Social Work Degree Apprenticeships were launched in England as a new pathway to professional qualification in 2019, offering an alternative to the established Undergraduate and Post graduate social work training routes. The first cohorts of apprentices have now completed their End Point Assessment (EPA) but with assessment formats having been disputed from the inception of the English Degree, the pressure on those institutions and staff delivering the EPA remains considerable, particularly with changes already planned. Apprentices who experienced this process for the first time may also have faced greater uncertainty, than peers on more traditional qualifying programmes.
The UoC was one of the first English universities to offer the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship and accordingly is one of the first to complete the EPA. This article, authored by the Lead Assessor and the Employer Relationships Manager for the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship describes the process of delivery in depth, as well as discussing lessons learned and areas for development. A review has found no existing literature on the EPA and this article is thereby intended as a contribution to this gap, as well as providing an opportunity to share lessons from the experience with those who may be delivering the EPA in the future.