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This document explains the requirements for end-point assessment (EPA) for the aerospace engineer degree-apprenticeship. End-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) must follow this when designing and delivering their EPA.
Aerospace engineer apprentices, their employers and training providers should read this document.
A degree-apprenticeship enables the awarding of a degree within the achievement of an apprenticeship. This means the degree learning outcomes must be aligned with the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) in the apprenticeship. Therefore, the apprenticeship and the degree must be completed, passed and awarded together to achieve the aerospace engineer degree-apprenticeship.
Apprentices must complete and pass all on and off-the-job training before completing an EPA to determine occupational competence.
A degree-apprenticeship must be delivered by a Higher Education Provider (HEP) that is on both the register of apprenticeship training providers (RoATP) and the register of end-point assessment organisations (RoEPAO). The apprentice's employer must select an HEP who is on both registers.
If the HEP is using a credit framework, the EPA must contribute to the total credit value, and must be delivered in accordance with this assessment plan. However, the number of credits devoted to EPA may vary across HEPs. The recommended EPA contribution is a 12th of the total credit value.
A full-time apprentice typically spends 48 months on-programme (this means in training before the gateway) working towards occupational competence as an aerospace engineer. All apprentices must spend at least 12 months on-programme. All apprentices must complete the required amount of off-the-job training specified by the apprenticeship funding rules.
This EPA should then be completed within an EPA period lasting typically 9 months.
Occupational competence is outlined by the EPA grade descriptors and determined, when assessed in accordance with this EPA plan, by an independent assessor who is an occupational expert and confirms the overall EPA grade.
This EPA has 2 assessment methods.
The grades available for each EPA method are:
EPA method 1 - project: report and presentation with questions:
EPA method 2 - professional discussion, underpinned by a portfolio of evidence:
The result from each EPA method is combined to decide the overall apprenticeship grade. The following grades are available for the apprenticeship:
The EPA is taken in the EPA period. The EPA period starts when the EPAO confirms the gateway requirements have been met and is typically 9 months.
The expectation is that the EPAO will confirm the gateway requirements have been met and the EPA starts as quickly as possible.
The apprentice’s employer must confirm that they think the apprentice is working at or above the level of occupational competence as an aerospace engineer (degree). The apprentice will then enter the gateway. The employer may take advice from the apprentice's training provider(s), but the employer must make the decision.
The apprentice must meet the following gateway requirements before starting their EPA.
They must:
Portfolio of evidence requirements:
Apprentices must compile a portfolio of evidence during the on-programme period of the apprenticeship. It should only contain evidence related to the KSBs that will be assessed by this assessment method. The portfolio of evidence will typically contain 8 discrete pieces of evidence. Evidence must be mapped against the KSBs. Evidence may be used to demonstrate more than one KSB; a qualitative as opposed to quantitative approach is suggested.
Evidence sources may include:
This is not a definitive list; other evidence sources can be included.
The portfolio of evidence should not include reflective accounts or any methods of self-assessment. Any employer contributions should focus on direct observation of performance (for example, witness statements) rather than opinions. The evidence provided should be valid and attributable to the apprentice; the portfolio of evidence should contain a statement from the employer and apprentice confirming this.
The EPAO should not assess the portfolio of evidence directly as it underpins the professional discussion. Assessors should review the portfolio of evidence to prepare questions for the professional discussion assessment method. They are not required to provide feedback after this review.
Apprentices must submit all gateway evidence to their EPAO as required, including any relevant organisation specific policies and procedures as requested by the EPAO.
The assessment methods can be delivered in any order.
The result of one assessment method does not need to be known before starting the next.
A project involves the apprentice completing a significant and defined piece of work that has a real business application and benefit. The project must start after the apprentice has gone through gateway.
The project: report and presentation with questions must be structured to give the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method to the highest available grade.
The project must meet the needs of the employer’s business and be relevant to the apprentice’s occupation and apprenticeship. The EPAO must confirm that it provides the apprentice with the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method to the highest available grade. The EPAO must refer to the grading descriptors to ensure that projects are pitched appropriately.
This assessment method has 2 components:
a project report
presentation with questions and answers
The project and any components must be assessed holistically to decide the grade for this assessment method. The academic assessor assesses the project: report and presentation with questions against the EPA grading criteria. The occupational assessor must contribute to EPA grading decisions of the project: report and presentation with questions. In the case of differing EPA grading decisions between the two assessors, the occupational assessor’s decision is final.
This EPA method is being used because
• it is a holistic assessment method, allowing the apprentice to demonstrate KSBs in an integrated way
• it allows for a range of aerospace engineering activities to be demonstrated
• it provides a cost-effective assessment, as it minimises assessor time and makes use of the apprentice’s employer’s workplace, equipment and resources, and should contribute to workplace productivity
The apprentice must complete a project based on any of the following:
The project must cover the following themes:
To ensure the project allows the apprentice to meet the KSBs mapped to this assessment method to the highest available grade, the EPAO should sign-off the project’s title and scope at the gateway to confirm it is suitable. The EPAO must refer to the grading descriptors to ensure that projects are pitched appropriately.
