Last week, just a little ahead of National Apprentice Week, Open Awards held their very first End Point Assessment Roadshow. This was a gathering of some of the North Wests finest experts in Apprenticeships and whilst the conversation was mainly centred around apprentices, their courses and needs, it didn’t stop there.
We covered many important and ‘hot’ topics including….
- Functional Skills – Mainly Level 2 Maths and how to overcome challenges.
- The Open Awards offer of Entry Level 3 Functional Skills ONLINE!
- The Open Awards online portal and how all communications are run through this (no chance of missing an email in this system!)
- The importance of good communications between EPAO’s and Training Providers
- The importance of linking in with employers and collaborating in order to best support the learner
- The growth of apprenticeships
- Remote Invigilation
- The workforce demand, skills gaps and talent pools in the UK and how to best utilise these.
- The Open Awards existing apprenticeship standards and the standards in development!
Not only were delegates treated to different guest speakers from Open Awards, it was also a opportunity for them to meet the team, network and share experiences with other training providers too. One thing that stuck me was how much love and passion there was for apprentices. People involved in apprenticeships whether that be awarding bodies, employers or training providers all have one thing in common; they want the best for their apprentice in order for them to grow, progress and use the skills acquired to support their chosen careers and support them with their life long learning journey.
William Thompson who attended the event said
Problem solving is one of the skills that I value in those I work with. A 'can do' attitude leads to overcoming whatever you come up against. I attended an open day with Open Awards this week and when we arrived we were told that the main facilitator was unable to attend the day. The team at Open Awards made a plan, did what needed to be done and the day went brilliantly. I was left with the impression that whatever I needed to achieve in conjunction with this team, they would make happen. I'm looking forward to an ongoing development in this relationship.
Williams comments echo our sentiments at Open Awards and reflect how our team live out our values (Excellence –Respect –Aspiration –Innovation) in all we do. This event was just a joy to be a part of. The conversations and best practise shared was second to none and the feedback was so positive that we will be looking to hold some similar events soon so stay tuned.