25th January 2023
CATCH and SIAS announce partnership for end-point assessment
CATCH and SIAS have today announced an exciting new partnership to support apprenticeships in the Humber region.
James McIntosh Chief Operating Officer from CATCH said: “I am delighted for us to be working in partnership with SIAS and recommending their EPA services to our group of employers.
“Since meeting Steve Smith and hearing his vision and strategy for how SIAS operates, there are a number of synergies between our organisations that will allow us to offer a bespoke end-to-end process operations and engineering maintenance apprenticeship tailored to meet our industry requirements.
“We are pleased to have found an end point assessment organisation that are as keen as we are to engage with employers and support their learners throughout their journey.”
Steve Smith, Managing director of SIAS said: “We are honoured that CAT
CH has selected SIAS to recommend to their employers as their EPAO of choice for the apprenticeship standards which they currently deliver across manufacturing, process and maintenance engineering.
“CATCH are really leading the way across the Humber, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and beyond, in the delivery and development of critical future skills particularly within the STEM and Renewables space, their mission aligns closely with what drives SIAS forward as the leading EPAO for technical Science, Manufacturing and Engineering Apprenticeships.
“Add to that a world class training facility, a level of ambition, of energy, and a commitment to real partnerships and to delivering outstanding value to employers which matches our own – and it was clear from day one that there was an incredibly strong synergy between our two organisations.
“I’m excited about working closely with James and the whole team at CATCH to deliver a truly innovative and best in market end to end apprenticeship model, which will both delight employers, but also importantly will give apprentices the very best experience possible, and allow them to maximise their undoubted potential as they transition into meaningful careers.”
The partnership comes into effect immediately.
For more information contact
Lisa Buck Janine Claber
CATCH SIAS
Lisa.buck@catchuk.org marketing@siasuk.com
+44 (0) 7545 159503 +44 (0) 7795 833550
About CATCH
CATCH are an employer-led process industry specialist apprenticeship and training provider based in the Humber region. Our provision is focused on process operations, electrical, instrumentation and mechanical engineering apprenticeships working in partnership with our employer group to deliver a tailormade programme to meet industry requirements. This training includes utilising the National Centre for Process & Manufacturing – https://ncpm.uk/ a unique end to end process manufacturing facility which contextualises the apprentices training and brings operations and maintenance training to life using real industry scenarios.
About SIAS
SIAS is the leading End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) for the technical science, manufacturing and engineering apprenticeship sectors. Ofqual approved, our innovative and quality focused End-Point Assessment (EPA) approach is driven by our obsession for delivering real value to our customers through a non-transactional, partnership-centred model.
Created in 2015 by industry for industry, we retain a deep and trusted connection with our sector employers – and our strong social mission, to support industry and the future STEM skills agenda, remains central and paramount to our vision and approach.
We believe that end-point assessment shouldn’t begin at gateway, it starts when apprentices start on programme, and we pride ourselves on delivering end-to-end solutions and value right across the learner journey from registration through to assessment and certification, ultimately ensuring that Apprentices are able to maximise their potential, achieve and progress.
In our next meet the team article we talk to Jen Lee, Assessment Development Manager at SIAS.
Thanks for joining us Jen, tell us about you and your role at SIAS?
“I’m Jen and I’m the Assessment Development Manager at SIAS. My job is to make and pull together all of the materials that we need for a standard, so everything from guidance material right the way through to the materials that the assessors use to actually assess the apprentices.”
How long have you been at SIAS and what’s your background that got you into doing what you’re doing today?
“I joined SIAS in August 2021 so I’ve been here about 16 months now.”
I’ve had a fairly varied career but started out as a teacher. I did a chemistry degree and then trained to be a secondary science teacher, which I did for about 10 years.”
“During the last couple of years of my teaching career, I did a master’s in educational assessment so, when I left teaching, I went to work for Cambridge International, which is a parent group of exam boards in the UK. I was in the international arm of the organisation but I was their UK base. I left there to work for the STEM Ambassadorr programme, so I was part of the team that ran the North East STEM Ambassador hub and I was there for about five years.”
“I then took what might be described as a slight diversion into software engineering, so I was an apprentice software engineer for a little while so, like some of my colleagues who have been through an apprenticeship, I started one and then this opportunity came up, so here I am.”
