Access Training (East Midlands) Ltd achieves EPA Centre of Excellence status

High pass rates and a high number of distinctions are why Access Training (East Midlands) Ltd has been chosen as a Centre of Excellence for End-Point Assessment (EPA), according to City and Guilds.

The organisation, which has training centres in both Nottingham and Derby, joins only 100 of independent training providers/colleges and employer providers across England and Wales to be awarded this standard.

It has been delivering EPA through City and Guilds since the Apprenticeship Standards were first introduced in 2017, for apprenticeships ranging from Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 to Team Leader Supervisor Level 3, and Operations and Departmental Manager Level 5. This follows a number of qualifications delivered in partnership with City and Guilds for over three decades, including in the areas of Childcare, Health and Social Care, Customer Service, Teacher and Assessor Training and Construction.

Rebecca Hollamby, End Point Assessment Partnership Manager servicing City and Guilds, said,

“City and Guilds has a 140-year history of working in education and with industry and partners, and is trusted universally as a leading end-point assessment (EPA) services organisation.

“Our ethos is helping learners and employers to identify and develop the skills they need to thrive. Access Training, through their high pass rate, number of distinctions and unfailing commitment to their learners, most certainly brings that ethos to life. They are very worthy recipients of the coveted status of EPA Centre of Excellence.”

Two examples of Access Training’s learners who are benefiting from City and Guilds accredited training are Tim Weymouth and Daisy Bennett from insurance brokers Aston Lark, in Derby. Their Level 3 Team Leader/ Supervisor apprenticeship has already offered a very tangible impact.

Tom comments, “it has given me the “science” behind some of the leadership traits I wish to have, as well as the framework to introduce change to a team.”

Daisy adds, “I know how to build a good team through the knowledge team dynamics, how to manage my time well and also help others in my team to do the same.”

Lorraine Nicholson, Operations Director at Access Training said,

“Our relationship with City and Guilds is an important one since, for many sectors such as Construction and Management, the internationally recognised City and Guilds/ILM is the industry standard valued by learners and employers alike.

“Our trainer assessors are tireless in offering the pastoral care our learners need to achieve – whether that be supporting them with additional learning needs like dyslexia, housing issues, or simply lending an ear when things get too much. That – and the sheer will of our learners in working hard to improve their life chances – is what makes this recognition so well deserved.”