Become an Apprenticeship Assessor

Becoming an apprenticeship assessor is a rewarding way to support new entrants to your profession while sharing your expertise and giving back to your sector.

The role can also help you develop your own professional practice and stay up to date with industry standards. Assessment work is flexible and can often be fitted around existing employment or other commitments.

Assessors work on a freelance basis, although some employers, such as local authorities, may allow staff to undertake assessment activities as part of their role, creating an additional income opportunity for the service area.

As an apprenticeship assessor, you are expected to:

• Take part in standardisation activities to ensure consistent assessment decisions
• Maintain a good understanding of our policies and procedures
• Submit assessment outcomes within five working days
• Have access to reliable IT equipment and a quiet, uninterrupted space, as assessments are usually carried out remotely

Previous assessment experience is beneficial, however, current occupational expertise and knowledge are essential and should be demonstrated through your role and ongoing continuing professional development (CPD).

If you do not already hold an assessor qualification, we can support you to achieve the Highfield Level 3 Award in Undertaking Apprenticeship Assessment. We also recognise the following qualifications:

• D32 Assess Candidate Performance
• D33 Assess Candidates Using Different Sources of Evidence
• A1 Level 3 Award in Assessing Candidates’ Performance Using a Range of Methods
• A2 Level 3 Award in Assessing Candidates’ Performance Through Observation
• TAQA Level 3 Award in Assessing Competence in the Work Environment
• TAQA Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement

Organisation, reliability and meeting agreed timescales are essential.

Assessors are also expected to honour the commitments they make. Apprentices spend time preparing for their assessments, so it is important that agreed assessments go ahead wherever possible. If you are unable to accept or deliver an assessment, we expect you to let us know as soon as possible so that another assessor can be allocated.

Maintaining your occupational competence is essential. You need to provide evidence of ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) to demonstrate current industry knowledge and experience that is directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard(s) you assess.

To support consistency and quality, you must attend and participate in our annual standardisation events.

When you begin assessing, all your assessment decisions are subject to quality assurance checks. You must respond to any feedback and complete any required actions within agreed timescales. As your experience grows and confidence in your assessment decisions is established, the level of quality assurance activity reduces.

Start by reviewing the apprenticeship standards we assess.

If you identify a standard that matches your occupational expertise, review the relevant assessment plan and tell us how your experience, skills and qualifications meet the requirements. Please include details of any assessing qualifications and sector-specific qualifications you hold.

You can find apprenticeship standards and assessment plans on the Skills England Apprenticeships page.

Please send your application including the above information and a relevant CV to apprenticeships@swcouncils.gov.uk

If appropriate we invite you to an online Microsoft Teams interview. This is an opportunity for us to learn more about your background and for you to find out more about the assessor role.

Getting Started

Once approved, you complete an online introduction to:

1. Apprenticeship assessment
2. Our organisation and how we operate as an EPAO
3. Our key policies and procedures
4. The apprenticeship standard(s) you would like to assess

Before Your First Assessment

When you are allocated your first assessment, we set up your access to our assessment portal and ask you to upload:

1. A signed assessor agreement (renewed annually)
2. Relevant qualification certificates
3. A profile document and review it annually
4. A CPD record three times each year

We arrange a one-to-one video call to show you how to use the assessment portal, access apprentice evidence and submit assessment decisions.

You undertake a shadowing activity before you are assigned apprentices. This may involve observing a live assessment or reviewing a recording of an assessment to help you understand the process and see an experienced assessor in action.