Smart EPA
Endpoint Assessment
Smart End Point Assessment is the first technology exclusively designed for organisations registered to deliver End Point Assessments to manage them with rigour and efficiency.
SEPA creates a modern end point assessment experience for apprentices, training providers, employers and end point assessors.
Smart End Point Assessment manages every aspect of end point assessments: from importing summative portfolios to recording evidence of the end point assessment, managing centre resources and validating competencies of your end point assessors, through to standardisation and compliance for external moderation.
We understand and solve your key issues
We build products which are designed to solve our customers key challenges
- Managing the process around resits
Resits are an inevitable part of the assessment process, but EPAs need a system that eases the burden of arranging them. SEPA allows users to stipulate in the system how many times a learner can resit an exam, and even allows users to set rules for them, such as what order assessments are to be taken in.
- Assessor availability
When booking assessors, it is vital that you can view their availability with ease. SEPA allows assessors to update their profile with their availability, meaning that users searching for an assessor are only shown assessors who are available at that time and date.
- Geographical location costing EPAs expenses
On-site EPA organisations are sending assessors far and wide, which has a huge impact on expenses. SEPA resolves this issue this by stipulating a geographical radius that will only allow assessors to travel a certain amount, helping save money on travel costs.
- Admin time wasted by emails
A lot of administration time is wasted because teams have to email key stake holders at every stage of the journey. SEPA solves this by sending out automated emails at every key stage of the learner journey, keeping learners, staff and teachers up to date at all times.
- Managing conflict of interest
Assessors shouldn’t be allowed to assess students from the same college they attend. SEPA solves this by making assessors take a conflict-of-interest questionnaire that automates the process to avoid this.
See how we can help Key capabilities
Configurable end-to-end EPA Management systems
Allocate and schedule EPAs
Reporting
Manage resources and contracts
Easily integrate SEPA with your other systems and upload data
Automated Systems
Assessor Management
Apprentice Management
Employer Management
Training Provider Management
CAPABILITIES
More than just assessment
Find out more about the powerful features that sit within SEPA
Configurable end to end EPA Management systems
Explore how SEPA can support your EPA needs
SEPA offers a comprehensive and flexible system to manage the entire EPA process, customised to suit your organisation’s needs.
End-to-end learning journey for end point assessments
Empower your employees with simple, easy to use personnel record capabilities.
- Features & Benefits
- Interface will always stay the same for consistency
- Input learner or assessor, employer or training provider details easily, manage standards and configure your way of delivering EPA within one easy-to-use system.
Fully configurable system
We understand that every EPAO operates differently and that not every EPAO has the same demographic of clients or learners. SEPA allows the EPAO to completely configure their use of SEPA to match their processes while managing the audit risk associated with EPAs.
- Features & Benefits
- The User Defined Lists option essentially allows EPAOs to configure what appears in drop down options.
- We ensure that you have your brand displayed clearly throughout the system.
- Tailor the system to support how you operate and how you deliver the EPA, relevant for the Standards you assess.
Customisable user interface
We know how important it is for an EPAO to have systems that work the way you want them to, and we’ve designed the SEPA user interface with this in mind.
- Features & Benefits
- The interface is configurable in the sense that everything in the system is all user permission-based.
- Set permissions based on job roles so that your users can only see what you want them to see.
Create bespoke EPA learner checklists
It’s not just HR teams the benefit from having access to employee data In one place, it also gives employees and managers the ability so self-serve completion of tasks, access to information and more.
- Features & Benefits
- Minimise your risk of funding clawbacks during audits.
- The checklist is a completely configurable option per standard and per EPAO, ensuring that SEPA is compliant not only to funding rules/guidance but also the EPAO’s ways of working.
Allocate and schedule EPAs at the click of a button
Find out how SEPA makes scheduling EPAs simple and straightforward
Using your contract and assessor data, SEPA makes sure that booking in assessment is as efficient as possible while avoiding any conflicts of interest.
EPA allocation and scheduling
Let SEPA take care of your administrative needs when allocating the right assessors and timings to each assessment.
- Features & Benefits
- SEPA allows you to book an EPA that takes into account the mandatory details of the contract with the training provider or employer.
- The mandatory details will be things such as: which work pattern they work, their geographical location, what they’re qualified to deliver, any conflicts of interest and Apprentice EPA checklist completion status.
