Apprenticeship assessors – assessing the quality of end-point assessment in integrated higher and degree apprenticeships (fixed term) 

We are seeking experts to undertake assessments of the quality of end-point assessments (EPAs) of apprenticeships to ensure they are valid, reliable and effective, and show that an apprentice has achieved occupational competence.  

We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants who have academic expertise and experience in the design and delivery of assessment, with direct experience of apprenticeships and assessing occupational competence. We would particularly welcome applications from people with experience in overseeing quality assurance of Levels 6 and 7 integrated degree apprenticeships.  

We encourage applications for all apprenticeship standards and we also welcome applications from those who have experience of a quality role in apprenticeships who can form a view about effective assessment of occupational competence. 

About the Office for Students and the role of apprenticeship assessors 

We are the independent regulator of higher education in England.

The Office for Students (OfS) exists to ensure that English higher education offers the best experience and the best value for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. We have high ambitions and offer great opportunities to get involved in bringing that vision to life. 

External quality assurance (EQA) assessment 

The OfS is the body responsible for EQA of providers that are registered with the OfS, deliver integrated higher and degree apprenticeships, and are responsible for undertaking EPAs of apprentices. 

EQA is performed to ensure EPAs are fair, consistent, and robust across different apprenticeship standards and between different providers.  

We are seeking experienced apprenticeship practitioners to help us undertake independent assessments of apprenticeship EPAs. You will use your expert judgement to make a recommendation to the OfS about the suitability of apprenticeship assessments. You will also be expected to take a view on the quality of EPA delivery and identify any emerging issues to be addressed by the provider.  

Your expert judgements will assess and provide assurance to the OfS about whether, for example, an apprenticeship’s EPA, support materials and delivery plans are relevant, reliable, efficient, and fairly delivered. We are looking for individuals with academic expertise from current or recent employment in higher education who also have experience in delivering and assessing apprenticeships, and can therefore provide both academic and industry perspectives on the delivery of EPA.  

The role is likely to involve a desk-based review of the preparations and related documentation to assure assessment readiness and ongoing monitoring, including undertaking site visits to observe and assure the assessment processes.  

You will co-write a report with a member of the OfS assessment team presenting your findings to both the End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) and Skills England. 

Your expertise  

You will have experience of designing and delivering learning, teaching and assessment in integrated higher and degree apprenticeships. You will be a practitioner in EPA for your specialism and will also have experience of evaluating their quality. You will be able to draw upon your subject expertise and experience of assessing occupational competence of apprentices to reach a judgement about the quality of apprenticeship EPA delivery. 

You will apply your knowledge of integrated higher and degree apprenticeships to review and evaluate a provider's ability to assess apprentices against the EPA plan, providing clear and structured feedback where the provider’s approach requires improvement. You will be well organised, able to build effective working relationships, have good communication skills and excellent written English to produce the report in the format required.  

You will be able to contribute to designing the scope of the OfS assessment, identifying questions and lines of enquiry to ensure EPAs are delivered appropriately and consistently. You will seek to secure evidence and insights that can be used to address risk and ensure that EPAs are a sufficiently valid and reliable measure of occupational competence. 

You will be employed by a higher education or further education provider as academic staff, qualified to at least level six, or have recently been employed as such. 

Available roles 

We are recruiting assessors for an appointment for a two-year period.  

For each EQA quality assessment at a provider, we will select apprenticeship assessors from a pool of assessors based on their specific skills, experience and expertise, their availability, and the apprenticeship standard subject areas.  

Time commitment and remuneration 

For each assessment undertaken in 2027-28 you will be paid a flat fee, calculated as £300 per day, which we will set out in advance. 

We estimate each assessment will require approximately three and a half days across a period of ten weeks. The time commitment may include training and some overnight travel to visit a provider's premises, and may vary depending on the scope of an assessment. We will set out the flat fee payable for an assessment in advance. 

Training and continuing professional development  

You will be given training in our regulatory approach, the requirements we impose for quality and how these may relate to your academic expertise, and the assessment methods for EQA of EPA. You will also be required to maintain your knowledge through continuing professional development activities.  

You will be paid for training activities. 

Application process and other requirements  

To apply, please upload a CV and answer four online questions setting out how you meet the experience, knowledge and skills requirements of the apprenticeship assessor role for which you are applying. 

If you are shortlisted, we will invite you to an online assessment centre which will involve some online group assessment tasks in November 2026. If successful, you will be appointed to our pool of apprenticeship assessors.  

If you are not appointed, we may wish to retain your application in our application pool for further consideration in subsequent recruitment rounds. We will contact you if this is the case. 

The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do. 

We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.  

Reasonable adjustments 

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you through the application stage, please contact us at [email protected] and we will be happy to help. 

The deadline for receipt of applications is Monday 26 October 2026 at noon. 

For shortlisted candidates, online assessment centres are expected to take place from week commencing Monday 23 November 2026.