England’s Fire and Rescue Services delivering vital Apprenticeships for future Operational Firefighters can now secure our industry-leading expertise to support the End-Point Assessment (EPA) process, through a trusted Framework, utilising crucial levy funding.
Launched in 2018, following major national Apprenticeship reform in England, the Apprenticeship Framework is delivered by the industries’ trusted public sector procurement organisation, YPO. Access to the Framework will enable Employers delivering Fire Sector Apprenticeships to secure recognised services from EPA Organisations, to help deliver independent, quality-assured End-Point Assessments for their Apprentices.
All current apprenticeship standards are covered by the framework, and new standards, developed by Trailblazer groups, are added to the framework as and when they’re released or updated, including the recently reviewed Version 1.2 for Operational Firefighters.
As the largest Awarding Body for Fire Sector Qualifications, our expertise in training, development and assessment for Fire Services is unrivalled, and we’re thrilled to now be able to enable Fire & Rescue Employers to procure our EPA service through the YPO Apprenticeship Framework.
Employers already have enough to consider when delivering and assessing Apprentices for the Business Fire Safety and Operational Firefighter Standards, often on top of many other training requirements. This step to ensure Apprenticeship leaders can safely and securely procure sector-specific services from SFJ Awards, taking the hassle out of EPA, means Managers can get on with the job of providing exceptional employer-led apprenticeships, in the knowledge that our team will guide them through the robust EPA process, to succeed.
Further guidance about the recent changes to EPA for Fire and Rescue employers recruiting or already training Operational Firefighter Apprentices is readily available via our on-demand webinar ‘Operational Firefighter End-Point Assessment Update’.
Kit Salt, End-Point Assessment Service Manager commented:
“The whole team delivering EPA at SFJ Awards are 100% committed to supporting England’s Fire Services to deliver world-class Apprenticeships, effectively assessed through our independent and robust EPA service. Furthermore, our hands-on support takes much of the pain away from the planning process for EPA, as we are available to provide independent guidance to help the whole team prepare prior to assessment.
I’m delighted that SFJ Awards has been approved to join industry-leaders on the YPO Apprenticeship Framework for Version 1.2 of the Operational Firefighter EPA, which provides peace of mind for the 45 Fire and Rescue Services in England, when selecting an EPAO to support them through the final stages of the Apprenticeship journey.”
Find further resources about End-Point Assessment, or find useful links below to start your EPA Strategy with one of our dedicated EPA specialists.
Useful links for FRS’ Apprenticeships
Find out more about the YPO Apprenticeship Framework
Watch the webinar on-demand – updates to the Operational Firefighter EPA (V1.2)
Find more support for EPA – Operational Firefighter
Find more support for EPA – Business Fire Safety
Sign-up for regular news about EPA
