Stuart Edwards discusses the potential to use technology for assessment in apprenticeships and highlights features of the End Point Assessment model that may stifle innovation. Based on his report for the Gatsby Foundation, he suggests actions for Ofqual and IfATE to move things forward.Over the past two years, I have been looking at the potential to apply more transformative approaches using digital technology to the assessment of apprenticeships. My focus has been on end point assessment (EPA) which is a defining feature of the occupational standards-based apprenticeship approach adopted in England following the 2012 Richard Review. While I have found some interesting examples which could have wider application, these have been few and far between. I have concluded there are barriers, including features of the endpoint assessment model itself, that could stifle digital innovation in future. Nevertheless, I believe there is still more that bodies like Ofqual and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) could do to encourage progress and I have some suggestions to offer.Why using digital technology for assessment matters It matters for two reasons. First, digital technology has the growing potential to address some of the underlying challenges of providing an assessment that is both valid and consistent, particularly for practical skills and behaviours. Secondly, as digital technology continues to transform the workplace, if it is not fully utilised in assessing workplace competence, there is a risk that some apprenticeships become less relevant and anachronistic – particularly given the weight placed on end-point assessment. Sampling occupational standards and EPA plans In the course of undertaking my review for the Gatsby Foundation, I looked across a wide range of apprenticeship standards within four main routes: digital, engineering and manufacturing, transport and logistics, and care services. I deliberately chose a range of occupations in terms of the extent of current workplace digitalisation. I also took account of scale in terms of several apprentices needing to be trained in a particular occupation. Each standard has an EPA plan agreed upon by a trailblazer group of employers and approved by IfATE. The plan details the assessment methods to be used by independent End Point Assessment Organisations (EPAOs) for assessing the particular occupational standard and provides a rationale for why these methods have been selected from a menu of options provided by IfATE. At least two assessment methods need to be used, one of which must be a synoptic assessment of a combination of the individual Knowledge Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) that make up the apprenticeship standard. The standards that I examined typically specified two or three different assessment methods. As is the case across all standards, the most commonly used assessment method is a professional discussion or interview with an independent assessor, usually supported by a portfolio of evidence compiled by the apprentice as a pre-requirement for taking the EPA rather than being part of the actual assessment. This is then often combined with a practical observation/demonstration or, particularly at higher levels, a practical project. There may also be a written test based on multiple-choice questions or scenarios. Examples of transformative uses of technology A broad distinction can be drawn between using digital technologies that streamline or add flexibility to existing assessment methods, and those that have the potential to change the nature of the assessment process itself. The former category – such as automated multiple-choice tests, remote observation or interviewing, e-portfolios etc. – are relatively widespread and their adoption has been accelerated by the flexibilities introduced by IfATE during COVID. The more transformative uses of technology – such as data capture and performance analysis using technologies already in real wo...