A Guide to End-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard Version 2
Contents 1. Introduction... 3 2. Purpose... 4 3. Entry requirements... 4 4. Duration... 4 5. Summary of assessment... 4 5.1 Gateway to end-point assessment... 6 5.2 End-point assessment... 6 5.2.1 Choosing an end-point assessment delivery model... 6 5.2.2 Arranging the end-point assessment... 6 5.2.3 Conducting the end-point assessment... 7 5.2.4 Issuing end-point assessment results... Error! Bookmark not defined. 6. Certification of the apprenticeship... 11 7. End-point assessment organisations... 11 VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 2
1. Introduction Following a review of apprenticeships commissioned by the UK Government, the Richard Review of Apprenticeships (published November 2012) recommended a more employer-focussed approach to the development, delivery and funding of apprenticeships in England. The apprenticeship system has therefore been undergoing a series of reforms in order to increase quality, simplify the system, and put employers in the driving seat so that apprenticeships reflect the skills required by employers. The apprenticeships being developed under these reforms are called Trailblazers. The reforms also seek to ensure that employers work with professional/trade bodies so that apprentices are able to gain professional recognition where possible. The Team Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard, is an Apprenticeship that have been developed by a group of employers which includes Boots UK, British Gas Services Ltd, BT plc and Superdrug Stores plc alongside others. The Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship is formed on the basis of a Standard and Assessment Plan which can be located at the following links: Standard https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/455236/customer_s ERVICE_Customer_Service_Practitioner.pdf Assessment Plan https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584774/assessment_ Plan_Customer_Service_Practitioner_17_01_17.pdf The role of a customer service practitioner is to deliver high-quality products and services to the customers of their organisation. The core responsibility will be to provide a high quality service to customers which will be delivered from the workplace, digitally, or through going out into the customer s own locality. These may be one-off or routine contacts and include dealing with orders, payments, offering advice, guidance and support, meet-and-greet, sales, fixing problems, aftercare, service recovery or gaining insight through measuring customer satisfaction. The customer service practitioner may be the first point of contact and work in any sector or organisation type. The actions of the customer service practitioner will influence the customer experience and their satisfaction with an organisation. The apprentice must demonstrate excellent customer service skills and behaviours as well as product and/or service knowledge when delivering effective customer service to customers. The apprentice must provide service in line with the organisation s customer service standards and strategy and within appropriate regulatory requirements. Customer interactions may cover a wide range of situations and can include; face-to-face, telephone, post, email, text and social media. The completion of this apprenticeship will provide eligibility for apprentices to join the Institute of Customer Service as an Individual Member at Professional Level. VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 3
2. Purpose This document sets out to provide an overview of the Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship with a specific and detailed focus on the end-point assessment. 3. Entry requirements Individual employers will set the selection criteria for their apprentices. Providers must liaise with employers to determine their requirements, in line with any specific requirements that are desired. Apprentices will be required to have or achieve level 1 English and maths and to have taken level 2 English and maths tests prior to completion of their Apprenticeship. Evidence of this must be collated by the provider. Where this is not the case, apprentices must complete these prior to their end-point assessment and completion of the Apprenticeship, with evidence provided to VTCT as the Apprentice Assessment Organisation. 4. Duration The whole programme will be completed in no less than 12 months. In agreement with the apprentice, employer and provider, the apprentice may start the end-point assessment at the earliest after 12 months on-programme. 5. Summary of assessment The assessment approach is critical, being robust, challenging and testing, and must ensure that apprentices meet the skills, knowledge and behaviour outcomes as defined in the Standard, whichever Training Provider is delivering the Apprenticeship, with VTCT acting as the Independent Apprentice Assessment Organisation undertaking the end-point assessment. The approach has been designed to be: Appropriate, relevant and feasible in a wide range of contexts Consistent across these contexts Affordable and manageable based on the number of potential learners Each Training Provider will develop its own apprenticeship programme and will map this to the required outcomes in the standard. VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 4
Overview of the Customer Service Practitioner (Level 2) Apprenticeship On-programme learning and assessment The period of learning, development and continuous assessment is managed by the employer, in most cases with the support of a training provider. The on-programme pace will be driven by individuals as well as by the breadth of experience an employer can offer prior to the minimum of 12 months after which end-point assessment will take place. Employers should work closely with any training provider to plan and deliver support and training appropriately. Working closely will add value to the employer as it centres on real work competencies demonstrated in a real-work environment. To drive quality and consistency through on-programme learning, employers may wish to consider the following; Use of their normal performance management processes to monitor the progress of the apprentice, provide feedback and guide development Training providers may support ensuring the requirements of the apprenticeship standard are reflected in the above processes, and by filling any gaps through their work with apprentices. Employers and training providers could carry out joint reviews of progress at regular intervals, involving apprentices, line managers and others with a direct relationship e.g. mentors, workplace coaches, etc. They should agree how any issues are to be resolved together. Apprentices may develop and maintain examples of their work throughout their apprenticeship that cover the full standard. This could be in the form of a portfolio or other tracking method to be reviewed on-programme at intervals agreed by the employer and training provider, for example at 3, 6 and 9 months. VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 5
