Completing Your Apprenticeship

Gateway

Once you’ve completed your on-programme training you will go through gateway. This is where we agree with you and your line manager that you have acquired the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the Apprenticeship standard and are ready to undertake end-point assessment.

Apprentices can only enter gateway after completing the 12 months on programme and on completion of 20% off-the-job, 100% KSBs, completed Maths & English (if required) and readiness for assessment as agreed by coach, learner progress adviser, apprentice and line manager.

End Point Assessment (EPA)

EPA is the process at the end of your program for you to demonstrate to a third-party assessor that you have acquired knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB’s) throughout your training set out in the Apprenticeship standard.

The EPA will be carried out by an End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO). The EPAO is an impartial organisation which takes responsibility for the final assessment of the apprentice against the requirements of their apprenticeship.

Your Assessment

The apprenticeship standard was revised in February 2024. Depending on when you started your apprenticeship, your EPA will be different. Please refer to the appropriate section below.

Assessment for apprentices who started before 2024

During EPA, you will complete the following

A one-hour multiple-choice test with 30 questions split evenly between scenario and knowledge-based questions.

The criteria are as follows:

  • Current affairs, the PR industry, the media and marketing
  • Finance processes related to PR campaigns
  • The principles of operational management
  • Public Relations & Communications objectives 

Your work-based project will be real life and live project that will take place over a 6 – 8 week period that will need to cover all elements of the criteria.

In addition to a report, presentation and Q&A on a work-based project.

The report will be around 2,500 words and will cover the project context, your responsibilities, actions are taken (planning and execution) and an evaluation of the outcomes.

Example projects include:

  • leading on the social media associated with a campaign,
  • planning and execution of an event,
  • creating stories/narratives to successfully engage media,
  • developing public relations (PR) tactics and strategies for repositioning a client in the minds of the public.

You will deliver a 10-minute presentation to an independent end-point assessor on your project. This is followed by 25 minutes of questioning.

Resources for your End Point Assessment

There are templates and further docs available in OneFile in the Resources section.

Assessment for apprentices who started after February 2024

During EPA, you will complete the following

This EPA method includes 2 component(s):

  • written project report
  • presentation with questions and answers.

After gateway, you will complete a 3000 word written project report based on a specific problem, a recurring issue or an idea or opportunity. It will inlcude

  • an introduction including an outline of the written project report aims
  • approach taken including research and risks as applicable
  • stakeholders involved and their roles
  • communication plans which have fed into the communication strategy
  • outcomes and impact of the written project report recommendations and conclusions

You will also prepare and deliver a presentation to an independent assessor, covering an overview of the project and it’s scope, actions you have undertaken, the project outcomes and how these were achieved. The presentation will last 15 minutes with questioning of around 25 minutes.

A 60 minute structured discussion with an independent assessor to provide the opportunity to demonstrate comptetance in the KSBs mapped to this assessment method (see the EPA plan for the mapping). It will assess your competence against the following themes:

  • Communication and campaigns
  • Organisation, structure, and strategy
  • Media and public relations
  • Team, performance, and objectives
  • Regulations and legislation

During your apprenticeship you will create a portfolio of evidence that will underpin this discussion. You will be able to refer to and illustrate your answers with evidence from your portfolio.

Resources for your End Point Assessment

Top Tips …

Think

How will you take what you have learnt forward with you into your future work?

Challenge Yourself

You will need to deliver a presentation as part of the EPA. Look for opportunities to practice your presentations skills as part of your job role or in your apprenticeship seminars.

Be Proactive

Try to consider what sort of project you would like to get involved with as early as possible. Your coach will support you through this and will be able to answer questions about what you could select.

Keep Abreast of PR news

Keep up to date with current affairs & PR industry news. Here are some useful sources:

Manage Your Time

Use an hour of your off the job time each week to update your OneFile journal weekly to log your OTJ training and activities.

This will save you from undertaking a big job at the end when you need to reach your 20% target to move into Gateway.