our first Level 3 V1.1 apprentices shortly. This is just the beginning… Throughout the past year we’ve been able to attend some great events.
Gemma hosted sessions with those who have successfully completed payroll apprenticeships during National Payroll Week, I attended my first CIPP Annual Conference and Exhibition and Rachel attended the Federation of Awarding Bodies Conference. We’re looking forward to participating in more events in the coming months to build relationships and expand our knowledge, particularly during National Apprenticeship Week this February. Overall, it has been a wild ride but a fun one. The most rewarding part of all of this is knowing we’re doing our bit to help shape the future generation of payroll – and I can say with absolute confidence that the same goes for our assessors. All our assessors are payroll professionals with a wealth of experience, which helps them to mark the assessments holistically and ensure the apprentices have the knowledge required to pass the apprenticeship and move forward with their careers. They frequently comment on the joy that comes from meeting these apprentices and from spotting the stars among them who share their passion. Changes are, again, afoot with Ofqual updating the terminology from EPAO to awarding organisation (AO), but I think this past year has proven that we can adapt and adjust to pretty much anything with ease. And, while working across two ever-changing industries – education and payroll – certainly keeps us on our toes, the one thing that will never change is our commitment and passion to our apprentices. n
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | February 2024 | Issue 97 34
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker