EFI Awards is an Ofqual regulated End-Point Assessment Organisation. This means we carry out independent assessment on apprentices who have completed their on-the-job learning and work experience.
We were established to drive up standards in apprenticeship end point assessment and to better resource talent development for industry.
EFI Awards is a division of Education for Industry Group, sharing in the Group's mission to inspire and develop the next generation of talent.
What is End-Point Assessment?
End-point assessment is the process through which apprentices are assessed on completing their apprenticeship programme. The assessment focuses on whether the apprentice is able to perform their job duties. Employers choose which organisation will conduct end-point assessment on their behalf, working closely with the training organisation.
The end-point assessment process is underpinned by apprenticeship standards. These standards, and the accompanying end-point assessment plans, have been developed by employers and approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education; they spell out the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of apprentices at the end of their programme for a given occupation, alongside other features required to ensure consistency of assessment. Further information can be found here.
We are an Ofqual recognised assessment organisation and can be found on the Apprenticeship Provider and Assessment Register here.
Our approach
We provide a tailored and supportive service, driven by our experienced assessors to provide you with accurate, consistent and reliable judgements.
Our assessor community brings together individuals with deep expertise in industry, assessment and education. What unites them is a commitment to the future of the retail industry and the belief in assessment as a tool for improvement.
We are digital by default. As with the rest of the retail industry, digital delivery is no longer optional. We partner with leading software firms an are able to deploy a flexible service around your preference.
MEET THE BOARD
Sarah Edmonds has been involved in the regulated awarding industry at a senior and strategic level for almost 20 years. She has spent time as a Head of organisation, Executive Director of Quality and Standards, Responsible Officer roles, non-executive Director of the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) and chair of independent regulatory governing and advisory boards, as well as a trustee of a global education charity, of which she is currently Chair of their Quality Committee.
She has a proven track record of rendering Awarding Organisations compliant with regulatory conditions of recognition over time (both through annual statements of compliance, and via specific or thematic audits) through her thorough understanding of regulatory governance, risk management, policy development and implementation, and maintenance of standards through effective quality assurance strategies. Sarah has a Masters Degree in Educational Assessment, completed at the Institute of Education (UCL).
Sarah is also an Alpha Plus Associate and has experience in designing vocational assessments, quality assurance strategies for risk-based sampling, mapping qualifications across different frameworks and creating kite-mark endorsement schemes.
Fiona Gaughan is the Chief Commercial Officer at The White Company, bringing over 25 years of experience in the fashion retail industry. Her career spans senior leadership roles at some of the UK’s best-known brands, including ASOS, where she was Executive Vice President – Commercial, and BrandAlley, where she served as Chief Trading Officer. Fiona began her career at the Arcadia Group, developing deep expertise in product, customer insight, and brand strategy. She is passionate about supporting the next generation of retail talent and driving innovation across the industry.
Jenny Patrickson has over 30 years’ experience of strategic leadership within vocational and technical education, leading the development and growth of specialist awarding organisations and apprenticeship assessment organisations during this period. Having worked within educational provider and operator environments, as well as regulated awarding organisations, Jenny is passionate about supporting individuals to succeed and progress through vocational qualifications and apprenticeships, with an emphasis on lifelong learning.
With an in-depth knowledge and understanding of regulatory frameworks, Jenny has led on strategic operations, commercial activity and business development, in addition to quality assurance, regulatory compliance and business process improvement.
Jenny was also involved in the development and implementation of accreditation models and quality assurance activity for the European Health and Fitness Association (now Europe Active), the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) Ireland, as well as the International Confederation of Registers of Exercise Professionals (ICREPs).
Jenny is currently Managing Director of Active IQ, a specialist awarding organisation for the active leisure sector, and part of the NCFE group, where she continues to lead on the provision of industry recognised qualifications and assessments both in the UK and internationally.
MEET THE TEAM
Ben Jackson has nearly two decades of experience in education, including 8 years in the awarding sector and a former role delivering vocational qualifications and apprenticeships as Operations Director of a training provider. His current role as Head of EFI Awards involves delivering the strategy, overseeing the high standard of customer service and professional, reliable assessment and ensuring compliance with regulators such as Ofqual.
Alongside his sector-specific qualifications in awarding and quality assurance, Ben’s BSc in Exercise and Health Science offers a clue to how he spends his free time: when he’s not providing a taxi service for his two children to their daily sporting activities, you can find him on the tennis court.
Kara Hobbins oversees the development of qualifications and assessments to meet national standards and the needs of industry, as well as reviewing existing ones to ensure they continue to be fit for purpose. With 14 years in education and retail training assessment, and 10 years working for assessment organisations large and small, she uses her experience and qualifications in education and quality assurance to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and guarantee assessment integrity.
Prior to her career, Kara studied a BSc in Sport Science, and her life outside of work is action-packed: she counts surfing, camping, travelling and going to the gym amongst her hobbies, along with exercising her two Cockerpoos.
Jasmine King leads on the delivery of end-point assessments for apprentices across the range of apprenticeship programmes that EFI Awards assesses, overseeing the full journey from gateway to certification. Her role also entails invigilation, training new assessors and supporting the development of EPA materials with the rest of the team.
Her background includes a degree in Visual Communications, specialising in Fashion Photography, and a previous role in a buying team in the construction sector, experience which helps give perspective to the assessment of fashion and retail operations apprenticeships, among others. In her spare time, Jasmine enjoys long walks with her Cane Corso, reading a thriller novel or bingeing the latest releases on Netflix.
The team’s proactive initial planning meetings, and 1-2-1 sessions with the apprentices, helped to bring all parties together and put them at ease.
Head of Apprenticeships
Training Provider
The feedback was very detailed and thorough – our apprentices knew exactly where they stood.
Head of Apprenticeships
Training Provider
I found the on-boarding experience very supportive – it was refreshing that it catered to my needs rather than a centralised ‘induction’.
Independent Assessor
Staff are very supportive. In an environment where things are increasingly remote, I have not felt alone.
Independent Assessor
Everything was just hassle-free and dates were easily organised through one planning session
Apprentice
Shazy was absolutely brilliant during my end-point assessment. She was very helpful, and also really put me at ease which was great.
Apprentice