Winners: Best Collaboration in Partnership with NHS England at the EPA 2023 Awards

NCFE was proud to accept the award for ‘Best Collaboration to Deliver EPA Services’ at the EPA 2023 Awards, for its partnership with NHS England. 

The accolade recognised the effective collaboration between the two organisations which, in just a matter of months, resulted in the successful delivery of high-quality end-point assessment (EPA) provision for the Level 4 Oral Health Practitioner standard.  

The EPA stage of an apprenticeship ensures that individuals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours they’ll need to succeed in their desired profession. As a result, the first group of Oral Health Practitioner apprentices were able to achieve qualification and will now commence work supporting preventative health benefits within their communities. 

This is the second year in a row that NCFE has won the ‘Best Collaboration’ EPA Award, after being acknowledged for its partnership with Fika to deliver mental fitness services to apprentices entering the Gateway stage of EPA. 

Speaking of the award win, NCFE’s Director of Delivery, Sacha Finkle, said: “We are delighted to win this award for the second year running. NCFE prides itself on effective collaboration to ensure that all apprentices have access to high-quality assessment materials and service.  

“This partnership with NHS England has provided access to assessment provision for a number of healthcare specialists that were at risk. We are very proud of what we have achieved together in such a short period of time and are really excited about what we can achieve in the future.” 

Amrita Nanra, Deputy End Point Assessment Manager at the National School of Healthcare Science (NHS England), added: "We are delighted to receive this award and recognition alongside our NCFE colleagues. 

"It represents what can be achieved when the public and private sector join together to demonstrate best practice for better educational outcomes for our apprentices, who are always at the heart of what we do."

L-R: Leanne Pool, NCFE; Gary Edwards, NCFE; Suzanne Slater, NCFE; Boota Singh, NHS England; Amrita Nanra, NHS England; Sherryl Arellano, NHS England. 

Held during the EPA 2023 conference on 18 May, the EPA 2023 Awards ceremony – hosted by the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) – recognises the contributions made by end-point assessment organisations to apprentices, employers, and to education and skills in England over the past year. 

Speaking of the awards, FAB Chief Executive, Tom Bewick, said: “There was tough competition for the winners of each of the four EPAO categories, and our thanks to our esteemed judges who had the very difficult job of selecting our four winners. 

“All the EPAO winners today will now be put forward for consideration to a separate independent judging panel, deciding our prestigious FAB2023 Awards. That’s where these organisations will find out who has won EPAO of the Year 2023!” 

The independent panel of judges for the awards included Becci Newton, Public Policy Research at Institute for Employment Studies, Simon Bozzoli, Founder and CEO at LDN, and Kasim Choudry, Multicultural Apprenticeship Ambassador Pathway Group. 

The full list of winners from the EPA 2023 Awards is as follows: 

• Multi standards EPAO of the year (SME) – ETA (ETC Awards Ltd)
• Multi standards EPAO of the year (50 + on payroll) - Highfield Qualifications
• Specialist sector based EPAO of the year – CIOB
• Best collaboration to deliver EPA Services – NCFE, in partnership with NHS England

Congratulations to all winners and nominees at this year’s EPA 2023 Awards. You can find out more about our EPA services by visiting our website.