- SEPA takes all this information and finds the right assessor for the right learner and the system, then logs, monitors and delivers the EPA accordingly.
- Logging this information sets SEPA apart, as the system does all the work, negating the need for multiple administration staff to be involved in the booking, monitoring and completion of EPAs.
Ensure EPA bookings without conflict of interest
Ensuring that there aren’t any conflicts of interest with assessors is vital. SEPA allows for you to check this with ease, by requiring assessors to take a conflict of interest questionnaire.
- Features & Benefits
- SEPA will not allow an EPA to be booked for an assessor if there’s any sort of conflict or red flag in the system.
- The system will also need you to confirm all apprenticeship checklists are complete before you can book an EPA.
Powerful reporting capabilities
Build detailed bespoke reports on any key data you need
We know how important having the right data when you need it is for any EPA. That’s why we designed SEPA with powerful reporting functionality, allowing you to extract the data you need in the manner you desire.
Out of the box and bespoke reporting
SEPA comes out of the box with a number of pre-built reports to help you extract your data. However, if you want to build your own reports, this is also possible with the report builder.
- Features & Benefits
- SEPA has 29 standard reports built into the system which have been built over time. More continue to be built, as and when EPA processes change, or audit/financial regulations change.
- SEPA comes with a simple-to-use report builder with report building training provided.
- Once a report has been created, you’re able to set this on a schedule to automatically send to people in your organisation at a given time.
Schedule reports to defined users
Make the most of your data by setting up scheduled reports and sharing them with the right users.
- Features & Benefits
- Bespoke or standard reports can be scheduled to be sent out to relevant users depending on the report, such as Upcoming Assessments Booked report to assessors on Mondays at 9am.
- This principle can be applied to other reports such as Upcoming Gateways, Overdue Gateways, Overdue Results and more.
Communication audit log
EPAs are complex with many moving parts, including lots of communication between various parties. SEPA, via the email template function, sends these emails automatically.
- Features & Benefits
- The Communication History tab allows you to see what has been sent and what is currently in your inbox for your whole SEPA site.
- Consistently logged communication with your stakeholders is, therefore, ready for auditing purposes should they arise.
Assessor Management
Manage your assessors with ease
SEPA allows you to streamline and simplify your assessor management by automating and simplifying many of the processes.
Simplified assessor scheduling
Take the stress out of scheduling with SEPA’s reliable scheduling functionality.
- Features & Benefits
- SEPA makes complex scheduling simple. See when assessors are available, their contracted assessment time, rooms, equipment and dates of learner availability in one place.
- SEPA shows the availability of assessors, such as their working patterns (for example Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) and any planned annual leave.
- If an EPA is to be booked at 6pm on a Saturday, the system highlights a contractor’s availability using the details that you’ve entered into SEPA.
- This means that you can ensure you have the right learner, with the right assessor, on the right day and in the right time booked properly and accordingly, all automated at a click of a button in SEPA using this 3-way cross check system.
Assessor workload populated automatically
Assessors are asked to upload their workload, so that users are only shown the assessors that are available at that time and date.
- Features & Benefits
- SEPA has an in-built calendar function for assessors, so they always know what’s coming up, where, when and crucially who with.
- The diary is populated automatically as and when an EPA is booked for this assessor.
- Booking something into the calendar, as well as any reports you create or run, takes information from the calendar to populate the report.
Assessor evaluation
From an audit perspective, an assessor is required to manage and keep up-to-date details about what EPA they can deliver and keep their CPD up to date every single year. This can be done via the inbuilt CPD log within SEPA against this assessor’s record.
- Features & Benefits
- The assessor has a list of standards that they are approved to assess against and the assessment methods they’re qualified to use.
- If an EPA or assessment method is to be booked for this assessor which they’re not qualified for, SEPA will not let this happen.
Manage conflict of interest
Measuring and managing conflicts of interest is one of the hardest points to manage and prove to auditors. SEPA takes the headache away from relying on a staff member to do this.
- Features & Benefits
- Each assessor must work through a set of conflict of interest questions as part of your process.
- If there is a conflict of interest, SEPA will not allow an EPA to be booked for that assessor because of the conflict – they can still be booked for other EPAs where there is no conflict.
Apprentice Management
Keep apprentices at the heart of your processes
Find out how SEPA’s apprentice data capture ensures that you are delivering the best possible EPA experience.
