1. Letter of Intent process 24th November 2017
Rohini Bhattacharya, Head of Apprenticeship Services

2. Letter of Intent and The New Standards
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3. What is a Letter of Intent?
The Letter of Intent (LoI) is a written commitment from Pearson to offer an end- point assessment (EPA) service to our customers
All EPA organisations are still developing assessment guidance, instruments and support proposition for the new standards currently
The LoI gives us visibility on the timing and volume of the EPAs across different standards
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4. The Letter of Intent process
As the training provider, you will have a contract with the employer to deliver training to their apprentices
The employer also needs to confirm the EPAO that will provide the EPA for their apprentices (in consultation with the provider)
The LoI should be requested from your account manager once the employer has confirmed Pearson as their selected choice for EPA
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5. Education and Skills Funding Agency Conditions for EPA Organisations
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6. ESFA ‘Conditions of Acceptance’
In September 2017, the ESFA published a ‘conditions of acceptance’ document that ALL EPAOs need to sign up to when applying to the Register of EPA organisations (RoEPA)
These conditions are also applied retrospectively to EPAOs who are already on the register
The conditions are applicable across all standards
Revised ESFA Conditions published on 13th November 2017 following feedback from EPAOs
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7. ESFA ‘Conditions of Acceptance’
What are the conditions?
Specific set of mandatory clauses for EPAOs to follow to ensure public funding and apprentice needs are protected.
71 clauses to comply with covering the following areas:
Readiness
Promotion and selection
Eligible costs
Conflict and Collusion
Gateway Review
Certification
Record keeping
Monitoring and audit
External Quality Assurance
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8. ESFA Conditions and LoI
The LoI process covers our adherence to a few of the clauses specified under the ESFA conditions:
Promotion and selection
Eligible costs
These clauses specify:
A timeframe for EPAOs to inform the ESFA on details of employers, providers, numbers, dates and standards
A requirement for a ‘contractual agreement’ to be in place between the EPAO and the provider to enable funding payments to be made to the EPAO
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9. Compliance with ESFA Conditions
Amended LoI template to reflect the ESFA Conditions
Revised ESFA conditions in operation from 1st December 2017 which implies:
A revised process for signing LoI
Additional steps to be introduced within the LoI process from January 2018
Conditions will be applied retrospectively – your account managers will be in touch to ask for more details on signed LoIs
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10. As per the ESFA Conditions……
Providers need to record the EPAO on the ILR (clause 16), once known (2017 – onwards)
ESFA wants details of employers from EPAOs within FOUR working weeks from employer selecting EPAO
ESFA will double-check ILR details entered against those sent in by EPAOs
Where a provider has chosen the EPAO, ESFA conditions specify that EPAOs should meet with the employers directly to discuss and confirm EPA arrangements directly (clause 18)
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11. As per the ESFA Conditions……
A form of contract to be in place between the provider and the EPAO as soon after notification of selection by employer
PLEASE NOTE – LoI is NOT a contract
Contractual agreement to cover:
Roles and responsibilities of the provider and EPAO (clause 23)
Schedule for channelling of funding from the employer to the EPAO through the provider
Terms specifying that EPAOs are delivering on behalf of the employer and provider is acting as the ESFA agent in passing the payment to the EPAO (clause 24)
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12. Revised Letter of Intent process
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14. More changes in January 2018
Contracts to be signed with providers - one contract per employer
Details to be included within the contracts:
Roles and Responsibilities of both parties
Schedule of payments
Account managers will walk through the contracts and agree an appropriate time for meeting with the employers to discuss and confirm arrangements for end-point assessments
Details of these changes in the
January 2018 webinar
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