You’ve talked a little about your role… is there a typical day for you?
I think, like most of us at SIAS, there’s no such thing as a typical day! It varies hugely but the vast majority of my time is spent digging through assessment plans, really getting into the nitty-gritty, finding out what we need and turning that into the materials that are then used. There’s lots of proofreading and lots of detail!”
Is it the kind of role that’s facing out to customers?
“My role actually doesn’t require me to have much interaction directly with our customers. I’m very much a support for my colleagues in those front facing roles at SIAS and I like to see myself as a key hidden link in the background helping to make it all happen. It’s very difficult to see or measure but, if it stops, you’d soon realise!”
There is quite a lot of things happening at SIAS. What’s the thing that excites you the most or interests you the most about what’s going on?
“One of the most exciting things for me on the horizon is that we’re going to be investing in a testing platform. We’re still, at the moment, on paper-based question papers but that’s going move to on-line testing. We’re literally in the very first stages of starting to look at which companies we might even consider working with on this, so while the process hasn’t really fully started yet it’s really exciting to think about us going on that journey.”
“We’re estimating that the move to a testing platform will be about six months from beginning to end and that comes, of course, with the bitter-sweet pill of the fact that there is going to be a LOT of work to move everything over but in the long run, it will make things better, quicker, easier, faster.”
You’re also an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion… what does that involve?
“I’m one of the ED & I Champions across the Cogent Skills group and I’m really involved in helping to shape and push forward our equality, diversity and inclusion agenda in the organisation. It’s quite early days at the moment and so far we’ve had some training and now we’re at the point where we’re going to do an audit of what’s going on already and then start looking at where there are improvements that can be made. I’m really looking forward to being involved in making a difference with this work.”
And finally, tell us about Jen outside of work?
“I am a massive STEM nerd, so I do love a bit of nerdery. I keep up to date with developments in science and technology, in particular. I love meeting up with my friends and I do go running and go to the gym. I also enjoy ice-skating; I’m rubbish – I can skate forwards in a circle at best – but it’s something I really love doing at our local rink.”
Following our recent interview with Alexandria Henderson our Head of Product and Business Development we’d like to introduce you to another member of the SIAS team, our EPA Manager, Tony Prior.
Thanks for joining us Tony, can you start by letting our readers know who are you / what do you do?
So I’m Tony and my role is to work with providers and employers to ensure that SIAS delivers the best End-Point Assessment (EPA) service as we possibly can.
At the very heart of this is communication and face to face meetings so that we can better understand the needs of our providers, employer and particularly apprentices needs around EPA ultimately to ensure that they complete a successful apprenticeship.
How long have you been at SIAS and what’s your background?
I’ve been with SIAS now for about 12 months but prior to that I worked at our parent organisation Cogent Skills for around 10 years so have been around the group for a long time!
I started my career as in an engineering apprenticeship with Manesty Machines, then becoming a Design Engineer by trade in the pharmaceutical and brewery industries. I moved into a sales role with Dosing Pumps and then a CAD salesperson and trainer but interestingly I also have a background in Sign Making which is particularly useful given our recent move as a business into providing end-point assessment for the Signage Technician level 3 apprenticeship. I like to think I bring a really good hands-on knowledge to that.
Is there a typical day for you?
There’s definitely no such thing! I work with a host of providers and employers across a range of sectors and industries on existing apprenticeship standards and also new apprenticeship standards which makes every day interesting and also very varied.
There’s lots of things happening at SIAS – what excites you the most?
I think we have huge potential! We driving through lots of exciting changes to the way we do things, we’re setting the bar high and introducing ground-breaking ways of doing things in EPA. I truly believe that SIAS has the potential to become the best EPAO across all the sectors we currently work in and some that we don’t yet work in!
What’s the key projects you’re driving forward?
At the moment I have a focus on looking at new standards that are addressing new green technologies like hydrogen power, battery technology and wind power. These are all highly innovative and future areas for our economy so it’s really exciting to be at the forefront of that in the EPAO space.
Tell us a little bit about Tony outside of work?
One of my passions is running an over 35’s football Team called Woolton Vets FC. Woolton FC run over 150 teams making it the biggest grassroots club in Europe!
