EPA Standard
Community Activator Coach
Level 2 
£6,000 
18 months
1. What the role entails
The Community Activator Coach promotes, delivers and coaches fun, inclusive and engaging activities that help whole communities to change their behaviour, and adopt and keep to a physically active lifestyle. Community Activator Coaches are more than activity and sports leaders, they will also understand communities and customers. They will be equipped with the specialist knowledge needed to effectively work with one customer group (such as inactive teenagers) but also be knowledgeable about other inactive customer groups whom they may be expected to work with on occasions. Community Activator Coaches are predominantly employed by sport for social change charities, SMEs who operate in the sport and physical activity sector, local authorities, sports clubs, leisure centres, youth work agencies, housing associations, and outdoor education centres and are deployed to primarily work with inactive groups of people.
The Community Activator Coach will be a positive role model who builds good rapport with customers, especially those who are young, inactive or from low-income and marginalised communities. The Community Activator Coach often works alongside youth workers, the police and community safety agencies to make neighbourhoods safer and also works alongside health workers to make residents fitter and healthier.
2. On-programme assessment
Apprentices will typically spend between 14 and 18 months on-programme and undertake the minimum required off-the-job training as per the ESFA funding rules. Apprentices must spend at least 12 months on-programme.
Before entering Gateway, the apprentice must complete the following on-programme requirements:
- Level 1 English and maths or equivalent qualifications
- a minimum of 5, but no more than 10, Reflective Accounts to underpin the Panel Interview.
3. Gateway requirements
The decision to take an apprentice through Gateway is made between the employer, Independent Training Provider (ITP) and the apprentice. The apprentice should only enter Gateway once the employer is content that the apprentice is working at or above the level of the occupational standard.
The apprentice must also have completed all the on-programme elements before they enter Gateway.
4. End-point assessment
The end-point assessment (EPA) for Community Activator Coach contains three methods of assessment:
Practical Coaching Observation
The Practical Coaching Observation allows the Independent End-Point Assessor (IEPA) to see the apprentice during their normal everyday work. This assessment method is undertaken in the apprentice’s workplace, under normal working conditions and should last for 2 hours. The Practical Coaching Observation will be split into three sections; planning, delivery and self-reflection.
Grading: Fail, pass or distinction.
Presentation and Questions and Answers (Q&A)
The apprentice will give a 10 minute Presentation to a panel on a major piece of work they will have selected to showcase. This work must not have been included in their reflective accounts submitted at Gateway. The panel will then have 20 minutes to question the apprentice on the details of their Presentation.
Grading: Fail, pass or distinction.
Panel Interview
The Panel Interview is a check and challenge process on the apprentice’s broader experiences including communication, progression plans, their professional network, conflict resolution and soft skills development. The assessment duration is between 25 and 30 minutes.
Grading: Fail, pass or distinction.
5. Grade aggregation table
| Practical Coaching Observation | Presentation and Q&A | Panel interview | Overall grading |
| Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Pass | Pass | Distinction | Pass |
| Pass | Distinction | Pass | Pass |
| Distinction | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Pass | Distinction | Distinction | Distinction |
| Distinction | Pass | Distinction | Distinction |
| Distinction | Distinction | Pass | Distinction |
| Distinction | Distinction | Distinction | Distinction |
6. Completion and certification
Once the IEPA verifies the apprentice has successfully completed all EPA methods, NCFE will activate certification. Working with the apprenticeship certificate issuing authority, we will ensure the apprentice receives their certificate.
7. What next?
On successful completion of this apprenticeship the Community Activator Coach will be eligible to become an Affiliate Member of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA). Successful completers will be able to move into leadership or management roles within the Sector which may be aligned to an Apprenticeship at a higher level. This progression will involve leading teams of people; acting as a mentor for staff; or specialising with the delivery of sporting and physical activity programmes to certain populations or communities. There are also other apprenticeship standards to progress onto such as Level 3 Outdoor Activity Instructor, Level 3 Personal Trainer, Level 3 Community Sport and Health Officer or Level 4 Sports Coach.
Why NCFE?
We are an approved End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) specialising in EPA delivery across Health, Education, Social Care, Digital, Active Leisure and Business apprenticeship standards. NCFE offers flexible and reliable EPA solutions supported by sector expertise, guidance documents and proactive service and support.