Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service to provide end-point assessment for EDF Energy’s Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician (MOET) apprentices

EDF Energy, the UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity, has appointed the Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service to provide end-point assessment for its apprentices on the Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician (MOET) apprenticeship standard.

As part of a five-year contract, the Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service will provide end-point assessment to EDF Energy’s first cohort of MOET apprentices (47 learners) that started their apprenticeship in September 2017 and are due to enter the end-point assessment process in 2020, as well as a further 26 MOET apprentices that started in September 2018.

Dr Jacqueline Hall, Associate Director of the Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service, said: “End-point assessment is a vital part of the apprenticeship journey. We are committed to quality and deliver a rigorous and robust end-point assessment service, ensuring apprentices can do the job they have trained for. We look forward to working with EDF Energy, providing them with industry expertise and guidance throughout the apprenticeship journey, and making sure their apprentices are prepared for their assessment and make the best start on their future careers.”

Mike Fisher, Apprentice Transition Project Manager at EDF Energy, said: “EDF Energy has been involved in developing the MOET Apprenticeship Standard to meet the needs of the future generations of our Maintenance Technician Apprentices. We have worked in collaboration with employers to create the right apprenticeship standard for our business and we are confident that the Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service will provide us with a rigorous and robust end-point assessment service that confirms our technicians are suitably qualified and competent to work on nuclear safety critical equipment after completing the learning journey of their apprenticeship.”

Being approved to deliver end-point assessment on the Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician apprenticeship standard means that the Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service can provide high-quality end-point assessment services to clients beyond energy and utilities. It has already been appointed by British Steel to provide end-point assessment on the first cohort of Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician apprentices to graduate in any sector in the UK.

The Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service recently celebrated passing the 500-mark of apprentices completing end-point assessment on the new English apprenticeship standards at a special event at the House of Lords (30 October 2018). Many senior stakeholders attended the event, including representatives from the Houses of Parliament, the Institute for Apprenticeships, industry regulators, unions and professional bodies. They joined employers from across the water, gas, power and waste management utilities, along with their main delivery partners in the supply chain.

The Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service has recently been named as a finalist for the Supply Chain Excellence award at the Utility Week Awards 2018.

The Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service is a Government approved apprenticeship end-point assessment organisation. It was the first end-point assessment organisation to have apprentices achieve on the new English apprenticeship standards. It is committed to quality and delivers a rigorous and robust end-point assessment service, ensuring apprentices can do the job they are trained for. It works with a range of industries including gas, power, water, waste management, nuclear and many more. To date, 638 apprentices have completed end-point assessment with the Energy & Utilities Independent Assessment Service.

Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician is a Level 3 English Apprenticeship standard. A Maintenance and Operations Engineering Technician maintains the safety, integrity and effective operation of plant and equipment in industries including energy and utilities, nuclear, food and drink, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and more. These Technicians will undertake installation, testing, servicing, removal, replacement, maintenance and repair of a range of equipment as part of planned preventative and reactive maintenance programmes. They may also decommission equipment when a plant is removed from service. This apprenticeship has seven occupational pathways: Electrical Technician; Mechanical Technician; Control and Instrumentation Technician; Wind Turbine Technician; Electrical System and Process Control Technician; Electromechanical Technician; Plant Operations Technician. This apprenticeship will typically take between 36 and 42 months.

End-point assessment allows apprentices to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours, as defined in the published apprenticeship standard, so that they can complete and achieve their apprenticeship. It is taken by apprentices at the very end of the on-programme phase of training when their employer (and in some cases their training provider) is satisfied that they have met the “gateway” criteria to undertake the assessment. An independent organisation must be selected by an employer to carry out the end-point assessment of each apprentice, to ensure apprentices are assessed consistently and comparably. End-point assessment is graded as defined in the published assessment plan. An apprenticeship certificate is only awarded after end-point assessment is successfully completed.

About EDF Energy: The UK’s largest producer of low-carbon electricity, meeting around one-fifth of the country’s demand and supplying millions of customers and businesses with electricity and gas.

It generates electricity with eight nuclear power stations, more than 30 wind farms, one gas and two coal power stations, as well as with combined heat and power plants.

EDF Energy is leading the UK’s nuclear renaissance with the construction of a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C. This will provide low carbon electricity to meet 7% of UK demand. The project is already making a positive impact on the local and national economy, British industry, as well as boosting skills and education. EDF Energy also invests in a range of low carbon technologies including renewables and battery storage. It is applying research and development expertise to improve the performance of existing generation and developing the potential of new technologies.