Lockdown no barrier to achievement for Newbury’s apprentices

Engineering Apprentices, studying for their degree #apprenticeship at @NewburyCollege in partnership with @BucksNewUni have successfully achieved their @EAL_Awards apprenticeship, despite the difficulties surrounding lockdown. 

The final element of an apprenticeship is an End-Point Assessment (EPA), in which the apprentice presents an overview of their knowledge, the practical capabilities of the role they are in and evidences that they are qualified to do the job they have been training for.

Due to the current lockdown, there was a considerable concern that EPAs would have to be cancelled. However, the Apprenticeship Team at Newbury College worked incredibly hard with the exam body EAL to ensure that the apprentices would not miss out and managed to create a remote EPA. 

The apprentices have complimented the support they received from College staff, and the outstanding achievement is an excellent reflection of the hard work and dedication of both the apprentices and the College team. 

Tim Coole, Course Leader, commented:

“This year has shown the second cohort of students who have achieved outstanding results in their degree at Newbury College. It shows the quality and the range of projects completed by the students throughout the year and excellent dedication they have to their studies”

he continued “It is encouraging for the development of the University Centre Newbury (UCN). This year has seen a significant increase in the student numbers in the final year of the Engineering degree programme and adds to the success of this programme moving forward.” 

Jo Houghton, Director of Business and Partnerships, added:

“We are delighted with the standard of work reflected in these excellent results for the degree apprentices, especially facing the barriers in place during the lockdown. As UCN progresses, we are confident that this standard will continue to provide the community with highly skilled, highly qualified professionals”. 

The University Centre Newbury will provide degrees and higher-level qualifications in the key sectors of digital technology, business & finance, engineering, health & social care and construction. 

The first students of the University Centre will begin their studies in dedicated facilities within the College building, before moving into the state-of-the-art building, once it is completed.