Why Choose ELS as your EPAO

ELS is approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and Ofqual, the UK Regulator, to End Point Assessment a range of Apprenticeship Standards. We are listed on the Register of End Point Assessment Organisations.

ELS is the UK’s leading End-Point Assessment Organisation for the Level 4 Ordnance Munitions and Explosives Technician Apprenticeship Standard.

We work with some of the UK’s most established employers and training providers to ensure apprentices receive fair, consistent and reliable end-point assessment (EPA) as part of their apprenticeship programme.

We provide apprenticeship end-point assessment services to customers right across the country, as well as information, guidance, and mock materials to help apprentices prepare for their assessments.

Our EPA Team put our customers and the quality of our service at the heart of everything we do. We believe our End Point Assessment service and products are incomparable. We work with some of the biggest and best-known brands in the UK, who have come to rely upon us and who trust us. Our EPA team are fully dedicated to maintaining strong relationships with all our customers and we value the commitment they give back to us, and the word-of-mouth referrals we receive.

We provide a unique service to our customers and bespoke our EPA services to our employer’s needs and requirements, whilst ensuring apprentices receive a fair, non-biased, consistent EPA service.
When employers invest in our EPA services and product’s they can be reassured that they are receiving a high quality service whilst getting great value for money.
We provide online, offline, and paper-based assessments, as well as face-to-face, remote, and blended (a blend of face-to-face and remote assessments).
We provide our training providers, employers, and apprentices with a full range of information, support, advice, and mock assessment materials to help them achieve their goals.

Some of our customers include:

Ministry of Defence (MoD) | British Army | Iceland | Bodens | QinetiQ | AWE | University of Wales Trinity Saint David | DSTL | Wiltshire College | Sunderland College | Ester Property Management | PearsonsTQ | The College Partnership (TCP)

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We provide a complete assessment service, which includes:

Mock assessment resources and guidance.
Technical study guides.
Dedicated EPA Coordinators for each employer.
EPA support from 07:00 (Monday to Friday).
Face to face and remote delivery.
Weekend assessments (when required).
24hr learner management system that tracks every point of an apprentice journey.
Assessor and IQA feedback following every assessment.
Engagement with apprentices prior to Gateway e.g. induction sessions.
Regular support meetings with the training provider/employer.
Monthly and quarterly EPA data and reports.

Our Values

Explosive Learning Solutions (ELS) Ltd was founded in 2005. Since then, we have been successfully delivering training, consultancy and assessment for almost 18 years.

In 2020 the ELS End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) was established and in March 2022 ELS achieved Awarding Organisation Status (AO).

We pride ourselves on our key principles and values; trust & integrity, expertise, quality, support and value for money.

These form the cornerstone of everything we do. Through these values, we are able to provide our customers with an exceptional customer service experience from the moment they contact us.

What do our values mean to us?

Trust & integrity

ELS is a family company, so we pride ourselves on our family values. Be reassured you are working with an established organisation offering a unique and specialist solution.

You can be confident in the knowledge that ELS is on the Register of End-Point Assessment Organisations and is an Ofqual registered and recognised Awarding Organisation (AO).

We promise to provide our clients and customers with accurate and honest information at all times, and we’re always open and transparent about pricing – there are no annoying or sneaky hidden fees or charges. Save time and money with our competitively priced service. We will also always advise on the best EPA solution for you and your needs, even if it’s the cheaper option. We never put profit before good advice and a good relationship with you.

Expertise

When working with ELS, our customers benefit from the high-level service they receive from our experienced and expert EPA teams and this is seen as a driving force in the sectors we End Point Assess in. Our highly experienced and competent independent end point assessors will ensure apprentices meet the nationally and internationally recognised occupational standards.

All our Assessors are qualified and have the relevant sector/standard occupational competence and qualifications.

Quality

Since 2005, ELS has received thousands of commendations and ‘Thank Yous’ from our customers and clients alike for the high-quality service and support we have provided to their businesses. Our Awarding Organisation has received Commendation Awards, ‘Thank Yous’, and new business from word-of-mouth recommendations for our EPA service.

This is due to:

Only using the very best subject matter experts.
Developing our own EPA products and materials that have been bespoke based on our customer requirements.
Regular and comprehensive reviews and updates of all our materials, resources, and services to ensure they meet and exceed our customer’s standards.
Regular standardisation and training.
Being honest with ourselves about our strengths and weakness to be able to continuously improve.

We have rigorous processes in place to ensure that each, and every apprentice receives fair, consistent, and reliable EPA.

The EPA Team regularly ask for feedback, from our customers, on the products and services they have experienced. All feedback is safely stored, reviewed, and discussed. Continuous improvement is very important to us. We are always reviewing and trying to improve our service to be able to exceed our customer’s expectations.

To date, ELS has a 100% pass rate for final EPA grades with, 35% of achievers receiving a distinction grade.

Support

Our EPA Team are on hand from 7am Monday to Friday to provide EPA information, advice and support. We provide an excellent portfolio of support materials to help apprentices, training providers and employers to prepare for EPA.

We provide assessments on weekends (when required) to help ensure apprentices achieve their goals and apprenticeship programmes.

Apprentices are provided with a dedicated EPA Coordinator who will support and guide them through the full EPA process, from engaging with the Apprentice prior to Gateway, through to communicating and coordinating each end point assessment component, sending through feedback and grades within 10 working days, to communication regarding final grades and certification requests.

We provide support meetings with our training providers every 2 weeks (or when needed), monthly and quarterly performance / data reporting, always ensuring the apprentices journey is closely monitored to avoid any issues or frustrations.

Value

As an EPAO and AO ELS is among the most competitively priced in the market and will not be beaten for value.

We focus on what is important for our customers and clients, ensuring we provide an unbeatable service.

EPA Coordinators email customers and clients back within 24 hours (1 working day). EPA grades and feedback are provided within 10 working days; however, this can often be reduced to within five working days.