I also play in a band – Banjo & Guitar and love cooking especially Indian cuisine. I am a keen Carp angler and fish mainly lakes in the NW but I’ve recently returned from France where I caught a monster Sturgeon!
Because of my signage making background I’ve also been known to design and make my own T-shirts and knock out the occasional sign/graphic.
Route Reviews are an on-going Government-led activity by the Trailblazer group of independent experts and volunteers to ensure that apprenticeship standards and assessment materials remain current and of a high standard.
So, how does SIAS get involved? We asked Alexandria Henderson our Head of Product and Business Development to explain:
“Periodic reviews of standards and materials are carried out in line with a plan set by Government and we’re currently in the review cycle for the manufacturing and maintenance standards. While these reviews generally always bring about some level of change to the standards and the way they are assessed they really are essential to ensuring that standards remain fit for purpose and support apprentices in gaining the skills and qualifications in their chosen career path.
“The reviews are carried out independently of organisations delivering apprenticeship services but we do have early sight of proposed changes and are often asked for input and advice based on our experience and expertise of working with the standards. This knowledge means that we can help and prepare our employers and providers well in advance of any changes before they take place.
“The Route Reviews can take over a year to complete in some cases and follow a timetable set by Government. We’re expecting all the manufacturing standards to be completed ready for the start of the 2023 academic year so are hoping to see some of the revised standards appearing early in the new year.
“The good news is that any changes will only apply to new apprenticeship registrations so it’s business as usual for apprentices already registered onto the manufacturing and maintenance standards.
“We’ve got a programme of communications and technical workshops planned for the new year. In these we’ll breakdown the standards and provide an in-depth look at the changes and what they mean as well as providing help and guidance and an opportunity to ask questions. Look out for your invite coming soon!”
Following our recent interview with Head of Quality and Business Improvement, Dan Russell, we’d like to introduce you to another member of the SIAS team, our Head of Product and Business Development, Alexandria Henderson.
Hi Alexandria, you’ve been part of the SIAS team for two years as Head of Product and Business Development for the North East, could you tell us what that entails?
I’m responsible for the assessment material that we have for all the current and new standards that we have in our portfolio. I make sure that all the assessment material is available, and the same for any guidance documentation around that. I or my team will put that together and where required, we use external developers to make sure that the content that we have is correct.
What is the regional aspect of your role?
You’ll hear from my dulcet Geordie twangs that I’m from the North East, and the other part of my role is business development. It goes hand-in-hand with the Head of Product side of my role, because it’s helpful to get out and about; to go into industry, colleges and training providers to see what standards they are using, and of course ask whether it’s something we can help with. It’s helpful to stay close to our client base in this way, and sometimes those conversations can help influence what’s in our portfolio, too.
What’s your favourite part of the role?
Business development, getting out and about with people, but equally making sure that the assessments that we’ve got are valid, they are fit for purpose and at the correct level. Most of all, serving our sector: the STEM sector. We work assessing apprentices from level two all the way up to seven, so it’s quite wide-reaching. I’ll be honest: I love it.
What’s your background?
I’ve got a degree in biomedical science but I’m a teacher; I started teaching for a training provider, straight out of university and I worked on the Young Apprenticeship Scheme, as it was then, so level 2 science apprentices. I then moved over into level 3 and 4 Science and Maths, and that was when I got into teaching engineering and how I become responsible for all apprenticeship standards, when they were introduced.
For how long were you a teacher?
I taught for nearly 10 years and then I moved into SIAS, which was nice, because the previous organisation I worked for, used SIAS as an end point assessment organisation, following the apprenticeship framework switch-off. SIAS was the first EPAO that I used. I then decided I would like to get involved on the other side of the fence, working for SIAS, and here I am. I’ve been involved in product since I started, I was the Assessment Development Manager and I’ve seen lots of change since I’ve been here, in the last in the two years, Science and maths, they’re my babies: that’s my passion.
There’s a lot of change happening at SIAS; what excites you the most about all of that?
I’m excited about the growth of the business: I started using SIAS when I was teaching, and the portfolio was quite small. We were using the SIMT, SMT and Laboratory Technician standards. The most exciting thing now is that initial portfolio is now ever-growing.
