‘A significant positive impact’: delivering the End Point Assessment for the social work degree apprenticeship

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social Work Degree Apprenticeships were launched in England in 2019 as a pathway to professional qualification, which offered an alternative to the established Undergraduate and Post graduate social work training routes. The first apprenticeship cohorts have now completed their End Point Assessment (EPA) but with formats having been disputed from the inception of the English Degree, the pressure on institutions and staff delivering the EPA remains considerable, particularly with modifications already planned. Apprentices who experienced this process for the first time may also have faced greater uncertainty, than peers on traditional qualifying programmes. The University of Chichester was one of the first English universities to offer the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship and accordingly, one of the first to complete the EPA. This article, authored by the Lead Assessor and the Employer Relationships Manager for the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship describes the process of delivery, as well as discussing lessons learned and areas for development. A review has found no existing literature on the EPA and this article is thereby intended as a contribution to knowledge, as well as an opportunity to share lessons from the experience with those who may be delivering the EPA in the future.