One Simple Measure from the ESFA – and it won’t Cost a Penny

Suspend #EPA!

Whilst there has been widespread disappointment across the sector about @ESFAgov not guaranteeing profiled payment for providers – we cannot see any medium term benefit in that, especially as it comes with the sting in the tail of not being able to furlough staff, we have continually advocated one simple change which the ESFA could introduce quickly, would cost nothing, would indeed save money and would support learners, employers and progressions. 

Temporarily Suspend EPA and Allow Providers to Self-Certify Completions

There is a clear precedent for this:

• Schools are in effect self-certifying GCSE and A Level results with some external moderation
• The EPA success rate is over 95% so it does presume the providers are doing at least 90% of the job correct 
• Providers have been used to assessing completions competently for many years with external validation – it was called external verification.

There are many learners wanting to progress and many learners wanting to achieve success and are waiting, there are also learners waiting for a ‘pay rise’ on successful achievement (which may be urgently needed in this current time) – why would the ESFA and the sector want to delay this at this important time in everyone’s lives.

The solution is a simple one – suspend EPA for 6 months and allow providers to self-certify completions and claim the funding and achieve the learners. 

At the same time establish a process where EPAO’s can undertake some validation and moderation of results to make sure providers are not ‘taking advantage’ of this concession. When COVID-19 is over, we can revert either to ‘normal service resumes’ or even better review that the interim measure worked perfectly well and we could all save the Public Purse a few hundred million a year.

This simple measure would help providers, would help learners and their employers and would be cost neutral to the Government – I call that a win, win situation!

So come on ESFA, we know you are listening to us at Promote-Ed through some of the actions you have already taken – put a cheer on everyone’s face, you then don’t even have to consider profiling of Apprenticeship funding – because why would a provider want that anyway if the condition that comes with it is no furloughing!

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