The project output must be in the form of a report and presentation.
The apprentice must start the project after the gateway. The employer should ensure the apprentice has the time and resources, within the project period, to plan and complete their project.
The apprentice may work as part of a team to complete the project, which could include technical internal or external support. However, the project output must be the apprentice's own work and will be reflective of their own role and contribution. The apprentice and their employer must confirm that the project output(s) is the apprentice's own work when it is submitted.
The report must include at least:
The project report must have a word count of 10000 words. A tolerance of 10% above or below is allowed at the apprentice’s discretion. Appendices, references and diagrams are not included in this total. The project report must map, in an appendix, how it evidences the relevant KSBs mapped to this assessment method.
The apprentice must complete and submit the report and any presentation materials to the EPAO by the end of week 32 of the EPA period.
In the presentation with questions the apprentice delivers a presentation to the assessors on a set subject. The assessors must ask questions following the presentation. This gives the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method.
The presentation will provide an overview of the apprentice's project and the project report. The assessors must ask questions after the presentation. All presentations must include at least:
The apprentice must deliver their presentation to both assessors at the same time.
The assessors must ask questions after the presentation.
The presentation with questions must last 60 minutes. This will typically include a presentation of 25 minutes and questioning lasting 35 minutes. The assessors can increase the total time of the presentation and questioning by up to 10%. This time is to allow the apprentice to complete their last point or respond to a question if necessary.
The assessors must ask at least 5 questions. They must use the questions from the EPAO’s question bank or create their own questions in line with the EPAO’s training. Follow up questions are allowed where clarification is required. The assessors must use the full time available for questioning.
The purpose of the assessors questions will be to assess the following themes:
The purpose of the assessors questions will also be to:
The apprentice must prepare and submit their presentation to the EPAO at the same time as the report which is a maximum of 32 weeks after the gateway. The apprentice must notify the EPAO, at the submission of the presentation, of any technical requirements for the presentation.
For the presentation, the apprentice will have access to:
The assessors must have at least 2 weeks to review the project report and presentation speaker notes and supporting materials, before the presentation is delivered by the apprentice, to allow them to prepare questions.
The EPAO must give the apprentice at least 2 weeks notice of the date and time of the presentation with questions.
The presentation with questions must take place in a suitable venue selected by the EPAO for example, the EPAO’s or employer’s premises. The presentation with questions should take place in a quiet room, free from distractions and influence.
The presentation with questions can be conducted by video conferencing. The EPAO must have processes in place to verify the identity of the apprentice and ensure the apprentice is not being aided.
The EPAO must write an assessment specification and question bank. The specification must be relevant to the occupation and demonstrate how to assess the KSBs mapped to this assessment method. It is recommended this is done in consultation with employers of this occupation. EPAOs should maintain the security and confidentiality of EPA materials when consulting employers. The questions must be unpredictable. A question bank of sufficient size will support this. The assessment specification and questions must be reviewed at least once a year to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose.
The EPAO must develop purpose-built question banks and ensure that appropriate quality assurance procedures are in place, for example, considering standardisation, training and moderation. EPAOs must ensure that questions are refined and developed to a high standard.
The EPAO must ensure that the apprentice has a different set of questions in the case of re-sits or re-takes.
The EPAO must produce the following materials to support the project: report and presentation with questions:
The EPAO must ensure that the EPA materials are subject to quality assurance procedures including standardisation and moderation.
In the professional discussion, the assessors and the apprentice have a formal conversation. It gives the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate their competency across the KSBs mapped to this EPA method.
The occupational assessor assesses the professional discussion against the EPA grading criteria and makes the EPA grade decision.
The academic assessor must contribute to the EPA grading decisions of the professional discussion.
In the case of differing EPA grading decisions between the two assessors, the occupational assessor’s decision is final.
This EPA method is being used because:
the professional discussion is an accurate method to assess those KSBs that are not likely to occur in the post gateway project.
an aerospace engineer is expected to discuss their findings and results of work-based tasks or previous projects in a formal setting and explain in detail their results.
the professional discussion will be underpinned by a portfolio which may outline:
• examples of work, work-based training, development activities and performance reviews that the apprentice has undertaken during the “on-programme” apprenticeship period
• details of the work, tasks or projects undertaken including a high-level overview, key objectives, deliverables, time periods for the work and a detailed description of the activities and apprentice’s contributions
The professional discussion must be structured to give the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method to the highest available grade.
The assessors conduct and assess the professional discussion.
The purpose of the assessors questions will be to assess the following themes:
develop test plans
engineering integration
leadership, teamwork and communication
software engineering
concept of industry 4.0
The EPAO must give an apprentice 2 weeks notice of the professional discussion.
