The Gateway to Success The national End-Point Assessment Organisation, Prepare To Achieve, is an award-winning company specialising in assessment training for apprentices of the UK health and social care industry. Providing unparalleled transparency and innovation, PTA has established itself at the forefront of its field, making valuable contributions in shaping the workforce of the future. Prepare To Achieve is an award-winning End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) that works with employers across the UK’s health and social care sector to assess their employees, ensuring that apprentices have the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to succeed. Currently offering the End-Point Assessment (EPA) for the Level 2 Adult Care Worker and Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker, PTA hopes to expand its services so as to further contribute to the professional development of apprentices. The EPA has been created in line with the increasing standards of apprenticeships, that has only been accelerated by the Government’s plans to augment the number of apprenticeships being studied nationally by 2020. The EPA acts as a ‘quality assurance’ mark of an apprenticeship, qualifying that the training has been successfully completed and that the apprentice has acquired the necessary skills and knowledge to proceed in their career. Unlike a school exam, the EPA is employer-led so as to be as relevant as possible to the chosen sector and the final test is broken down into two components: a Situational Judgement Test, which contains multiple-choice questions based on real-life scenarios, and the Professional Discussion, which takes the form of a structured interview. PTA seeks to provide apprentices with a hassle-free, timely and transparent experience when completing their EPA, and as a result, has been recognised as England’s Best Health and Social Care End-Point Assessment Organisation 2020 at the Education and Training Awards. PTA has created a program built around profound understanding and respect for the tight budgets and specific requirements of its apprentices and accordingly develops its offering to suit. For instance, the launch of its ‘Three Price Promise’ in February 2020 guaranteed one flat fee at the start of the PTA programme, with no hidden or extra costs in re-sits, appeals or registrations. Clients are never charged before Gateway, which marks the beginning of the EPA, even if PTA is chosen at the very start of the apprenticeship. Moreover, in promising transparency and consistency in its costs, PTA guarantees that any savings the firm can make in the delivery of the EPA is handed straight back to their apprentices. This commitment to transparency goes hand-in-hand with the team’s commitment to communication, which is vital to the maintenance of strong working relationships with employers and apprentices alike. From regular updates on progress to thorough feedback on assessments, PTA’s team of programme providers go above and beyond to ensure its clients are in the know about their career paths and how they can continue to move forward. Similarly, with a purpose that centres around progression, PTA itself strives to constantly look ahead, exploring new ways in which it can improve and innovate its customer experience. The adoption of technology in its virtual EPA delivery has been one of the many significant steps taken in this direction, connecting and supporting their customers more effectively and efficiently, particularly in a period where apprentices and educators are more physically separate than ever before. The additional investment in resources such as videos and downloadable guides for both employers and apprentices has only enhanced the accessibility of PTA’s high-quality offering, unimpeded by the ongoing global pandemic. In fact, PTA has continued operating at full capacity through virtual mediums since the onset of the pandemic, supporting more than 150 apprentices and thirty-nine employers in the first two months alone. A year later, PTA continues to develop its digital offering with the creation of a new EPA platform that will allow clients access to its virtual service 24/7, 365 days a year. After all, if the health and social care industry that they serve never stops, why should the development of apprentices through the EPA? Consequently, PTA ensures its apprentices continue developing, even after the completion of the EPA. The firm welcomes its apprentices into an exclusive alumni network that not only accommodates continuous learning and relevant updates on industry trends, but enables connections between peers, inspiring shared knowledge and united growth. Although still in its infancy, the alumni programme is proving enormously successful, contributing added value to the already wellreputed offering of PTA. Apprenticeship Co-ordinator at South West Skills Academy, Craig Burley, surmises the success of the company succinctly in his recent review: “Beyond the assessment, [PTA] are also a really helpful company, who are always there to offer support and guidance when we need it.” Contact: Lee Evans Website: preparetoachieve.co.uk Jul20524
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