A new BPEC End-point Assessment (EPA) facility for Fire, Emergency and Security Systems (FESS) apprenticeships has opened at qualifications provider BPEC’s headquarters in Derby. Those involved describe it as marking a milestone in FESS apprenticeships in the UK.
The FESS Assessment Bays were formally opened by, pictured left to right, Neil Collishaw, CEO of BPEC and Trevor Jenks, National Training Manager at the inspectorate SSAIB and Super Sector Lead for the FESS sector (SGL10.2). This new facility means more, local access to EPA for learners completing successful FESS apprenticeship, helping to meet growing demand across the sector.
This launch is a part of BPEC and SSAIB’s shared commitment to the national ‘Routes to Competence’ programme. The EPA facility will deliver assessments for the FESS apprenticeship standard, to meet the needs of industry and employers alike.
Trevor Jenks said: “As the industry’s technical Inspectorate SSAIB is the driving force behind the FESS route to competence and raising the bar within our sector. This is a major step forward in providing local accessibility against the industry-relevant technical assessment competence standards needed to meet the challenges of the fire and security technicians of the future.”
The new EPA facility builds on previous work, including the launch of the FESS Experienced Worker Assessment (EWA) facility by Banham Academy – also in the same building as the BPEC HQ. Neil Collishaw added: “At BPEC, we are committed to supporting high-quality apprenticeships and skills development. This new EPA facility is a tangible step in providing accessible, industry-relevant assessment for the next generation of fire and security technicians.”
About BPEC
BPEC provides qualifications, assessments, and learning materials, working closely with a UK network of colleges, private training centres and industry stakeholders in the Building Services Engineering (BSE) sector. Visit https://bpec.org.uk/about-bpec/.
