Alongside the free healthcare training we provide to over 70,000 healthcare professionals across the UK, FuturU is also an end-point assessment organisation, assessing learners in levels 2 through 5 in Health & Social Care. It’s all part of our commitment to upholding the very highest standards in training.
We work with training partners to support apprentices to complete their end-point assessment – so far, we’ve helped around 5,000, with this number growing by the day.
One such partner is Impact Futures. Impact Futures delivers apprenticeships and vocational qualifications in Health & Social Care, as well as Business Services and Leadership & Management.
We sat down with Helen Eveleigh, Registration & Certification Manager at Impact Futures, to learn more about their partnership with FuturU.
Can you tell us about Impact Future’s partnership with FuturU?
We began working with the team in 2019, when end-point assessment delivery was managed by Newcross Healthcare (this moved across to FuturU in September of this year). We’d been using another provider, but Newcross was offering much better results.
Since then, we’ve had a really close working relationship with Helen Soan, Head of EPA at FuturU, and her team. Day-to-day, there’s a lot of back-and-forth between us, getting learners booked in for their assessments.
Things can get very busy, especially at year end. Helen and her team are very aware of that, helping us manage things as our learner numbers increase. There’s no automated email reply – I know that the support’s there when I need it, and it’s important we have that kind of relationship.
Communication is key, and the team at FuturU are always there, opening up assessor calendars on evenings and weekends to accommodate our learners, who often work anti-social hours.
What makes FuturU stand out as an end-point assessment organisation?
Their flexibility and communication, for sure. We know who to go to for what, and that we can rely on the team to support when we need them.
I’ve also been impressed by the team’s use of technology to help address pain points – a new booking system was implemented not long ago that automates notifications when a learner books in, and learners can now make their own appointments which has helped to speed up the process. Generally, learners have a three month window for their end-point assessment, but we’re now getting them through in four to six weeks which is amazing – less of a wait for the learner, and a faster route into a job or progression in their career.
Recently, we’ve been getting feedback from FuturU on the assessments themselves, which has been invaluable. Not only can we use this information to support learners individually, but it also helps us to evolve our curriculum and the quality of our training. We can identify patterns and trends, and invest resources where they’ll have the biggest impact.
Would you recommend us to other training providers?
Having worked with the team for the last few years, I can absolutely recommend them – they’re open, honest and adaptable.
I have full confidence and trust in FuturU’s ability to assess people and the quality of their assessments. This is of utmost importance for learners going through to work in the Health & Social Care sector, where competence is key – their care can affect someone’s life, so it’s vital we have full trust in that end-point assessment. With FuturU, we absolutely do.
On a more personal note, what brings you joy at work?
I love when we get to send out assessment results to our developmental coaches, who tutor our learners. They’ve done all the hard work getting their learners ready for their assessment, so it’s always nice to be able to recognise that.
It’s great to see high numbers of learners getting through to their end-point assessment too – the new booking system FuturU’s implemented has really helped drive up this number. And I like to see learners coming back again and again, reaching the next level and progressing in their careers.
Finally, why would you recommend an apprenticeship in Health & Social Care?
I’d recommend apprenticeships in general, not just in Health & Social Care. If the option had been given to me to do on the job training, I’d say 100% yes! You can earn while you work, you’re learning constantly, gaining knowledge and confidence as you practise the job. In a role in Health & Social Care, it’s all the more important to have that hands-on experience, rather than be stuck behind a desk or in a lecture hall. He’s not reached this stage yet, but if my son asked me what to do, I’d recommend an apprenticeship for sure.
Learn more about end-point assessments from FuturU and get in touch with the EPA team here →
