Overview

At the start of any degree apprenticeship, it is vital that the employer, apprentice and HE provider fully understand all specific details and requirements of the published apprenticeship standard and associated assessment plan. An initial meeting between the apprentice, personal tutor and employer normally take place before or during the induction to clarify apprenticeship timescales, how the planned off-the-job training will be achieved and evidenced, the teaching and learning plans and all assessment expectations.

All three parties have a responsibility to fully understand the programme, Apprenticeship Standard and End Point Assessment Plan.

The Apprenticeship Evidence Portfolio is an essential part of any apprenticeship. The purpose for which is to continuously demonstrate how the apprenticeship and associated learning is developing the apprentices’ knowledge base and skillset. Evidence will be collated through academic learning and workplace practice. Apprentices will receive an Initial Needs Assessment to complete at the start of their apprenticeship which outlines possible modules or areas where such evidence may come from. Apprenticeship Evidence Portfolios are collated throughout the duration of the apprenticeship and are assessed as part of an apprentices’ End Point Assessment by the End Point Assessment Organisation, who can be the University or an external organisation. Confirmation of who the End Point Assessment Organisation is will be given at the start of an apprenticeship.

Apprentices cannot complete their apprenticeship without having completed an Apprenticeship Evidence Portfolio.

At the University of Birmingham, apprentices use the online platform, PebblePad, to produce their Apprenticeship Evidence Portfolio. It is imperative that academic tutors and workplace mentors or line managers are granted access to view apprentices’ portfolios to ensure that they can sign-off the relevant work associated with each element of the apprenticeship.

What is an Apprenticeship Evidence Portfolio?

An Apprenticeship Evidence Portfolio is an online portfolio of evidence to demonstrate that an apprentice is making good progress with their apprenticeship.

Progress will be recorded and monitored within PebblePad by the apprentice to demonstrate how they have met the competencies, which are broken down as Knowledge Skills and Behaviours within the Apprenticeship Standard. To support apprentices with understanding where their evidence may come from, the University will provide each apprentice with a mapping tool as part of their Initial Needs Assessment at the start of their apprenticeship. This will illustrate which modules should provide evidence for each competency.

It is important that apprentices engage regularly with their Apprenticeship Evidence Portfolios and upload evidence as they go along to avoid it becoming unmanageable. Failure to develop and complete an Evidence Portfolio would result in the apprentice not being awarded their degree apprenticeship.

The Apprentice Evidence Portfolio is divided into three sections:

1. Recording evidence against the Apprenticeship Standard

This is where apprentices track and upload evidence against the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours set out in the Apprenticeship Standard. For each element, apprentices will need to upload evidence to demonstrate that they have met each competency. Details on the kind of evidence that may be acceptable can be found on page three of this document.

Apprentices will then be required to provide a brief summary of how they feel this has been met and what they have learned. Without such an explanation, the competency will not be signed off as complete. Apprentices are able to indicate whether a competency has been partially or fully met after a piece of evidence has been uploaded. This is important as it will help the Personal Tutor or Line Manager when they are reviewing the Portfolio.

It is the responsibility of the Personal Tutor or Line Manager to sign off each competency. They will need to fully understand the relevance of the evidence submitted and how it helps to demonstrate that the competency has been met, which should be provided through the written explanation.

2. Progress Review Meetings (Tripartite Meetings)

The tripartite meetings section houses the templates that will be used to record tripartite review meetings that will take place at least three times in each year of study. The tri-partite relationship is between the apprentice, Personal Tutor as the University representative and Line Manager as the employer representative.

This section will be used to track progress, and identify actions and goals to ensure the competencies set out in the Apprenticeship Standard are fully met.

Apprentices must complete a tripartite template at least one week in advance of a tripartite meeting which will be reviewed by both the Personal Tutor and Line Manager and discussed at the meeting. Personal Tutors and Line Managers will then provide written comments in the template within one week of the meeting taking place.

3. Activity Log

The final section of the Apprenticeship Evidence Portfolio is an activity log. This is where apprentices will upload their target off-the-job hours and will log activities they have undertaken as part of their off-the-job training outside of lectures and seminars. A lot of this evidence may come from the workplace, or through writing assignments. Templates for providing evidence are housed in PebblePad and the technical guidance will provide instructions on how to access these.

This section should also link to the competencies set out in the Apprenticeship Standard and some of the activities logged here can be transferred and used as evidence in the Evidence Portfolio to demonstrate competence.

Please note that any off-the-job hours should be completed during the apprentices’ normal working hours. Where they are completed outside of their normal working hours, for example at weekends or during evenings, their employer should grant the apprentice time back in lieu.

Why do apprentices need an e-portfolio?

The e-portfolio is collected online. It showcases a variety of work that demonstrates areas in which the apprentice has excelled. It is used to make sure the apprentice is ready to take the End Point Assessment (EPA). If an apprentice has not collated the required evidence within their e-portfolio by the time they reach Gateway, they will not be able to progress to their EPA.

Who is responsible for making sure apprentices complete their e-portfolio?

The academic department responsible for delivering the apprenticeship is also responsible for supporting the apprentice to create their online e-portfolio and driving engagement with PebblePad forward.

Where apprentices are not engaging, the academic department should remind apprentices that failure to complete their e-portfolio of evidence by the end of their apprenticeship will result in them not being awarded their qualification.

Employers and workplace mentors will also be able to review and approve evidence submitted by apprentices, demonstrating that they have successfully completed the training and learnt the knowledge, skills and behaviour necessary for the EPA.