Welcome to your Apprenticeship
Centre for Advanced Technical Studies
This centre is home to our higher-level technical students on specialist courses in Health & Social Care, Digital Technologies and Civil Engineering. Located across from the Parsons Walk Campus, facilities include clinical skills wards, manual handling suite, specialist science laboratories featuring our CAVE (CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment), state-of-the-art Anatomage Table and a health and social care careers hub.
Pagefield Campus
Home to the Centre of Excellence in Engineering and Construction students have access to top tech facilities and industry standard workshops and laboratories to prepare for work in these lucrative businesses. The campus hosts our Future Energy Zone – a state-of-the-art facility which is a pioneering model for energy efficiency and sustainability. Significant investment has also taken place in recent years in specialist facilities including Hydraulic and Pneumatic Lab, Fluids Engineering Lab, Electronic Testing Lab, Robotics Labs, Industrial Control Lab, Food Manufacturing Facilities, Additive Manufacturing Lab and Smart Manufacturing Labs.
The Skills Academy
As the latest addition to our campus buildings, The Skills Academy has recently opened its doors on Prescott Street, Wigan. This new academy responds to the growing demand for quality technical education and training. Students can enjoy a full range of services and facilities on-site, and with Parsons Walk campus just a five-minute walk away, they have even more resources at their fingertips. The Skills Academy enhances our college’s offerings, maintaining the same high standards of education and technical training.
Each Apprenticeship Standard defines the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for that particular job role. Each standard comes with an Assessment Plan, which explains how you’ll be assessed. Your employer will need to release you from work to receive off-the-job training. This could be in the form of a day release or block release, or it could be training at your workplace, but away from the immediate requirements and pressures of your normal job role.
We’ll advise you and your employer about the off-the-job attendance requirements for your chosen apprenticeship. Apprenticeship Standards can be quite different from each other. For example, some specify the achievement of mandatory qualifications, whilst others don’t need formal qualifications. We’ll advise you on the requirements for your particular apprenticeship.
However, all standards will contain the following:
Skills and competencies
The standard will define the range of skills and competencies that you need to practice and gain. These skills are largely developed in the workplace, and we’ll assign a tutor or assessor, who has the relevant industry experience and background, to carry out a formal or informal assessment of your skills and give you feedback.
Knowledge and understanding
The standard will define the knowledge and understanding that you’ll need to gain and apply to carry out your role effectively.
Behaviours
The standard will define the behaviours that you’ll need to show to become competent in your role. This may include behaviours such as good attendance and punctuality, good communication, problem solving or good customer service skills.
Maths and English
All standards require you to achieve qualifications in English and Maths before completing your apprenticeship. If you don’t have qualifications in English and Maths at Functional Skills level 2 (e.g. GCSEs at grade C/grade 4 or above), you’ll need to study these subjects as part of your apprenticeship. This will normally be completed using Functional Skills qualifications.
English and Maths Functional Skills are practical, applied literacy and numeracy qualifications, relevant to both young people and adult learners. They’ll help you to develop and apply important skills such as communication, analytical and presentational skills. Functional Skills are assessed by examination and normally require you to attend the training for the necessary level of understanding. You’ll get a diagnostics test at the beginning of the apprenticeship and an agreed plan to achieve within your individual requirements.
End Point Assessment (EPA)
Each standard has a detailed Assessment Plan that sets out how you’ll be assessed against each of the elements of your apprenticeship. Some standards may ask for the achievement of formal and recognised qualifications. Other standards may need you to pass formal skills and knowledge assessments at certain points in the apprenticeship before you can move on to the next stage – these are known as Gateway Assessments. The range and type of assessment methods vary significantly between standards, but all standards will contain an End Point Assessment. This is an assessment that takes place at the end of the apprenticeship and is designed to assess you against all elements of the apprenticeship including skills, knowledge and behaviours. The End Point Assessment is carried out by an independent End Point Assessment organisation, and it will typically be spread out over a few days. You’ll need to pass the End Point Assessment in order to become a fully qualified apprentice.
The assessment methods used to assess you throughout and/or at the end of your apprenticeship could be one or more of the following:
- Portfolio/Log-Book
- Observations
- Presentations
- Assignments
- Written or online knowledge tests
- Practical Test/Assessments
- Projects
- Technical interview/professional discussion
Attendance requirements are different depending on the standard that you’re taking. For example, if your apprenticeship is delivered via day release, you’ll be expected to attend college weekly on a set day, with the expectation that your attendance won’t fall below 95%. If you’re absent, you must tell us why you’re going to be late or absent on 01942 761600 (option 4).
contact the Apprenticeship Attendance Officer with a valid reason. Low attendance and persistent absences will result in you losing your place on the apprenticeship program at the college.
Behaviour
There’s a high expectation of behaviour for apprentices, not only are you representing yourself, but the company you work for.
Commitment
As is stated in both the attendance and behaviour sections, commitment is key to completing your apprenticeship. However, commitment doesn’t just mean good attendance and behaviour. An apprenticeship is a big commitment, varying in length from 15 months to 48 months. With this in mind, you have to commit to juggling work commitments and course requirements alongside being organised and meeting deadlines.
Practical Period
The practical period is the time you’re expected to work and also receive training under an approved English apprenticeship agreement; it must have a minimum duration of 12 months. The practical period does not include the End Point Assessment.
For example: a learner doing a bricklaying apprenticeship could have a practical period of 30 months, completing this on a day release basis at college.
Gateway
Gateway takes place before an End Point Assessment (EPA) can start. The employer and training provider will review your knowledge, skills and behaviours to see if you’ve met the minimum requirements of the apprenticeship set out in the apprenticeship standard and are ready to take the assessment. Both you and your employer must sign the declaration to state you’re ready to sit their EPA.
Most EPAs have the following elements: a knowledge test, practical observation, presentation, project and professional discussions supported by a portfolio of evidence.
End Point Assessment (EPA)
End Point Assessment (EPA) tests knowledge and allows you to demonstrate and reflect upon the skills and behaviours gained during their training. Unique to each standard, EPA demonstrates the competence of an apprentice in their role. This competence is valued by current and future employers.
Costs associated with sitting the initial EPA are covered by the college. However, should a learner fail an element, it will be the employer’s responsibility to fund any resits.
If you’re required to resit either maths or English as an apprentice, you’ll do this via Functional Skills. Functional Skills are equivalent to GCSEs and the level of the standard you’re doing will depend on the level you’ll need to achieve. As an apprentice, you’ll need to achieve this in order to meet gateway requirements. Failure to do so will prevent you from sitting your EPA.
Level 2 Standards
Learners undertaking a Level 2 standard must have gained a Level 1 Functional Skills qualification in both maths and English (equivalent to a grade 3 GCSE) to sit their EPA.
Level 3 Standards (and above)
Learners undertaking a Level 3 standard (or above) must have gained a Level 2 Functional Skills qualification both in maths and English (equivalent to a grade 4 GCSE) to sit their EPA .
OneFile is an E-Portfolio system in which learners, assessors and reviewers upload evidence, monitor progress and complete progress reviews. The system allows employers to gain access to their learner’s progress at any time with a live update, including any mandatory qualifications, functional skills, portfolio development, progress reviews and general information related to their apprenticeship journey. Training and ‘how-to’ videos will be provided, as will support from the onsite reviewer or assessor in workplace visits.
