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Managing Director of CogniSoft, Emma Cook, Joins the OAL Board

OAL is delighted to announce the appointment of Emma Cook FIEP, Managing Director of Cognisoft Ltd, to our Board of Directors. Emma brings over 35 years of unparalleled experience in the Employability, Skills, and Learning and Development sectors. Having joined CogniSoft in 1988 as an office junior, Emma has built her career from the ground up, progressing through roles in support, training, consultancy, and implementation before becoming Managing Director of one of the Uk’s most established providers of Employability, Skills CRM and Learner Management Systems. Throughout her four decades at CogniSoft, Emma has personally supported and implemented many of the […]

Trailblazing Apprentice from Müller Completes Programme Early and Sets National Benchmark

Leo Arkelaos, a rising star at Müller Milk & Ingredients, has shattered expectations by completing his Food & Drink Maintenance Engineer Apprenticeship nearly a year ahead of schedule – and becoming the first apprentice in the UK to complete the End Point Assessment (EPA) on the new version of the standard. This landmark achievement is more than a personal milestone – it’s a signal to the industry that the next generation of engineering leadership is already here. Keith Bailey, Delivery Manager, from Leo’s training provider, North West Training Council (NWTC), commented on Leo’s performance on programme “Leo has continued to […]

Springfield Training Closure

OAL will be proceeding with End-Point Assessment for all Springfield apprentices who have gone through gateway and had their EPA booking dates confirmed. We are working with the Department for Education to find solutions for those who have not yet achieved gateway, but who are close to it. This may take some time, as this is a complex and evolving situation. We appreciate that this is a very difficult time for all of the apprentices impacted by the closure of Springfield Training and OAL will do everything we can to ensure no apprentice is left behind. We would ask all […]

Leading the Way: How OAL and Bournemouth & Poole College Transformed Marine Apprenticeships

An Award-Winning Partnership, Born Out of Challenge In September 2022 at the beginning of the new academic year, the Department for Education (DfE) approached Occupational Awards Limited (OAL), to see if they could step in to support End-Point Assessment (EPA) for three key standards within the “Marine Sector” (Boatbuilder, Marina and Boatyard Operative and Marine Engineer). The previous EPAO delivering these standards had been unable to meet Ofqual requirements and unfortunately had to exit the market. OAL and Bournemouth & Poole College (BPC) had previously discussed an EPA partnership at various events and meetings up to this point, however no […]

Celebrating an Inspirational Leader: Jan Richardson-Wilde Wins Individual of the Year at the FAB Awards 2024

Jan Richardson-Wilde, CEO of Occupational Awards Ltd (OAL), has been named Leader – Individual of the Year at the prestigious Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Awards 2024. This award recognises her compassionate leadership, unwavering commitment to excellence, and significant contributions to the education and skills sector over the last year and throughout her career. Transforming OAL into a Sector Leader Jan’s visionary leadership has been instrumental in OAL’s remarkable growth since her appointment in 2019. The organisation has evolved from a relatively unknown awarding and end-point assessment organisation (AO/EPAO) to nationally recognised sector leader. Her term has seen income more […]

Not-for-profit EPAO the first to offer free PARS to all apprentices completing their Apprenticeship.

Not-for-profit End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) Occupational Awards Limited (OAL), is the first to offer all apprentices completing their EPA with them the opportunity to have their fees for the new Post Apprenticeship Recognition Scheme (PARS) completely covered. The scheme, set up by the Association of Apprentices (AoA) and the Chartered Institution for Further Education (CIFE), recently opened for applications. PARS offers a new form of professional recognition to qualified apprentices for which they receive a certificate and post-nominal designation (CSA, CAA, CHA, or CGA). Jan Richardson-Wilde, Chief Executive of OAL, said: “As a founding partner of the AoA, we’re […]

A Prime Example of the Limitless Opportunities Apprenticeships Create

As the world’s largest food and beverage company, manufacturing and supplying a broad range of food and drink products within the UK, you would find it difficult to find someone that didn’t know of the Nestlé brand. With a vision to “Unlock the power of food to enhance the quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come”, they take on the mantle of industry leaders, encouraging such passion across all areas of the brand and are unquestionable trailblazers within the apprenticeship sector. With dog friendly office spaces, on site gyms, competitive apprentice salaries and numerous development opportunities …

A Prime Example of the Limitless Opportunities Apprenticeships Create Read More »

A Day at the Races

As we all know, apprenticeships play a crucial role in shaping the workforce of our future. They empower individuals with practical skills gaining hands-on experience, and to us, they’re somewhat of a no brainer. For those of us that work in apprenticeships everyday whether as employers, training providers, EPAO’s or numerous other professions in this …

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OAL and DfE set up new funding streams to support apprentices following training provider closure

Following the sudden and unexpected closure of Learning Education and Development (LEAD) Limited, a large Private Training provider, during the summer of 2022, a significant number of apprentices were left in a state of limbo, having achieved gateway but had not started or fully completed End Point Assessment (EPA). With no on-programme funding remaining, these …

OAL and DfE set up new funding streams to support apprentices following training provider closure Read More »

Food Industry Passport Launched to Prevent Recruitment Crisis

Whilst the eyes of the world were focused on Parliament Square, for the announcement of a new UK Prime Minister, in the Terrace Pavilion, at the House of Commons, the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink launched the Food and Drink Industry Careers Passport. An audience of MPs, Civil Servants and influential people from …

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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within Apprenticeships inside some of the UK’s biggest employers.

As part of NAW2022 #BuildtheFuture OAL (Occupational Awards Limited) conducted a series of interviews on how apprenticeships are key to the future success of so many of the employers we work with. What we found, was that part of this building for the future included a focus on inclusivity and diversity. Infrastructure In 2016 the UK Government formed the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network (ADCN), with an aim to work with a range of private and public sector partners to increase access to apprenticeships from learners from underrepresented groups. The ADCN champions apprenticeships and diversity amongst employers and encourages more people from underrepresented groups, …

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion within Apprenticeships inside some of the UK’s biggest employers. Read More »

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