SFJ Awards reached an important milestone this week, completing its 1000th End-Point Assessment in Fire and Rescue.

End-Point Assessment (EPA) is the crucial last stage of an apprentice’s journey, testing the knowledge, skills and behaviours gained during their training.

Quality assured by Ofqual, SFJ Awards has been an approved independent End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) since 2018 and has been delivering End-Point Assessments for the Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship since 2019.

As an independent End-Point Assessment Organisation, SFJ Awards has conducted EPAs for Fire & Rescue services across the country, including London Fire Brigade and County Durham and Darlington Fire & Rescue.

SFJ Awards’ Head of End-Point Assessment Kit Salt comments: “We feel proud that we have been able to play a part in launching the careers of 1,000 firefighters and counting. The Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship Standard is crucial to the ongoing workforce development for Fire and Rescue Services in England.

“Now, more than ever, recruits need hands-on experience to develop the skills, knowledge, and behaviours to perform the role of an Operational Firefighter competently in order to reassure the public that Fire & Rescue services are keeping them safe.”

A Tyne and Wear Fire & Rescue Service (TWFRS) spokesperson comments: “SFJ Awards have played a vital role in shaping and developing the Firefighter Apprenticeship programme at TWFRS. They have made a huge difference in how we operate our development programme and provide support to us at all stages.
They go the extra mile to ensure our Apprentices are as comfortable as can be whilst carrying out their EPA and this starts in the weeks running up to the EPA.

“Overall SFJ Awards have been great, and I feel the highest compliment I feel you can give about a company is to recommend them to another organisation, I have done this on a number of occasions.”