EPAO Nominated for Two Awards

1st for EPA has been commended for its growth after being named a finalist for two awards in the FSB North East Celebrating Small Business Awards 2022. The Federation of Small Businesses, which runs the awards, named the company a finalist in the categories Start-Up Business of the Year and High Growth Business of the Year.

The end point assessment organisation (EPAO) works collaboratively with training providers and employers to make EPA transparent and support apprentices through to completion.

Managing Director Helen Shinner said: “These awards come as great recognition for us and show how much we’ve grown since our creation in 2019. We now have 31 assessors across England and our head office team is growing all the time. We’ve recently added new standards to our offer, including Data Analyst and Data Technician, and are currently developing Senior People Professional and Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability Practitioner.

Throughout our growth, we’ve kept our quality high – in September 2021 we gained Ofqual recognition, a great stamp of approval that gives reassurance to training providers and employers. The whole team genuinely love what they do, and it shows in our high pass rate and all the 5-star reviews we receive.”

1st for EPA was also in the news last October when they won Best New Business at the Tees Businesswomen Awards 2021, as well as being finalists in the Training & Apprenticeships and Small Business of the Year categories.

The FSB North East awards take place on 21 March 2022. All winners gain a place in the national finals, which take place in Glasgow later in 2022.

The FSB offers not-for-profit small business advice, financial expertise, support and a powerful voice in UK government. Previous winners of the awards include Glencoe Activities and Cobalt Aerospace.

1st for EPA is an Ofqual-recognised End Point Assessment Organisation. The company assesses apprenticeship standards including Digital Marketer, Marketing, PR & Communications, HR, Data, Business Administrator, and Junior Content Producer.

To find out more, visit www.1stforepa.co.uk