Where a Standard does not include any mandated qualifications– or where it specifies a recommendation for a qualification but not a requirement and you choose not to deliver it. There is no requirement for you to become a fully approved Active IQ Centre.

Where a qualification is mandated within a Standard and you intend to deliver it using Active IQ as your chosen Awarding Organisation you will need to apply to become a fully approved Active IQ Centre.

Regardless of the above scenarios, Active IQ will maintain a formal record of your organisation in order to facilitate the necessary data capture requirements for the delivery of EPA.

Where an employer/provider decides to use Active IQ regulated mandated/recommended qualifications within an apprenticeship, there are no costs incurred with becoming a fully approved Active IQ Centre.

The fees associated with EPA vary depending on the Apprenticeship Standard. Active IQ has a 25% / 75% payment structure. The first 25% payment is made no later than 25% into the apprenticeship from point of enrolment of the apprentice with the provider. Therefore for a 12 month apprenticeship, by the end of month 3 – For an 18 month apprenticeship, by the end of month 5 – For a 2 year apprenticeship, by the end of month 6.

The remaining 75% payment is made at the scheduling of End-point Assessment following the Gateway meeting.

A range of assessment methods will be used to determine an apprentice’s skills, knowledge and behavior (SKB). Different Apprenticeship assessment plans specify the assessment method required. These could be a combination of: The Apprentice Showcase, Practical Observation, Professional Discussions, Project Presentation and Knowledge Test. Active IQ’s team of End-point Assessors will make use of technology and flexible testing arrangements to ensure a smooth convenient service, for employers, providers and apprentices.

If you require information on specific assessment methods for assessment plans Active IQ is ESFA approved. Please contact apprenticeships@activeiq.co.uk

Apprentices should be registered with Active IQ at the start of their Apprenticeship. Following the gateway meeting appointment of an EPA will be triggered through our Quartz registration system and customer support team. The assessment of an apprentice will be fully completed and graded within a 12 week period following the gateway.

Please note if an apprentice only becomes known to us after their gateway, we must ensure 10 weeks between gateway and EPA to allow apprentices sufficient time to prepare for their final assessment.

Active IQ provide a range of free supportive toolkits for the employer/provider and apprentice. These toolkits help prepare apprentices for their EPA.

For more information about the specific resources available please contact apprenticeships@activeiq.co.uk

Yes, if an apprentice fails a part of their EPA. Any applied fees will depend on the assessment plan. For information on the specific retake fees associated to an assessment plan, please contact apprenticeships@activeiq.co.uk

This will be determined within individual assessment plans. For information on the specific retake format for an assessment plan, please contact apprenticeships@activeiq.co.uk

The apprenticeship certificate is issued by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Active IQ customer support team will apply for an apprenticeship certificate and also issue an Active IQ certificate of completion to each apprentice. The Active IQ certificate is not an apprenticeship certificate and only confirms that the apprentice has completed their End-point Assessment and the specific grades achieved.

Any mandated/recommended qualifications that are registered through Active IQ as part of an apprenticeship standard will be certified prior to the gateway meeting. Active IQ will send hard copies of any relevant certificates once the apprenticeship has been completed.

Active IQ fully inducts and trains a team of highly qualified, competent End-point Assessors. In some circumstances Active IQ could use End-point Assessors supplied by an employer or provider. For more information regarding using your own team of assessors please contact apprenticeships@activeiq.co.uk

20% off job training equates to 42 days in a 12 month Apprenticeship. In order to maintain compliance an employer/provider must keep a log of any off job training that has been completed by an apprentice. Active IQ has included a training log in the apprentice toolkit which can be used to record and document any off job training.

The Minister of skills has described off job training as not prescriptive and being quite flexible. The delivery and assessment of any functional skills cannot be logged as off job training.

Off job training can be defined as:

• E-learning supporting any mandated/recommended qualifications delivered during an Apprenticeship
• Webinars
• Mentoring/Job shadowing
• Delivery and assessment of mandated/recommended qualifications during an Apprenticeship
• Support given by peers

End Point Assessments and VAT

Active IQ supplies examination services in relation to end-point assessment. Where a training provider is an eligible body, such supplies are fully exempt from VAT. 

Employers place apprentices with a training provider in order for them to receive training in the course of their apprenticeship (or they deliver the training themselves). Funding is drawn down by the training provider from the Employer's Apprenticeship Levy account and in some instance additional payments are made by the employer. As part of the Apprenticeship scheme an end point assessment (EPA) must be undertaken by an End-point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) that should be selected by the employer although in practice the training provider is likely to make recommendations and/or introductions to EPAOs, such as Active IQ.

When Active IQ is selected, it carries out the necessary work and issues an invoice to the training provider (in two stages – 25% on enrolment and 75% at gateway) and is paid the agreed consideration by the training provider. The funds will again be either in part or in full drawn down by the training provider from the Employer's Apprenticeship Levy account. 

VAT analysis

1. Eligible Body – examination services to an organisation that is an eligible body are fully exempt from VAT on the basis of Item 3(a), Group 6, Schedule 9, VAT Act 1994 which states:

"3. The provision of examination services - (a) by or to an eligible body; ..." 

Please note: this also applies to all 16-18 year olds irrespective of VAT status of the organisation, as all funding for students in this age group comes from the government.

2. Non-eligible Body – examination services to an organisation that is not an eligible body is subject to VAT for the employer contribution element of the training, which is 5% for non-Levy payers.  The other 95% is funded by government, therefore it is only the 5% which is subject to VAT.  Before April 2019, the 5% contribution was set higher at 10%, which meant that 90% was funded by government with 10% subject to VAT before that date.

Eligible Body Status

With effect from 1 August 2019, an eligible body is defined as:

• a school, sixth form college, tertiary college or further education college or other centrally funded further education institution (defined as such under the Education Acts)
• a centrally funded higher education institution in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (defined as such under the Education Acts)
• the governing body of one of these institutions:
• a local authority
• a government department or executive agency
• a non-profit making body that carries out duties of an essentially public nature similar to those carried out by a LA or government department
• health authority
• a non-profit making organisation that meets certain conditions
• a commercial provider of tuition in EFL, in which case special rules will apply
• a university
• a higher education provider registered in the approved (fee cap) category of the register maintained by the Office for Students from the date of inclusion in the register

Commercial providers of education

If the education is provided by one of these (with a view to making and distributing profits) it is unlikely to be an eligible body:

• tutorial college
• computer training organisation
• secretarial college
• correspondence college
• partnership

A non-profit making organisation

An organisation is likely to be an eligible body, where it’s a charity, professional body or company:

• that cannot and does not distribute any profit it makes
• with any profit that might arise from its supplies of education, research or vocational training is used solely for the continuation or improvement of such supplies