In which ways has the portfolio grown?
We have gone from a range of level two standards: engineering operative, lean, science manufacturing process operative, all the way up to level seven research scientist. That growth’s been pretty big, but it’s still across our core sector so, for me, that’s what’s most exciting: that all the new standards we are developing still complement that original set of standards in our portfolio, that we are still servicing. Our customers use us for a reason; we’re solid service providers and built on industry experts: we are the technical specialist end-point assessment organisation.
Is there such a thing as a typical day? What does it normally look like?
It can be split: it can be doing lots of reviewing and reading and writing material, or it can be out and about, going into employers, going into providers, colleges and talking around what it is that SIAS does. No two days look the same ever. Some days I spend my day on Teams and other days I’m out on the road! Next week I’ve got a whole day out planned, which is lovely, it’s really nice to get out and about and meet in real life, after the Covid restrictions, it’s nice to have those face-to-face meetings again.
What projects are you working on that excite you the most?
I’m working with my colleagues to deliver technical workshops on all the standards we have in our portfolio, which is available for anyone that is interested to come along, starting in the new year. Having been that end-user for SIAS and now working for SIAS, I think it’s really important that we have a session like this, so that employers and, colleges and providers have the opportunity to understand a bit more about the standards that they are using, how we deliver EPA for them, and for them to form a view as to what ‘good’ looks like when it comes to end-point assessment.
Prior to taking maternity leave, I was doing technical workshops and that’s something that I’m really passionate about resuming. Having the chance to interact with all of the employers, providers and colleges. To understand their approaches, and maybe offer some clarity, break the standards down and give them a bit more of an insight as to how EPA works in real life, and what are we coming in to look for in the assessments.
What’s the main value that your end users get from the workshops?
I think some people still think end-point assessment is a little like Pandora’s Box, and they’re still not quite sure about what to expect. Even though the standards have been around now for about six years, it’s nice to see people have the lightbulb moment: “oh, so my apprentices need to …”. Then you think: “yeah, that’s exactly what they need to do.”
The technical workshops provide that opportunity to speak to people who are end-users and introduce the guidance that we’re providing, help them use and work with it, which in turn will help them to prepare their apprentices for the end-point assessment. That’s pretty exciting for me. They hear a little bit more about the end-point assessment, the method, and what they can expect on the day. We talk about what will it look like, the timings, the kinds of themes that we might ask questions around and, equally, how their apprentices should be thinking about answering those questions?
What’s your preferred way of working with providers so that they and the apprentices get the most out of end-point assessments?
I would always suggest that training providers and colleges start with the end in mind for end-point assessment. By that, I mean that working with SIAS from the outset will ensure that you get the most support that you possibly can for your apprentices going through that learning journey.
Right at the beginning, when an apprentice starts on that programme, think about what that end-point assessment is going to look like. Break it down for your learner and get them on that journey right at the beginning. It should be embedded throughout their apprenticeship and nothing about the end-point assessment should be a surprise. So “start with the end in mind” would be my mantra for all end-point assessment.
Outside of work, what sorts of things do you enjoy?
I work three days a week, because I am a mammy now. A lot of my time is spent with my baby in the swimming pool or in the great outdoors looking for birds and aeroplanes! I would love to tell you that I was into cooking, but my partner would ask: “When?”!
Nine months into the job at SIAS, Managing Director Steve Smith is reflecting on his move across the education spectrum into the world of apprenticeships and end-point assessment, a sector he describes as ‘really positive, with a huge passion’ from those working within it, in how apprenticeships can really advantage a young person’s life.
“My background is in education and awarding, but this has been the first foray for me specifically into the world of apprenticeships and end-point assessment,” admits Steve, “but it’s given me, I feel, a unique position, because I’ve been able to come in from the outside slightly with a fresh pair of eyes, which has proved advantageous so far.
“There’s a lot of collaboration too, which I’ve found encouraging; there’s probably more collaboration within the apprenticeship sector than I’ve seen in the wider education and awarding space,” he added. “There’s a willingness, even amongst commercially-competing organisations to come together, share best practice, and drive standards up; that’s a brilliant thing.”
