Following consultation with the Construction Plant sector including Construction Plant Association (CPA), Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) and Build UK, ConstructionSkills, the Sector Skills Council has withdrawn the use of simulation as an assessment route to achieve Plant and Plant-related qualifications, unless there is a very substantial reason that site assessment is not possible. This is stated within the Assessment Strategy for Construction and the Built Environment – Plant Operations and Lifting Operations dated 1st January 2018.
Cskills Awards is required to comply with the Assessment Strategy, as are all other Awarding Organisations, and for this reason the ability to achieve our Plant and Plant-related qualifications by Experienced Worker Practical Assessment (EWPA) will be withdrawn on the 31 December 2017.
From 1 January 2018, the new Assessment Strategy includes the use of workplace observation supported by video evidence ensuring workplace competence has been demonstrated. It is hoped that Cskills Awards Centres who regularly used the EWPA route will be able to adjust their processes to assess using video evidence to comply with the new rules. We will also be looking to gain approval from the industry body for some simulation where onsite assessment is not practicable.
We are developing support materials aimed at helping individuals and centres to gain OSAT qualifications in an efficient manner, including our expectation on video evidence and how best to record it. We anticipate this will be in the form of a pack making OSAT assessment more user friendly and more streamlined. We also hope to provide a guidance pack for individuals and employers to promote the advantages of OSAT over EWPA within Plant Qualifications. We will publicise the availability of this information when it is available.
All Awarding Organisations in the sector have agreed to implement the new Assessment Strategy on 1st January 2018.
Centres who are currently required to submit their EWPA assessments to Cskills Awards for approval will from now on gain direct claim status so are no longer required to send in this information.
This does not affect the EWPA status of qualifications outside of the Plant designation which will carry on as they do now.
If you have any questions then please get in contact with your Customer Coordinator.