Manage your apprentice data
The apprentice management section shows the progress of the EPA and using the SEPA EPA progress legend you can always see what is happening at a glance.
- Features & Benefits
- You can manage and ensure that you have up-to-date personal details of the apprentice, their name and contact details, ULN, plus other key details.
- This ensures that you put accurate data into SEPA, which ultimately informs your reports.
Apprenticeship EPA scheduling
The EPA details tab stores crucial data determining the right EPA process for the apprentice.
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Reporting
- Store important details such as employer and training provider details and addresses for accurate EPA bookings, the standard they’re working towards and the assessment types required to pass the EPA, the length of programme and a plan as to when the apprentice should start and end their programme.
- The section also displays when you expect them to start their EPA for scheduling purposes.
Apprentice EPA checklist
The apprentice checklist sets out a list of mandatory criteria needed to be confirmed before the EPA can take place.
- Features & Benefits
- This area is configurable per client and ensures that aspects of your journey on SEPA are followed correctly.
- For example, if you have 10 questions in your checklist and the provider or employer can only accurately say yes to 9 of them, SEPA will not allow you to book an EPA for this learner, because it opens the EPAO up to scrutiny from an audit perspective.
Easy resit rebooking
Manage any required resits with ease and consistency.
- Features & Benefits
- Clients with resit policies can mimic this in SEPA, which means that learners cannot be missed from resits.
- From a financial point of view, you can forecast revenue based on resits, especially if, as an EPAO, your policies outline that you charge the provider/employer for resits.
Length in service
Understand lengths in service across the whole business quickly and easily
- Length in service
- See average length of service across departments or teams
- Automate reports so you can celebrate upcoming employee length in service milestones
- Help to understand when teams might have upcoming flight risks in the team based on length in service trends
Employer and Training Provider management
Maximise engagement and communication with your employers and providers
SEPA allows you to manage your relationships with Employers and Training Providers with ease, storing all the key data you require in the system.
Manage information
Store all the key Employer and Training Provider information you need in the system.
- Improved data accuracy
- Add or view an existing employer or Training Provider.
- See how many apprentices you have logged against them, any associated contracts, and crucially the addresses attached to that employer, including branches for large employers or Training Providers.
Automate communications
Handle mass communications with ease using powerful automations.
- Features & Benefits
- The Users/Contacts tab within the Employer section of SEPA lets you log your key contacts against the employer.
- All email notifications will be sent to these contacts where applicable. You can automate and schedule communications as needed.
Manage key governance data
Log important details relating to employers to ensure accurate reports.
- Features & Benefits
- Manage the sectors the employer belongs to and the training providers that are linked to them.
- Some employers will use multiple training providers for delivery or even multiple EPAOs. There’s also a document area to upload documents against the employer record – important for documents such as employer’s liability insurance.
- This data is reportable and up to date.
IMPLEMENTATION
Welcoming you onboard
Mapping the project
The first step we have to take when starting your new project is to map out an exact plan of action.
The meeting will cover key points, such as: mapping out your data so we get a better understanding of your processes such as which systems you use, how many learners you have and how much data you have in your current systems
Data mapping
Depending on which software you use, we can create a bespoke plan for moving information over from your old system to your new one and you will meet with our Data Lead to choose the right import method.
Uploading your EPAs and qualifications assessments
We will populate SEPA with your current EPA, results and relevant historical data and ensure user interfaces works in line with your specifications in advance of your ‘go live’ date.
Training
The final stage of your onboarding will be the training of your staff. This can be done in parallel with other processes running at the same time, so that we hit your go live date on time.
RESOURCES
Education resources that help you transform
Featured resources for you
WEBINAR
Apprenticeship success and boosting outcomes
Apprenticeship programs are a catalyst for preparing individuals for career success. However, navigating one can be challenging and apprentices may face barriers, hindering their success.
WEBINAR
Strategies to reduce apprenticeship dropout rates
Poor apprenticeship achievement rates currently sit at 52%, and new targets for achievement rates set at 67% by 2025, have highlighted the importance of getting on-programme support right.
CONTENT HUB
We Love Apprenticeships
We are excited to celebrate apprenticeships and showcase how we support them. This includes expert led webinars and sharing thought-provoking blogs about apprenticeships in education.
.