With the entire STEM education agenda as important as ever, Steve’s view is that STEM skills development and developing a 21st century STEM workforce will only grow in importance over the foreseeable future in a post Covid, net zero focused, future economy. “SIAS is working in a really exciting part of the sector; if you look at the data around apprenticeship starts, achievement rates, and withdrawal stats, STEM apprenticeships are all performing really well, there’s a real strength in the STEM apprenticeship market currently and the value it is delivering in the UK, and we need to build on that moving forward”
Strong achievement performance
Steve is adamant that developing the right skills for the right future jobs is of national importance and he takes a huge amount of pride in SIAS’s part in that journey, helping to build the people, who will be the ones to build a new economy around different types of energy production and technologies that will transform our lives. “None of that’s going to happen without STEM,” he added, “and the role we are playing at SIAS is really exciting. We couldn’t be servicing a more future-proofed part of the apprenticeship market.”
Balancing relationships
“One of the things I’ve noticed in the first nine months is that there is an imbalance between what I call the tripartite relationship, which is formed of the employer in an employer-led system; the training provider, and the end-point assessment organisation; these are the three key stakeholders apart from the apprentices themselves, who are obviously the most important part of the whole equation,” said Steve.
“Apprenticeships work well when that tripartite relationship is evenly balanced and joined up, and when those three key stakeholders are working closely together end-to-end across the learner journey. If that isn’t happening then that creates problems across the whole model.
“One of my early focuses at SIAS was to set a really high bar for communication and alignment, so that we’re playing our part in getting that balance right, working much closer with partners. Our enduring ambition, alongside our Provider and Employer partners, is to ensure that we’re giving the apprentice the best experience possible and opportunity to achieve, progress and catapult themselves into a meaningful future career.”
Moving away from a transactional model
Another of Steve’s observations about the sector is that it can be too transactional. “That’s a really negative space for the sector to be in, and I’ve been a little shocked to find it,” explained Steve. “The primary reason I feel we’ve had such a successful year to date at SIAS is because, under my leadership, we’ve become obsessed about making sure that we’ve built a model which is the exact opposite of that transactional approach.
“We’re all about being values-driven, about building and nurturing proper partnerships with providers and employers enabling us to deliver a level of value, support and experience that’s actually making their business model better and making their business stronger.
“I think we’re becoming sector-leading very quickly, in terms of that approach, and hopefully reversing that transactional approach,” he added. “That said, I do see other end-point assessment organisations also striving to change, which can only be a positive thing for the sector overall; I think it’s important that, we all work together to bring about that sectoral change.”
Focused and targeted growth
SIAS’s growth has been focussed and targeted, says Steve. It has evolved quickly, and he sees this as addressing a market failure. “In moving forward, we are aligning with the opportunities and challenges that our employers and providers are facing, and planning for. For example, what we’re doing really well now is working closely with the right stakeholders in the right forums to understand what future skills requirements are going to be – whether that’s around hydrogen, the green agenda or one of many other industrial and economic challenges coming down the line.
“It’s about making sure that we are, in how we build our products, portfolio and our business model, market-led and aligned with the skills and workforce development requirements that employers and industry are going to need in the next 3, 5, 10 years. It’s a really fast-changing environment.
“Part of that development for us is built around targeted diversification. What our partners will have seen and what the market will have seen from SIAS this year is an acceleration of a move into related apprenticeship standards,” explained Steve. “We’ve always led the market in terms of science and technology apprenticeships, so that remains really important to us but targeted diversification will take us beyond science into engineering and green technologies: doing what we’ve always done amazingly well within the science technology space but in that wider remit too.
Growth and quality
“Linked to the evolving of our product portfolio, will be continued growth across the parts of the business that support it. We’re strengthening our sales and marketing capabilities all the time and will continue to do so,” Steve added. “Very importantly, we are constantly strengthening our quality and compliance, which is particularly important given our Ofqual-regulated status. More than ever, continuous improvement is built into our DNA.
“Operationally, we have to service growing demand, and service it at the standard our customers expect of us; so, again, we’re building the operational capability within the business. EPA Pro, our recently launched EPA system, is a big part of that.
“It will help us improve in terms of our logistics and our operations and efficiencies and more importantly, it’s about delivering an even better support experience and value to our customers, without losing that human connection.”
