Welcome to the May edition of Innovate's updates. Here you will find everything you need to know this month across our Qualifications and Apprenticeship services.
Vantage: Innovate's Invigilation service is now live
Innovate’s Invigilation service has been up and running for a couple of months now, and we are seeing high levels of success, with around 80% of tests going ahead.
But Vantage is about more than just taking tests, it is also about ensuring a stress-free, positive experience with the help of our supportive friendly Invigilators who are running the service.
The apprentice experience is something we are really proud of, and in April from 87 post-test surveys we received an Invigilator satisfaction score of 4.8/5 stars. One apprentice had this to say about their experience:
“Very helpful and had a calming voice, explained everything clearly which helped with my anxiety at the beginning.”
To find out more about Vantage click here, or get in touch with our team at hello@innovateawarding.org
New and Updated Standards
Level 3 Early Years Educator v2.0
The reformed apprenticeship for this standard has been published, for starts from 1st November 2026. We are currently consulting with customers on our approach to the assessment - if you haven't yet set a date for a discussion with our Client Relationship Team please do get in touch with your usual contact or at hello@innovateawarding.org
Level 3 Production Assistant v2.0, Level 3 Content Creator v2.0 and Level 4 Junior Production Coordinator v2.0
New versions have been released for these Apprenticeship Standards for first implementation from 24th September 2026. These are the reformed apprenticeships. We are preparing the specification and support materials at the moment and hope to have this available from the end of July 2026.
Level 2 Catering and Hospitality Foundation Apprenticeship v1.0
New Foundation Apprenticeships standard in Catering and Hospitality has been published. We are working on developing this at the moment.
Level 2 Retail service, supply and administration foundation apprenticeship v1.0
New Foundation Apprenticeships standard in Retail service, supply and administration has been published. We are working on developing this at the moment.
New and Updated Support Materials
Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant v1.1
Support Materials ready and published on Proficient.
Level 3 Transport and Warehouse Operations Supervisor v1.1
New Mock Knowledge tests now available on Proficient for both Transport and Warehouse Options – Mock Test 2
Level 4 Buying and Merchandising Assistant V1.0
New support materials launched on 30 April 2026. These must be used from 31 May.
Level 2 Trade Supplier v1.0
Portfolio of Evidence Locator, February 2026, erroneously said V6. This should be V5. V5 is now available on Proficient.
Previous Standard Versions
The standard versions currently approaching the gateway deadline within the next 6 months are:
Senior Healthcare Support Worker 1.4
Level 4 Lead Practitioner in Adult Care 1.0
Forms and Policies
Special Consideration Form Submission
We are introducing a timescale to some Special Consideration forms from 1st June 2026. Any requests that involve reviewing a non-attendance/Fail due to unforeseen circumstances for an apprentice must be submitted within 10 working days of the assessment decision being published on Proficient.
For example, this could include:
• Unexpected illness on the day of the assessment
• Unexpected family emergency on the day of the assessment
• Technology issues that have resulted in the assessment being stopped and a Fail being awarded
The forms will still need to be submitted to the Compliance mailbox (compliance@innovateawarding.org) and include appropriate supporting evidence for review.
What is new in Proficient (the new name for epaPRO)
Released
Proficient side bar – The side menu in Proficient will now anchor to the selected section, making it easier to navigate.
Standards minimum duration – The Standard duration will now appear next to the standard title in areas where the standard and version are displayed.
Testing
QA management - Internal improvements to support EPAO with reduced admin and quality management.
Your thoughts?
We work closely with Skilltech, the company behind epaPRO, so if you have any feedback please do let us know so that we can help to shape future improvements to the platform.
Qualifications Pricing Review
We are currently undertaking our pricing review for our Qualifications offerings for the 26/27 academic year. Once this has been completed we will publish our new price list and share with all of our clients.
Updates to Qualifications
IAO Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care 610/0510/1
This qualification will be no longer recognised by Skills for Care or funded by Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) from 1 April 2026. Other funding streams may be available until 31 July 2026.
It is recommended that all new starts register on the IAO Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care 610/6982/6, which launched on 1 April 2026.
If you have any questions about anything included in this update, please get in touch with your usual point of contact or contact epa@innovateawarding.org for anything Apprenticeship Assessment related, or coordinators@innovateawarding.org for anything Qualification related.