The assessors must have at least 2 week(s) to review the supporting documentation.
The apprentice must have access to their portfolio of evidence during the professional discussion.
The apprentice can refer to and illustrate their answers with evidence from their portfolio of evidence, however the portfolio of evidence is not directly assessed.
The professional discussion must last for 60 minutes. The assessors can increase the time of the professional discussion by up to 10%. This time is to allow the apprentice to respond to a question if necessary.
For the professional discussion, the assessors must ask at least 8 questions. Follow-up questions are allowed. The assessors must use the questions from the EPAO’s question bank or create their own questions in-line with the EPAO’s training. The professional discussion must allow the apprentice the opportunity to demonstrate the KSBs mapped to this assessment method at the highest possible grade.
The assessors must keep accurate records of the assessment. The records must include the KSBs met, the grade achieved and answers to questions.
The professional discussion must take place in a suitable venue selected by the EPAO (for example the EPAO’s or employer’s premises).
The professional discussion can be conducted by video conferencing. The EPAO must have processes in place to verify the identity of the apprentice and ensure the apprentice is not being aided.
The professional discussion should take place in a quiet room, free from distractions and influence.
The EPAO must write an assessment specification and question bank. The specification must be relevant to the occupation and demonstrate how to assess the KSBs shown in the mapping. It is recommended this is done in consultation with employers and Professional Engineering Institutions (PEI) of this occupation. The EPAO should maintain the security and confidentiality of EPA materials when consulting employers and Professional Engineering Institutions (PEI). The questions must be unpredictable. A question bank of sufficient size will support this. The assessment specification and questions must be reviewed at least once a year to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose.
The EPAO must develop purpose-built question banks and ensure that appropriate quality assurance procedures are in place, for example, considering standardisation, training and moderation. The EPAO must ensure that questions are refined and developed to a high standard.
The EPAO must ensure that the apprentice has a different set of questions in the case of re-sits or re-takes.
The EPAO must produce the following materials to support the professional discussion, underpinned by a portfolio of evidence:
The assessment methods contribute equally to the overall EPA pass grade.
Performance in the EPA determines the apprenticeship grade of:
The EPAO must combine the final grades for the individual assessment methods to determine the overall EPA grade as follows:
If the apprentice fails one or more assessment methods, they will be awarded an overall EPA fail.
To achieve an overall EPA pass, the apprentice must achieve at least a pass in all the assessment methods. To achieve an overall EPA distinction, apprentices must achieve a distinction in the project and a pass in the professional discussion.
An apprentice who fails one or more assessment method(s) can take a re-sit or a re-take at their employer’s discretion. The apprentice’s employer needs to agree that a re-sit or re-take is appropriate. A re-sit does not need further learning, whereas a re-take does.
An apprentice should have a supportive action plan to prepare for a re-sit or a re-take.
The employer and EPAO agree the timescale for a re-sit or re-take. A re-sit is typically taken within 3 months of the EPA outcome notification. The timescale for a re-take is dependent on how much re-training is required and is typically taken within 6 months of the EPA outcome notification.
If the apprentice fails the project assessment method, they will be required to amend the project output in line with the assessors’ feedback. The apprentice will be given 4 weeks to rework and submit the amended report.
Failed assessment methods must be re-sat or re-taken within a 6-month period from the EPA outcome notification, otherwise the entire EPA will need to be re-sat or re-taken in full.
Re-sits and re-takes are not offered to an apprentice wishing to move from pass to a higher grade.
An apprentice will get a maximum EPA grade of pass for a re-sit or re-take, unless the EPAO determines there are exceptional circumstances.
The EPAO must have reasonable adjustments arrangements for the EPA.
This should include:
Adjustments must maintain the validity, reliability and integrity of the EPA as outlined in this EPA plan.
Internal quality assurance refers to the strategies, policies and procedures that EPAOs must have in place to ensure valid, consistent and reliable end-point assessment decisions.
EPAOs for this EPA must adhere to all requirements within the roles and responsibilities table and:
Affordability of the EPA will be aided by using at least some of the following:
This degree-apprenticeship standard aligns with the Engineering Council’s learning outcomes, indicated in ‘Accreditation of Higher Education Programmes’ (AHEP) and the competence framework detailed in UK-SPEC for Incorporated Engineer (IEng). The apprentice, on completion of this degree-apprenticeship will partially satisfy the requirements for registration at this level.
This degree-apprenticeship aligns with:
Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) for Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE) for Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) for Incorporated Engineer (IEng)
The outcome of the EPA must be aggregated with the degree to enable the degree-apprenticeship to be awarded. Once the overall EPA grade has been determined in accordance with this EPA plan, aggregation can be achieved in a variety of ways. This will be determined during the creation of the degree-apprenticeship. Examples of how this aggregation can work include:
HEPs can explore other ways of aggregating the EPA with the degree outcomes in-line with the latest IfATE degree-apprenticeship policy
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