An overall successful year
It’s been a hugely successful year so far overall, says Steve, pointing to a forecast full year 77% year-on-year growth in new registrations with SIAS. “This is incredibly positive and just goes to show how quickly we are scaling and evolving. That’s not been a fluke; that’s happened because we’ve been able to really build and strengthen our relationships with our customers, understand them more, and align more.”
“EPA Pro going live, and a 93% first-time achievement rate across all the standards we assess over the last academic year have also been very big, notable successes for SIAS. Obviously, the Ofqual recognition in March was a huge positive story for us too. We were one of the first end-point assessment organisations in the STEM sector, to successfully be approved and now regulated by Ofqual.”
Another success says Steve is the equity in the SIAS brand. “The volume has really been turned up, with our identity and recognition in the market place, which is all the result of a deliberate piece of work to become more visible, celebrating our successes on our website and social media, in our communications with partners and other stakeholders, and in our commitment to be a positive, strong voice in our sector.”
The real big success story for Steve, eclipsing all the others, is the cultural shift at SIAS. “We’ve built a really strong, talented, committed team of professionals, right from the senior leadership team, down throughout the business, everyone’s committed to what we’re trying to achieve and committed to how we’re trying to achieve it, and to working with real pace and quality.
“I see it every day – our commitment to working closely with our customers and putting our customers, our partners and our apprentices at the very heart of everything that we’re doing. That has been the biggest success story compared to when I came into SIAS and I’m always passionate that as long as you can build and keep evolving a culture like that, then you’re not going to go too far wrong because that culture’s contagious.”
The next 12 months
Having reflected on the whirlwind of the last 9 months, for Steve the next year-to-two-years is about building on strengths and continuing to positively evolve SIAS, whilst keeping the balance he wants to achieve by sustaining and strategically growing the business through a partnerships driven, high quality approach across sector – and through maintaining a laser focus on ensuring that practical implementation, relationships and values are at the heart of everything that SIAS is about.
“Moving forward I’m confident this approach will enable us to continue to grow and evolve and become bigger, better, bolder.”
SIAS Becomes Patron Member of AELP July 6, 2022SIAS is today delighted to announce that it has become a Patron member of The Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), a national membership body, representing around 800 organisations that deliver training and vocational learning.
Steve Smith, Managing Director of SIAS said: “We are thrilled to be joining AELP as a Patron member. This is a strong statement of intent from SIAS and in line with our new ambitious strategic approach as we continue to evolve and scale at pace. We are really looking forward to being a part of the sector’s premier trade body which supports employers and learning providers who are delivering a wide range of training, vocational learning, and employability programmes to millions of learners nationally.
“Our organisation’s values and beliefs align closely with those of AELP, including a drive for equal and open access for learners, equity among sector stakeholders, and a requirement for a more joined up approach, and we are excited to see what we can achieve together.”
Cheryl Swales AELP Acting Operations Director said: “We are delighted to welcome SIAS as a new patron of AELP. This is a great opportunity for us to work more closely with one of the leading organisations in our sector, and we are looking forward to building a stronger partnership with them.”
SIAS has become a Patron member with immediate effect and is looking forward to meeting fellow Patrons and other members of AELP very soon.
SIAS selects EPAPro for its first EPA System June 16, 2022SIAS has today announced that it is introducing an EPA System for the first time as part of its continued growth strategy and has selected EPAPpro as a best in market solution.
Steve Smith, Managing Director said: “As our business continues to evolve, and get bigger, better and bolder, an EPA system solution will enhance and support our processes and our approach across the entire learner and assessment journey, ultimately making our operations even smoother, stronger and more efficient.
“The system will also provide us with better reporting and data, plus a range of other capabilities, specifically aimed at further strengthening compliance and supporting our on-going focus on continuous improvement across the organisation, which has never been more important post the recent transition EPAO’s have made to Ofqual as the new regulator for the sector.
“We are investing in EPAPro to be able to continue to set a high bar in how we support our Provider and Employer partners, to ensure that they get to consistently enjoy the very best in EPA experience, support, and value through working with SIAS, and that ultimately Apprentices can achieve, be successful, and move into rewarding careers.”
