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Rethinking the assessment of competence: UK employers asked to blaze a trail

Big changes are underway in the assessment of Apprenticeships in England with employers asked to reconsider what is meant by competence-based assessment by looking at how and when competence should be assessed. One of the most significant changes is the introduction of grading to what has been a binary (competent or not competent) approach to Apprenticeship assessment. A small number of employers and professional associations have been invited to take the lead in the reform of Apprenticeships by becoming Trailblazers. As Trailblazers, employers have been tasked with developing the new assessment approaches, placing new emphasis on synoptic assessment rather than unit-based approaches. This paper explores how the energy and utilities sector, as an Apprenticeship Trailblazer, has responded to these assessment challenges.The Trailblazer has seized this latest UK government Apprenticeship reform as an opportunity to build on existing industry assessment processes and to redefine good practice in vocational assessment. This paper explores the sector’,s response to the reforms and to grading competence-based qualifications, looking at how and where valid and meaningful grounds for grading can be found in definitions of occupational competence.

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