Quality for apprenticeships
The response to the consultation on the Institute for Apprenticeships Operational Plan is now published. The choice to include the word quality in the title of the response paper is interesting. Among the lead off objectives in the introduction this is explained more as a commitment to building confidence and credibility in the quality of apprenticeships. It does, however, sound a big task given all the confusing and somewhat negative tones around news items on apprenticeships of late.
On pretty much every page what this thing ‘quality’ is raises its head. The report throws the lot at what may produce quality in apprenticeships, including: committees, panels, peer review, more support, relationship managers, additional criterion, monitoring and a Framework and Guidance for External Quality Assurance. The Institute will also ‘adopt a robust statement of what we think quality means’..
Every day in Awarding Organisations we are grappling with quality. Whether it’s do with customer service, the fitness of the assessment regime, accuracy of results, robustness of the data used, etc. For me coming up with a holistic statement on what quality looks like is, well challenging to say the least. It looks different in different places, doesn’t it?
The document is worth a read, particularly the Annexes which include the ‘Framework for the External Quality Assurance of End Point Assessment. See link
More on quality on 5 May.
Heather Venis
Principal, Awarding First
E: Heather@awardingfirst.co.uk
M: 0789 479 6262