In these case studies, we will take a look at the experiences of 4 end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) who have achieved Ofqual recognition: Autoexel, EMPI Awards, Awarding UK and Achieve and Partners.
We have collected feedback from these organisations which we hope will help others thinking about, or in the process of, applying for recognition. We share the benefits they found, challenges they experienced and their top tips on applying for recognition.
At the end of the case studies you will find useful links to further resources, as well as how to get in contact with us.
What were the additional benefits of applying for Ofqual recognition to your organisation?
All of the organisations realised additional benefits that have improved their organisations in a variety of ways, such as:
- improved organisational policies, procedures and operations
- strengthened governance
- improved knowledge and expertise within the organisation
Autoexel told us that they used the rigorous process of gaining recognition as an opportunity to take an in-depth review of how their organisation was operating and will operate in the future, asking themselves if it was the best it can be and in line with their long-term goal of "doing the right thing for their industry".
We reviewed how we did things and how we can improve things, this made Autoexel a much less vulnerable organisation and a safer organisation.
Autoexel
Achieve and Partners and Awarding UK used the General Conditions as well as the Criteria for Recognition to reflect on their organisation's operations, policies and procedures to ensure that they are the best that they can possibly be. For Achieve and Partners, this helped them to build in compliance from the beginning, and ensured that they had a strong understanding of how their policies and procedures worked in practice across the full qualification lifecycle.
All 4 organisations also highlighted the benefit of improved governance. All organisations reported a strengthened body of governance, either by adding more independence to their governing boards or building a stronger network of advisory voices available to their organisations. This strengthened their organisation's wider proficiency and capabilities in assessment and managing risk, which in turn helped to improve their application further.
EMPI Awards also found that in reviewing operations, processes and procedures for their end-point assessments as part of the application, they improved the way that they design, deliver and award other non-regulated qualifications for their industry.
What were the greatest challenges and realisations?
The bar to achieving recognition is the same, whatever type of qualification or EPA you are offering. It is a high bar because of our statutory duties to maintain standards and protect learners. This means that applicants must spend time demonstrating what they are capable of, and consider the evidence required to meet these standards.
Each organisation shared some of the challenges that they found in achieving recognition. Every organisation is different, so some of these challenges may or may not be similar to those that others experience.
Some of the challenges the organisations faced were:
- the timescales and resources required
- the language used in our documents
- the way that EPAs are regulated as qualifications
- managing and mitigating against conflicts of interest
Awarding UK found that the timescales required were a challenge. Being able to maintain organisational buy-in and resources over a period of months was important and something they had to manage throughout the process.
EMPI Awards' greatest realisation was that previous work on their application to the ESFA's register of end-point assessment organisations was very different to our requirements, therefore taking more time and resources than originally planned. While there is some crossover in the 2 applications, and we are actively working with the ESFA on aligning the processes, they found that we required more detail on qualifications and assessment, and a more holistic view of how policies and procedures worked in practice throughout the entire qualification lifecycle. If you would like