Ian Jarvis from EPAPro said: “We are thrilled to welcome SIAS to the EPAPro family, and look forward to working closely with them so that not only do they get the best from the platform but also that they help guide our development to ensure that it meets all their future requirements and remains the best End-Point assessment solution available.”
SIAS will be implementing EPAPro over the coming months.
Why did SIAS select EPAPro?
We chose EPAPro because it offered the greatest flexibility to implement a way of working that supports our partners best. We needed a system that would allow us to work to a range of different requirements and EPAPro does this. It also allows us to streamline our processes, meaning we can offer greater support. We also listened to the feedback we received from our partners and EPA Pro met those needs best.
What did the customer survey SIAS conducted earlier this year tell you?
The survey was an important stage for us ahead of completing the tender process. Listening to our customers’ needs and feedback was key, and the results showed us that our customers wanted a system that was simple to use with a clear workflow, with the ability for both training providers and employers to view apprentice progress and data and for reporting to be easy. The other important piece of information to source was around the best approach to onboard our customers and different methods of training that would be beneficial within the sector, all of which we have now incorporated into our implementation plan.
What difference will EPAPro make to SIAS day to day and to your clients?
As a result of moving to EPAPro, SIAS will be able to further strengthen our operational processes and delivery of End Point Assessments. At any point along the EPA journey, our customers will be able to review apprentice progress from the point of registration, to completion and results being issued. EPAPro will allow providers and employers to view all apprentices registered with SIAS regardless of their current position on programme.
Bespoke reporting will allow employers and providers to support apprentices so they can complete their on-programme training on time and be ready for their end point assessment. Gateway submission will be done in real-time, meaning we can process gateways much faster, allowing for quicker booking of assessments. Providers and employers will be able to see component and overall results in real time as they are issued.
Having full visibility of data for all parties will improve efficiencies in planning and delivering the EPA in a timely way and to the continued high quality expected from SIAS. Streamlining how gateway compliance checks are completed within the portal is a key benefit and something our customers have been requesting. Consistent reporting will further support EPA engagement and planning meetings with our key accounts – holding accurate EPA data such as expected EPA dates will be fundamental to capacity planning and delivery and will only improve our customer service capabilities.
What’s the timeline for roll out?
We know this is a big change for our partners so we are going to be taking a phased implementation approach. From September this year, we will start moving providers and employers over to EPAPro. Once we have identified who will be moving over in each phase, we will be contacting those partners to support them. We will offer on-line training sessions to run through how to use EPAPro as well as issuing guidance documents and training videos. You will also have access to our support team who will be there to answer all your questions. Taking a phased approach means we will be able to fully support partners better as they transition to EPAPro.
How will you minimise any disruption?
We will be transitioning over to the new system gradually and consideration to assessments already in the planning or assessment stage will be reviewed carefully. With any new system we appreciate there may some teething problems but with careful planning and engagement with our customers we are looking to roll out with no impact to delivery or quality of service provision.
What’s the longer term vision for how this will support the business when fully implemented?
Externally, In a 21st century, post Brexit, post Covid, education and skills marketplace, our customers demand and deserve the very best in experience and value from an EPAO partner. At SIAS we are now very much setting the standards across the sector in that respect – putting a modern, quality, agile and customer centric approach central to everything we do….. EPAPro will allow us to continue to build on that success as we jailbreak the traditional transactional approach which dominates the market.
Our continued growth and social impact will be driven through bespoke and tangible partnerships, joint venture, and sustainable collaborations – working with our customers to deliver scalable win/win outcomes for all stakeholders.
Working with SIAS should not only deliver what an Employer and Provider needs and wants from an EPA perspective for their Apprentices, but a partnership with SIAS should, and will, support our partners by ultimately making their business better and stronger, delivering to them a proper value proposition, EPAPro will be central to how we deliver on that as one part of our overall approach.
Internally, EPAPro will provide us with an infrastructure platform to support our growth as we continue to scale-up, enhancing our efficiency and compliance as we do so. It will also support our ambitious longer-term vision around widening our remit, diversifying our portfolio, embracing digital, and growing our brand – delivering on our social mission and ensuring we lead the sector in providing an assessment offer which is truly relevant and appealing to millennials, whilst remaining inclusive to all.
SIAS Ofqual Recognition – Interview with Dan Russell May 27, 2022Ofqual Recognition… what does this mean?