5.1 Gateway to end-point assessment The end-point assessment is synoptic and takes place at the end of the apprentice s learning and development, after a minimum of 12 months on-programme learning. The employer, and, if appropriate in conjunction with the Training Provider, will formally sign-off that the apprentice has met the minimum requirements in regards to knowledge, skills and behaviours within the standard and confirm they are ready to move on to the end-point assessment. This will happen during a meeting involving the apprentice, their line manager and the trainer. 5.2 End-point assessment It is the employer s responsibility to choose the end-point assessment organisation, though it is likely that in reality this will happen in liaison with the provider. This section describes the end-point assessment for the Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard. The end-point assessment will be conducted by a VTCT Independent Assessment Examiner (IAE). All examiners are fully trained, standardised to ensure consistent assessment decisions and must adhere to a strict code of conduct. 5.2.1 Choosing an end-point assessment delivery model VTCT is committed to provide a range of cost effective solutions to support the varying types of training providers through the end-point assessment process. VTCT supports employers within the sector having expressed that end-point assessment methods should be flexible and, where possible, delivered virtually. The apprentice showcase, as agreed by the employer and apprentice with the assessment organisation, can therefore be assessed face-to-face or remotely. Practical observation and professional discussion will allow synoptic assessment across the standard and must include customer interaction, and therefore be conducted at the employer s specified location. Professional discussion will be of a structured nature between the apprentice and the IAE, following the observation, to establish the apprentice s understanding and application of knowledge, skills and behaviours within the standard. The discussion will be against set criteria in the occupational brief (Appendix A within the Customer Service Practitioner Assessment Plan) to ensure standardisation and consistency. IAE will have the capacity to conduct three assessments at the same given centre in one day. Each assessment has a fixed fee of 450. 5.2.2 Arranging the end-point assessment Whether this is at the provider s centre or host centre the end-point assessment must be booked using VTCT s online end-point assessment scheduler. A declaration must be completed for all apprentices at the time of scheduling to confirm that all prerequisites have been achieved. Available assessment dates and sessions will be published four months in advance. Sessions will be closed 14 days prior to the end-point assessment and cannot be scheduled after this time using the online system. The person booking the end-point assessment should select end-point assessment at own centre and select the preferred available date of the assessment. The IAE will contact the employer/provider directly to arrange the end-point assessment. Providers who wish to book an end-point assessment at their own centre in advance of four months should contact VTCT s centre processing team directly to arrange this. VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 6
5.2.3 Conducting the end-point assessment Following successful completion of the on-programme and gateway stages, the training provider will submit the apprentice s details to VTCT as the AAO (which should have been chosen by the employer). During the end-point assessment, the IAE will assess the knowledge, skills and behaviours required of a Customer Service Practitioner as set out in the standard. How is the Apprenticeship assessed? For each of the three assessment methods (detailed in the table below), all pass criteria (100%) must be achieved to progress and complete the apprenticeship programme, as identified in Annex A of the Customer Service Practitioner Level 2 Assessment Plan https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584774/assessment_plan _Customer_Service_Practitioner_17_01_17.pdf For a distinction to be awarded, apprentices must also achieve a distinction in each assessment method, as outlined below and identified in Annex A. Assessment Method Weighting Duration To achieve a pass To achieve a distinction Apprentice showcase 65% After a minimum of 12 months on-programme learning 100% You must meet all of the pass criteria AND 70% of the distinction criteria Practical Observation 20% Minimum of 1 hour 100% You must meet all of the pass criteria AND 80% of the distinction criteria Professional Discussion 15% 1 hour 100% You must meet all of the pass criteria AND 75% of the distinction criteria Apprentice Showcase The apprentice showcase should be compiled after 12 months of on-programme learning. The apprentice showcase enables apprentices to reflect and present examples of their development over the whole onprogramme period. With guidance from the employer and/or training provider, the apprentice will select appropriate evidence from the on-programme portfolio to demonstrate the minimum requirements of the standard at the final stage of the programme as an Apprentice Showcase. This should attest to professional competence at the given Level. The apprentice showcase will be reviewed and assessed by the IAE. The evidence contained in the apprentice showcase will be assessed against the following areas of the standard as highlighted in Appendix A of the Customer Service Practitioner Assessment Plan: VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 7
