Assistant Practitioner (Maternity Support Worker) Apprenticeship FdSc

Admission is subject to:

• Occupational health screening.
• Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check including checks against the Adult and Child Workforce Barring Lists.
• Completion of a digital and technological literacy questionnaire.
• Working in the sector.
• Sponsorship from an approved employer within the industry.
• Meeting all the requirements of the Education and Skills Funding Agency to undertake an apprenticeship as listed in the Apprenticeship Funding Rules.

All applicants who meet the minimum requirements are required to attend an interview and selection day. The day will include an appraisal of current digital literacy skills which will assess applicants' level of confidence with selected aspects of digital literacy and provide a baseline from which to develop capability in digital and technological literacy during the programme.

As an apprentice, you should be employed at NHS Agenda for Change Band 2 or 3 as a healthcare support worker (or equivalent). At the point of entry onto the programme, you should be working within a health or care setting where you can be appropriately supervised by a Registered Midwife or other appropriate health or care professional, such as a Band 4 Maternity Support Worker. You will need to have agreed with your employer that you can attend one day of study release each week and attend placements external to usual place of work throughout the course. The apprenticeship tuition fees are funded through the apprenticeship levy payable via your employer.

This programme is not suitable for international applicants without the Right to Work in England.

There is no common format for EPAs, as they vary between apprenticeships. All EPAs are developed from 'assessment plans', drawn up by the trailblazer group responsible for apprenticeship standard and subsequently approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE).

An apprentice's EPA plan must detail the knowledge, skills and experience that they are expected to achieve as assessed by independent assessors. Employers have an important role in assessing competency and they have a key responsibility at the gateway in signing off the apprentice as ready to undertake EPA.

The EPA can be conducted either be awarding organisations, training providers like Kingston University, in case of integrated assessment, or End-Point Assessment Organisations (EPAOs). Without exception all should;

• EPA must be conducted by an independent EPAO, which must be on the Register of End-Point Assessment Organisations. EPAOs will employ independent assessors.
• Ensure independence – the EPA should be an independent assessment of an apprentice's competence. The decision on whether an apprentice has passed their EPA and what their final grade should be, must be taken by someone who has no vested interest in this decision or relationship to the apprentice. This is to ensure that all apprentices are treated fairly and helps to maintain trust in the robustness of the EPA system.
• Underpin their EPA services with independent quality assurance.
• Have relevant occupational experience of the apprenticeship standard.
• Meet at least twice annually, review programme content and delivery, consider feedback from apprentices, employers and academics, and report findings annually to the University – through established committee structure and to employers.

Employers can choose any organisation listed on the Register of End-Point Assessment Organisations (RoEPAO) against the apprenticeship standard being taken by their apprentice. RoEPAO lists organisations that have been assessed by the ESFA as being suitable to conduct independent EPA of apprentices. The employer can then inform Kingston University who will support the EPA process.

For apprenticeship that follow an integrated approach, the University delivering the apprenticeship will also be the EPAO and must be on the RoEPAO. Thus, integrated apprenticeships are where Kingston University provides both the scheduled teaching and the EPA. No independent assessor organisation is required – though the EPA must still deliver an impartial result – with assessors independent of the apprentice and their employer and, where possible, from a third-party organisation such as a professional body or another employer. If this is not possible, they may be sourced from within the same University but must be occupationally competent, meet any other conditions for assessors and not have been involved in the on-programme delivery.

For further details on EPA process for a particular apprenticeship programme please contact the relevant Apprenticeship Course Leader or Faculty Student/Degree Apprenticeship Officer. You can also get in touch with the Kingston University apprenticeships team via degreeapprenticeships@kingston.ac.uk or 020 8417 5492.