Guidance

Joining the APAR as an end-point assessment organisation

How end-point assessment organisations (EPAOs) join the apprenticeship provider and assessment register (APAR).

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 1 August 2023
• Last updated: 9 February 2024 — See all updates

Applies to England

Being on the APAR

If you are an end-point assessment organisation (EPAO), also known as an awarding body, and you carry out assessments for apprentices in England, you must be on the apprenticeship providers and assessment register (APAR). APAR replaces the former register of end-point assessment organisations (RoEPAO).

The APAR is a record of organisations that can:

• undertake end-point assessments for the standards you are approved to assess
• receive government funding to train apprentices

Once your organisation is on the APAR, it is eligible to perform relevant end-point assessments for apprenticeships.

Being on the APAR does not mean your organisation is recommended by ESFA or DfE and you cannot use their logos or branding.

There is a separate process for joining the APAR as an apprenticeship training provider.

Registration requirements

To be on the APAR, your EPAO must have:

• an apprenticeship assessment service account - if you do not have an account, or you are a new EPAOs that has not previously been listed on the RoEPAO, you need to create an account in the apprenticeship assessment service, which you can do after you have been recognised by a regulator
• a UK provider reference number (UKPRN) issued by the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP)
• an Information Commissioner’s Office registration number
• a UK business address

Application process

The application process is different depending on which standards you are assessing.

Ofqual regulated standards

1. EPAOs must gain approval from Ofqual to expand their scope of recognition for the standards they want to provide end-point assessment for.
2. EPAOs must add themselves to the Ofqual register of regulated qualifications with an appropriate operational date.
3. Standards will automatically be added to an EPAOs listing on the APAR.
4. EPAOs will not receive a notification that their new standards have been added to the APAR but they will see them in their list of standards within their apprenticeship service account.

Office for Students (OfS) regulated standards

1. EPAOs must identify the standards they want to be added to the APAR.
2. EPAOs must confirm they have regulatory approval (are on the OfS register) and the relevant level of degree awarding powers for the standards they have selected.
3. DfE verifies the information provided with the regulator and checks that the EPAO has approval to be an apprenticeship training provider on the APAR (formerly the register of apprenticeship training providers (RoATP)).
4. If the information is validated, the EPAO has the standards added to their listing on the APAR and receives an email confirming this.

Other standards outside OfS and Ofqual regulation

1. EPAOs must identify the standards they want to be added to the APAR.
2. EPAOs must confirm they have the approval from the relevant regulator.
3. DfE verifies the information provided with the appropriate regulator.
4. If the information is validated, the EPAO has the standards added to their listing on the APAR and receives an email confirming this.

Acceptance onto the APAR

To process your request to join the APAR, the Department for Education (DfE) uses information:

• held by the regulators
• provided by you in your application form

Your organisation will not be on the APAR until:

• your application has been submitted and has the necessary regulatory approval
• all your post application tasks have been completed including:
  • joining the apprenticeship service (not required for supporting providers subcontracted by training providers)
  • you have agreed to the conditions of acceptance for the APAR

Once the information provided is verified, the EPAO will appear on the APAR within 14 days.

Applications will be prioritised for standards that have:

• no EPAOs
• low numbers of EPAOs compared to learners

Being added to the APAR as an EPAO does not mean you can deliver on-programme training. An independent organisation must be involved in the end-point assessment of each apprentice (unless you are a higher education institution delivering an integrated degree) so that all apprentices following the same standard are assessed consistently.

Finding assessment opportunities

Potential and existing EPAOs can find apprenticeship assessment opportunities by searching for approved standards with active apprentices and few registered EPAOs.

Removing a standard

EPAOs that want to remove a standard from their listing or exit from the APAR will need to log into their apprenticeship assessment service account and process a withdrawal request. The exit process has now been fully digitalised.

Contact

For more support:

• search for help in the apprenticeship service
• call 08000 150 600 (selecting option 1 then option 2) between 8am and 8pm, Monday to Friday
• email helpdesk@manage-apprenticeships.service.gov.uk

Published 1 August 2023
Last updated 9 February 2024 + show all updates

1. 9 February 2024

   Removed the section 'EPAO in principle' as process has been retired.

2. 4 December 2023

   The 'Removing a standard' section has updated exit process information.

3. 16 August 2023

   Added a link to the apprenticeship provider and assessment register (APAR).

4. 1 August 2023

   First published.