Overview
A challenge includes the apprentice finishing a major and outlined piece of labor that has an actual enterprise utility and profit. The challenge should begin after the apprentice has gone by means of gateway.
The challenge: report and presentation with questions should be structured to offer the apprentice the chance to display the KSBs mapped to this evaluation to the very best out there grade.
The challenge should meet the wants of the employer’s enterprise and be related to the apprentice’s occupation and apprenticeship. The EPAO should seek advice from the grading descriptors to make sure that tasks are pitched appropriately.
This evaluation technique has 2 parts:
- a challenge report
- a presentation with questions and solutions
Collectively, they provide the apprentice the chance to display the KSBs mapped to this evaluation technique.
Rationale
This evaluation technique is getting used as a result of:
- it’s a holistic evaluation technique, permitting the apprentice to display KSBs in an built-in method
- it permits for a variety of aerospace software program engineering actions to be demonstrated
- it gives an economical evaluation, because it minimises impartial assessor time and makes use of the apprentice’s employer’s office, tools and sources, and will contribute to office productiveness
Supply
The challenge report and presentation with questions should be structured to offer the apprentice the chance to display the KSBs mapped to this evaluation technique to the very best out there grade.
The apprentice should begin the challenge after the EPA gateway. The employer ought to make sure the apprentice has the time and sources, inside this era, to plan and full their challenge.
The apprentice may match as a part of a staff to finish the challenge, which may embrace inner technical specialists or exterior assist. The apprentice should nonetheless, full their challenge report and presentation unaided they usually should be reflective of their very own position and contribution. The apprentice and their employer should verify this when the report, presentation slides and any supporting supplies are submitted.
The apprentice’s challenge will be primarily based on any of the next:
- a selected downside
- a recurring situation
- an concept or alternative
The challenge should cowl the next themes:
- software program design evaluation: evaluation utilizing software program engineering knowledge to pick the design strategy consistent with the challenge plans and necessities
- software program design growth: growth of software program designs utilizing the proper strategies and instruments consistent with challenge calls for
- software program growth testing: growth and execution of check plans, evaluation of outcomes should be consistent with challenge necessities
- implementation: creation and constructing of a software program answer utilizing the proper strategies, answer configured to satisfy challenge necessities
- challenge administration and communication: challenge administration strategies and communications following challenge necessities
To make sure the challenge permits the apprentice to satisfy the KSBs mapped to this evaluation technique to the very best out there grade, the EPAO should verify the challenge’s topic, title and scope are appropriate on the gateway.
Evaluation and grading selections
The challenge report and presentation with questions should be assessed by two assessors – an impartial educational assessor and an impartial occupational assessor.
The challenge report and presentation with questions should be assessed holistically to determine the grade for this evaluation technique.
The impartial educational assessor should assess the challenge report and presentation with questions in opposition to the EPA grading descriptors. The impartial occupational assessor should overview the EPA grading selections. Within the case of differing EPA grading selections between the 2 assessors, the impartial occupational assessor’s resolution is last.
The impartial assessors should hold correct information of the evaluation. They have to file:
- the KSBs demonstrated within the report and presentation with questions
- the apprentice’s solutions to questions
- the KSBs demonstrated in solutions to questions
- the grade achieved
Element 1: Challenge report
The apprentice should produce a report.
They have to submit the challenge report back to the EPAO by the top of week 26 .
The report should embrace at the very least:
- a most of 200-words government abstract (or summary)
- the scope of the challenge (together with key efficiency indicators, goals and aims)
- a challenge plan that features: a Gantt chart and a short commentary on how the analysis technique will probably be applied and the goals and aims met. The required administrative kinds, which will be saved inside an appendix (for instance: danger assessments, moral evaluations, budgetary necessities)
- background analysis or literature overview findings
- suggestions and conclusions
- appendix containing mapping of KSBs to the report
The challenge report has a phrase rely of 6000 phrases. A tolerance of 10% above or beneath the phrase rely is allowed on the apprentice’s discretion. Appendices, references and diagrams are usually not included on this complete. The challenge report should map, in an appendix, the way it evidences the KSBs mapped to this evaluation technique.
Element 2: Presentation with questions
Within the presentation with questions, the apprentice should ship a presentation to each impartial assessors on their challenge on the identical time. The impartial assessors should ask questions following the presentation.
The presentation ought to cowl:
- an outline of the challenge
- the challenge scope (together with key efficiency indicators)
- abstract of actions undertaken by the apprentice
- challenge outcomes and the way these had been achieved
The apprentice should put together and submit their presentation slides and any supporting supplies to the EPAO concurrently the report – by the top of week 26 of the EPA interval.
The apprentice should notify the EPAO, at that time, of any technical necessities for the presentation. Throughout the presentation, the apprentice should have entry to:
- audio-visual presentation tools
- flip chart and writing and drawing supplies
- pc
- some other necessities as beforehand notified to the EPAO
The impartial assessors should have at the very least 2 weeks to overview the challenge report and presentation speaker notes and supporting supplies, to permit them to organize questions.
The EPAO should give the apprentices at the very least 2 weeks discover of the date and time of the presentation with questions.
The aim of the impartial assessors’ questions will probably be to evaluate the next themes:
- software program design evaluation
- software program design growth
- software program growth testing
- implementation
- challenge administration and communication
The aim of the impartial assessors’ questions may also be to:
- confirm that the challenge is the apprentice’s personal work
- search clarification on the report or presentation
- assess the depth and breadth of data, expertise and behavior
- enable the apprentice the chance to proof occupational competence on the highest degree out there, until the apprentice has already achieved the very best grade out there
The presentation and questions should final 60 minutes. This can sometimes embrace a presentation of 25 minutes and questioning lasting 35 minutes. The impartial assessors can improve the full time of the presentation and questions by as much as 10%. This time is to permit the apprentice to finish their final level or reply to a query if mandatory.
The impartial assessors should ask at the very least 6 questions. They have to use the questions from the EPAO’s query financial institution or create their very own questions in-line with the EPAO’s coaching. Observe up questions are allowed the place clarification is required.
The impartial assessors should use the complete time out there for questioning.
Evaluation location
The presentation with questions should happen in an appropriate venue chosen by the EPAO (
The presentation with questions ought to happen in a quiet room, free from distractions and affect.
The presentation with questions will be performed by video conferencing. The EPAO should have processes in place to confirm the id of the apprentice and make sure the apprentice isn’t being aided.
Query and useful resource growth
The EPAO should develop a purpose-built evaluation specification and query financial institution. It is strongly recommended that is completed in session with employers {and professional} engineering establishments (PEI) of this occupation. The EPAO ought to preserve the safety and confidentiality of EPA supplies when consulting employers. The evaluation specification and query financial institution should be reviewed at the very least annually to make sure they continue to be fit-for-purpose.
The evaluation specification should be related to the occupation and display how you can assess the KSBs mapped to this evaluation technique. The EPAO should make sure that questions are refined and developed to a excessive normal. The questions should be unpredictable. A query financial institution of adequate measurement will assist this.
The EPAO should make sure that the apprentice has a unique set of questions within the case of re-sits or re-takes.
The EPAO should produce the next supplies to assist the challenge report and presentation with questions:
- impartial assessor EPA supplies which embrace:
- coaching supplies
- administration supplies
- moderation and standardisation supplies
- steering supplies
- grading steering
- query financial institution
- EPA steering for the apprentice and the employer
The EPAO should make sure that the EPA supplies are topic to high quality assurance procedures together with standardisation, coaching, and moderation.