Understanding the organisation Meeting regulations and legislation Systems and resources Product and service knowledge Influencing skills Personal organisation Dealing with customer conflict and challenge Developing self Being open to feedback Team working Employers within the sector have strongly expressed that end-point assessment methods should be flexible, and, where possible, delivered virtually due to the impact of demand fluctuation on the quality of customer service within the sector. The apprentice showcase, as agreed by the employer and apprentice with the assessment organisation, can therefore be assessed face-to-face or remotely. It can be showcased by the learner through the delivery of a presentation or by a virtual form of assessment such as submission of a report, storyboard, journal etc. to the AAO. The apprentice showcase will be assessed against an externally set brief, written by VTCT as the AAO, working with employers and other stakeholders, as appropriate, to ensure consistency. It is expected that the externally set brief will include elements such as work-based evidence, including customer feedback, recordings, manager statements and witness statements. It will also include evidence from others, such as mid-and-end of year performance reviews, and feedback. It is important to acknowledge that the employer and training provider will work together throughout the on-programme stage, ensuring all teaching and learning is consistently applied throughout the Apprenticeship and not just at the point of assessment. The apprentice will then have a professional discussion (described in more detail overleaf) with the IAE which will provide an opportunity for the IAE to further examine the knowledge and understanding of the apprentice. This process will increase rigor, but further, will provide an opportunity to confirm competence and independence. Practical Observation & Professional Discussion The practical observation and professional discussion together provide the opportunity for a substantial synoptic assessment across the standard and must include customer interaction. Practical Observation The practical observation will be pre-planned and scheduled to when the apprentice will be in their normal place of work and will be carried out by the IAE. The observation should enable the apprentice to demonstrate their skills, knowledge and behaviour from across the standard to demonstrate genuine and demanding work objectives. Each situation within the observation will be different, and examples are, handling a general enquiry, dealing with a customer complaint or a need for further information or detail, but it is mandatory that the observation covers as a minimum: presentation, equality, interpersonal skills, communication and personal organisation. Those areas of the standard which are not able to be evidenced during the observation will be discussed subsequently as part of the professional discussion with the IAE Professional Discussion The professional discussion will be a structured discussion between the apprentice and the IAE, following the observation, to establish the apprentice s understanding and application of knowledge, skills and behaviours. The professional discussion must take place in a suitable environment and should last for a maximum of one hour. The discussion will be against set criteria in the occupational brief to ensure standardisation and consistency. It will be appropriately structured to effectively provide an opportunity to draw out the best of the apprentice s energy, enthusiasm, competence and excellence. VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 8
The purpose of the professional discussion is to: clarify any questions the IAE has from their assessment of the learner journey and practical observation; confirm and validate judgements about the quality of work; explore aspects of the work, including how it was carried out, in more detail; discuss how the apprentice would behave in specific scenarios, should they not have occurred within the practical observation; ask questions in relation to personal development and reflection; provide a basis for the Independent Assessor to make a decision about the grade to be awarded. The IAE will plan the professional discussion in advance and in conjunction with the apprentice and employer. It will follow the occupational brief which will be subject to internal and external quality assurance. The professional discussion will be graded by the IAE based on the standard and grading criteria. Final judgement and the overall grade for the Apprenticeship will be made by the IAE on completion of both the practical observation and professional discussion. Independence VTCT, as the AAO, will be responsible for the end-point assessment. As such it will have had no involvement in the delivery of the on-programme activities, no previous contact with the apprentice and be fully independent and impartial. The assessment decisions taken by IAEs will ensure consistent and reliable judgements. Each IAE has been selected based on meeting all of the following criteria: meet the following criteria: understanding of the customer service sector and of the role covered by the apprenticeship current occupational competence of 2 years or more no direct relationship with the apprentice hold or working towards a qualification to undertake assessment and verification activity (i.e.pgce, Cert Ed or Assessor/Verifier qualifications) and/ or have significant knowledge and expertise in providing consistent and appropriate judgements of a candidate s skill and ability The IAE will conduct an independent and impartial assessment of each Apprentice since they will not have had any prior involvement with the apprentice. This adds rigor and consistency to the assessment through their wider industry perspective, knowledge and experience. All components of the end-point assessment will be assessed independently using externally set marking/grading criteria. Regular and mandatory VTCT standardisation events are held for IAEs to support consistency and fairness at all times. VTCT as the AAO will be responsible for all aspects of the end-point assessment which includes: Designing all aspects of the end-point assessment in line with the Customer Service Practitioner Standard and Assessment Plan Provides an online booking system for the scheduling of end-point assessments Manages and allocates members of the IAE team Runs regular and mandatory standardisation events for IAEs Conducting all aspects of the remote and on-site assessments at the employers/training providers specified location. Processing certificate claims from the ESFA upon successful achievement of the Apprenticeship. Guidance will be provided on learning outcomes and assessment criteria which will cover the outcomes of the occupational brief in Appendix A in the Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Assessment Plan. Based on the outcomes of all assessment methods, the independent assessor will confirm whether the standard has been met or not. VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 9