Earlier this year SIAS achieved Ofqual approval and recognition with no conditions after a rigorous application process. The achievement, well ahead of the deadline, made SIAS, at the time, one of the only Ofqual approved end-point assessment organisations (EPAO) for many of the key technical science and engineering apprenticeship standards. We caught up with Dan Russell, Head of Quality and Business Improvement to hear more about what this means.
Thanks for joining us Dan and congratulations again on the fantastic achievement. Can you start by telling us why SIAS had to go through the process of applying to be Ofqual recognised?
“Being Ofqual recognised is something that every end-point assessment organisation has to do. We’re effectively all transitioning from having different external quality assurance organisations to one external quality assurance organisation, which is Ofqual.
“It was brought about to help strive for better quality and to bring apprenticeships in line with other qualifications. And, as all of our standards are in phase one of the transition it was really important to us that we did this and we did it early.”
What did SIAS have to do to achieve the Ofqual recognition?
“First of all we had to complete an application in which we had to demonstrate that we are meeting Ofqual’s criteria for recognition. We then had to supply supporting evidence, so things like policies, processes, flow charts – everything that proves that you are doing what you say you’re doing. To enable us to do that, we had to breakdown the criteria for recognition, then we had to do a deep dive into our ways of working, our processes, our policies and compare them against the criteria.
“The Ofqual recognition has a lot more criteria to follow than the previous requirements, so there was a lot to review. That gave us a fantastic opportunity for us to do some additional development work and we were able to look at what we do and how we do it. This led to us streamlining our ways of working and improving quality, making improvements for customers, enhancing everything that what we do and what our service offer is.”
So now you’re Ofqual recognised, what does this mean on a day-to-day basis?
“The biggest shift is that we’re now self-regulated. We are responsible for ensuring we are continually compliant with the Ofqual criteria and it is our responsibility to notify them if we realise that we haven’t followed something that we’re supposed to; whereas, in the previous world, we would be audited regularly and any issues picked up that way.
“So there’s a huge change in mindset for us and other EPAO’s and we’ve worked hard as an organisation to put in place what we need to, to make sure we can do that effectively. And, as I said before a benefit of that is that we’ve also been able to make improvements along the way to some of our processes.”
And, from your client’s perspective – what’s the benefit to them of you being Ofqual recognised?
“The key thing is that they will know that when they’re working with an Ofqual-accredited End Point Assessment Organisation that there’s consistency because we’re now all under the same external quality assurance organisation, so we have to all follow the same rules.
“I think it increases transparency. The conditions for recognition in the Ofqual criteria are published for everyone to see – so, if someone wanted to have a look at what we are supposed to be doing, they can see it, whereas, before, it wasn’t so clear-cut.
“I also think it will improve trust in the sector because the quality will improve because Ofqual are strict, they have high standards and more requirements, so that increases the trust clients have in the sector – they’re improving the quality. For our particular clients, they’ve got trust in what we’re doing and our ability to deliver. It means that we have gone through rigorous scrutiny from Ofqual and they have approved us and recognised that we do operate at the required level to be a recognised Ofqual Centre. That is a huge achievement for us. I think that should give our clients a lot of faith and trust in what we’re doing.”
And finally Dan, what do you think will happen next?
“There are still some things we and other EPAOs are working through and I think there will be changes going on over the next year or two reflecting that this is still all very new.
“Overall we’re firm believers that this is a great thing for our sector. It gives us a baseline for quality and compliance and what is required. Importantly it gives everyone faith in what we are doing and ultimately that’s got to be good for the apprentices. We’re very much ready for and looking forward to this new era!”
COVID-19 SIAS Update March 18, 2020
Given the extraordinary situation in which we and our partners find ourselves (employers, training providers, apprentices) there is a need to take a balanced and reasonable approach in these situations. We are committed to working with you to minimise the disruption given the structure of the respective Assessment Plans and access to employer sites. Where assessments can be conducted remotely we remain ready to work with our partners to facilitate them.
Open and timely communication between all parties will ensure that we can manage our way through this current situation as best as we can. To that end, the SIAS team and our associates remain here to provide support and assistance and can be reached via:
Telephone – 01925 515211
Email – info@siasuk.com