Apprenticeship Assessors

Assessing the quality of end-point assessment in integrated higher and degree apprenticeships

Location

Remote working with some business travel

Salary

Remuneration day rate of £300

Closing date

16 February

Contract

Fixed term

Hours

Part time

Industry

Higher education

Job level

Committee Panel Member

Education level

Integrated higher and degree apprenticeships levels 6 and 7

About the OfS

We are the independent regulator of higher education in England. The Office for Students (OfS) exists to ensure that English higher education offers the best experience and the best value - for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. We have high ambitions and offer great opportunities to get involved in bringing that vision to life.

The role

We are seeking experts to undertake assessments of the quality of end-point assessments (EPAs) of apprenticeships to ensure they are valid, reliable and effective, and show that an apprentice has achieved occupational competence.

In this recruitment round, we are particularly interested in hearing from applicants who have academic expertise and experience in the design and delivery of assessment, with direct experience of apprenticeships and assessing occupational competence. We would particularly welcome applications from people with experience in overseeing quality assurance of Level six and seven integrated degree apprenticeships.

We encourage applications for the apprenticeship standards listed below, but we also welcome applications from those that have a broader range of apprenticeship assessment experience and are able to effectively form a view about effective assessment of occupational competence.

Digital and Technology Solutions Professional
Advanced Clinical Practitioner
Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist

You will join our panel of expert apprenticeship assessors, initially for a period of two years. For each external quality assurance (EQA) assessment at an institution, we will select apprenticeship assessors from a pool of assessors, based on their specific skills, experience and expertise, their availability, and the apprenticeship standard subject areas.

You will use your expert judgement to make a recommendation to the OfS about the suitability of apprenticeship assessments. You will also be expected to take a view on the quality of EPA delivery and identify any emerging issues to be addressed by the institution.

Your expert judgements will assess and provide assurance to the OfS about whether, for example, an apprenticeship standard’s assessment and support materials, including the EPA delivery plans, are relevant, reliable, efficient, and fair in its delivery. We are looking for individuals with academic expertise from current or recent employment in higher education; who also have experience in delivering and or assessing apprenticeships; and can therefore provide both academic and industry perspectives on the delivery of EPA.

The role is likely to involve a desk-based review of the preparations and related documentation to assure assessment readiness and ongoing monitoring, including undertaking site visits to observe and assure the assessment processes.

Job Description, Further Information

About you

You will be experienced in designing and delivering learning, teaching and assessment in integrated higher and degree apprenticeships. You will be a practitioner in EPA for your specialism and will also have experience of evaluating their quality. You will be able to use your expertise, both subject expertise and experience of assessing occupational competence of apprentices, to reach a judgement about the quality of EPA apprenticeship standard delivery.

You will apply your knowledge of integrated higher and degree apprenticeships to review and evaluate an institution’s ability to assess apprentices against the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s (IfATE’s) framework criteria, providing clear and structured feedback where the provider’s approach requires improvement. You will be well organised, personable, have good communication skills and excellent written English to produce the report in the format required.

You will be able to contribute to designing the scope of the assessment, identifying questions and lines of enquiry to ensure EPAs are delivered appropriately and consistently. You will seek to secure evidence and insights that can be used to address risk and ensure that EPAs are a sufficiently valid and reliable measure of occupational competence.

You will be employed by a higher education or further education provider as academic staff or have recently been employed as such.

Remuneration

For each EQA quality assessment undertaken in 2023-24, apprenticeship assessors will be paid a flat fee for each assessment, calculated by reference to a day rate of £300. The anticipated time commitment for each assessment in 2025-26 is 5 days. The time commitment may vary for each assessment and will be set out by the OfS in advance.

Working with us

The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do.

We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.

Application process

Closing date for applications is 16 February 2025

Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to participate in an online assessment centre, expected to be in the week commencing 24 March 2025. Successful applicants will be appointed to our pool of assessors.

If you are not appointed, we may want to retain your application for consideration in future recruitment rounds. We will contact relevant applicants about this.

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