End-point Assessment judgement The apprenticeship will be graded at Pass and Distinction grades which are applied at the end-point assessment with the final grade calculated based on the performance in the apprentice showcase, the practical observation and professional discussion. A pass apprentice will competently perform their role demonstrating application of the knowledge, skills and behaviours against the whole standard in line with organisation and regulatory requirements and ensure customer satisfaction. At a minimum they must meet all specified assessment criteria. A distinction apprentice, in addition to meeting the pass criteria, will consistently perform above the required level for the role. Assessment tools will be reviewed and refined as appropriate to ensure criteria can be achieved in a reliable and valid way. Robust marking/grading schemes will be developed by VTCT and used by all IAEs for each assessment method that makes up the end-point assessment. These will contain guidance on what is required to achieve each assessment component, and what constitutes the different grades. If any part of the assessment is not sufficient when first submitted, there will be an opportunity for the apprentice to retake the assessment, however multiple assessment opportunities are not expected; all parties at the gateway phase should be confident that the apprentice is in a position to achieve the endpoint assessment with practice runs in advance of the formal assessment. Should an Apprentice fail any part of the end-point assessment further development must be provided and made available to the IAE, prior to a retake. The final grade will be based on performance across the different assessment methods. The apprentice must achieve the minimum pass threshold in each of the three end-point assessment components and will be awarded a final grade based on the weighted average of these end assessment components. Quality Assurance VTCT has a robust and effective quality assurance system in place which includes ongoing monitoring and support of the IAE team, including regular mandatory standardisation meetings and events. Furthermore, routine checks of IAE CPD is conducted as are performance appraisals which include observations of the IAEs in practice. 5.2.4 Issuing end-point assessment results The IAE will not issue grades on the day of the end-point assessment. Grades will be made available to the provider within 48 hours of the end-point assessment. It is the responsibility of the provider to inform apprentices of their grade and to provide feedback in line with the IAEs report. Apprentices who wish to enquire about or appeal against an end-point assessment result issued by VTCT should refer to the VTCT Complaints and Appeals Policy for End-point Assessments. Affordability The VTCT end-point assessment for the Customer Service Practitioner offers an affordable and scalable solution to assessment for this apprenticeship. The approach is robust and will ensure the best use of management time, ensuring ongoing assessment during the apprenticeship programme, with an End-Point Assessment that delivers an effective synoptic assessment at reasonable cost and through a delivery model which minimises time and impact on the apprentice and employer. The end-point assessment will be delivered through a mixture of assessment methods, and where applicable digital solutions will be available. Where face-to-face assessment sessions are required, VTCT will seek to use provider or employer premises to maintain affordability. This will ensure that the employer and apprentices have easy access to the end-point assessment with little time spent on travel and associated costs. VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 10
The cost of the end-point assessment represents no more than 10% of the total cost of delivering the apprenticeship. Consistency The assessment methods described are designed to produce assessment outcomes that are consistent and reliable, allowing fair and proper comparison between apprentices employed in different types and sizes of organisations. The processes described in this section are designed to ensure the consistent application of the assessment processes and Standard. 6. Certification of the apprenticeship VTCT as the registered apprentice assessment organisation is responsible for the end-point assessment and will claim for the Certification of the apprenticeship to be issued by the Education and Skills Funding Agency ESFA) There is no requirement for providers to manually trigger the release of certificates. Certificates will be issued and claimed from the ESFA as part of an automated process when the learner achieves the end-point assessment. On receipt of certificates, apprentices are eligible to join the Institute of Customer Service as an Individual Member at Professional Level. 7. End-point assessment organisations Organisations that wish to deliver the end-point assessment the Customer Service Apprenticeship must do so in accordance with the published Assessment Plan, and be approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). All approved organisations are shown on the List of Assessment Organisations for Apprenticeships on the ESFA s website. VTCT has the assessment expertise and necessary resources to undertake the end-point assessment having a large number of trained IAEs that are regionally spread and available for conducting independent assessments. Standard setting takes place on a regular basis to ensure that VTCT s IAEs are consistent in their assessment decisions. VTCT - A Guide to end-point Assessment: Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Page 11