After a year of being an apprentice member of the Institute of Meat (IoM), three Walter Smith apprentices are now sitting their final assessments (EPA).
These assessments mark the end stage of the Level 2 Butchery Standard.
The three apprentices in question are Reece Nevard, 20 years old, Stephen Maltby, 19 years old, and Curtis Brind, 19 years old.
The young men were the first ever apprentice members of the IoM and are now the first trailblazer apprentices to reach the vital end-point assessment stage.
Reece and Stephen are both employed at the Walter Smith shop in Huntingdon, while Curtis works in the Coventry shop.
The end-point assessment represents one of the biggest changes to the apprenticeship system.
The assessment replaces the SASE model of continuous assessment, which was not thought to be robust enough by employers.
Apprentices must complete the assessment in order to complete their apprenticeship and receive their certificate.
The EPA assessment is designed to test that the apprentices have acquired the skills, knowledge and behaviours of the Standard.
It represents the final ‘sign off’ for the employer that their apprentice is capable of doing the job they’ve been trained to do.
Reece, Curtis and Stephen will be assessed by an Independent Assessor from FDQ, the Apprentice Awarding Organisation for the Butchery Standard.
IoM chief executive, Keith Fisher, commented: ‘This is not just an important day for Reece, Curtis and Stephen. It’s an important day for the Butchery sector as a whole.
“End-point assessments are the ultimate proof of how the Butchery Trailblazer has raised the bar for butchery training. It’s heartening to see young, thoroughly trained butchers now coming through the system and it fills me with confidence for the future of our profession. It will have been a tough day for them, but I wish them all the best.’
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
