Introduction
Your training provider has invited you to complete a Skills Scan assessment as part of your apprenticeship self-enrolment. Do not worry, this is not an exam!
This assessment is a self-evaluation that aims to identify and assess your current skill set, strengths, and areas for development. The Skills Scan assessment has been designed to align with the specific requirements and expectations of the apprenticeship you are looking to enrol on. It will help you gain insight into your existing competencies, allowing you to focus on areas that require development and tailoring your learning experience to suit your individual needs.
Completing the Skills Scan
The Skills Scan is broken down into 3 areas:
- Knowledge - the information, technical detail, and ‘know-how’ needed to successfully carry out your duties. Some knowledge will be occupation-specific, whereas some may be more generic.
- Skills - the practical application of knowledge needed to successfully undertake your duties. They are learnt through on- and/or off-the-job training or experience.
- Behaviours/attitudes - mindsets, attitudes or approaches needed for competence. Whilst these can be innate or instinctive, they can also be learnt. Behaviours tend to be very transferable. They may be more similar across occupations than knowledge and skills. For example, team work, adaptability and professionalism.
Each of the three areas is broken down further into outcomes that you will need to demonstrate competency in during your End-Point Assessment.
You will need to score every outcome on a scale of 1 – 10. While there is no specific definition of each score, this might be a helpful guide:
1 = you have little to no prior knowledge and/or experience in this area. You will require full training in this area before you undertake your End-Point Assessment.
5 = you already have some prior knowledge and/or experience in this area, but you still need some further development to be ready for End-Point Assessment.
10 = you are already an expert in this area and will require no training in this area before you undertake your End-Point Assessment.
Take your time completing the assessment. There are labels on the scoring to help guide you where you sit somewhere between a 1 and a 10. The main thing to remember is to be honest about your current position and give us your best guess if you are not completely sure. You will have a chance to discuss your scores with your training provider later and they can be updated if necessary.
Do not worry if you find yourself scoring on the lower end of the scale quite often. This demonstrates that you are choosing the correct apprenticeship for you, and that you will learn a lot on the way. There would be no point doing the apprenticeship if you already have the skills, knowledge, and behaviours it is designed to develop.
If you do find that you have scored highly on a lot of the outcomes, your training provider may undertake a more detailed review of your knowledge and experience with you to discuss the requirements of the apprenticeship and discuss your options.
How the Skills Scan will be used by your training provider
The results of the Skills Scan assessment will be used by your training provider to customise and tailor your apprenticeship experience. By understanding your strengths and areas for development, your training provider will be able to design a targeted Training Plan that addresses your specific needs. This personalised approach ensures that your learning journey is not only relevant to the demands of your chosen industry but also maximises your potential for success.
Your training provider will work collaboratively with you, using the Skills Scan assessment results to set meaningful objectives and milestones. You may discuss the outcomes of your Skills Scan assessment with your training provider during the later stages of the enrolment, and it is possible that after discussing your assessment that you may decide to change your score.
Your progress with your apprenticeship will be tracked throughout your learning, and you may complete multiple Skills Scans during your apprenticeship to show your progress. So, this first Skills Scan will provide you with a baseline at the start of your journey.