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After a year and a half of attending the Team Leader / Supervisor apprenticeship, Ana Lopes from the Recruitment team had her End Point Assessment (EPA) scheduled for the end of March at our Woking centre. However, the rise of Covid-19 changed everything and challenged both Ana and the Apprenticeship Team to carry out this EPA under unusual circumstances.

An End Point Assessment (EPA) is the final assessment that apprentices have to sit in order to pass their apprenticeship. In Ana's case this comprised a structured interview and a formal discussion about her CPD.

After undergoing a medical intervention in Spain, Ana undertook a 700 mile road trip - about 10 hours driving - to arrive safely in her hometown Porto, because her flight back to the UK had been cancelled. Ana then found herself in lockdown in Portugal, where she completed her EPA.

Despite not having with her the notes she had carefully prepared for her EPA or the technological resources usually allocated for this assessment, Ana managed to successfully create the required conditions to complete her apprenticeship on the assessment day.

At the end of her EPA, Ana sent an email to her tutor, her line managers and the SAL staff saying: "I would like to thank everyone for the support you gave me on this learning journey. I learned a lot, and I feel more confident to embrace more complex professional challenges and to help SCC in the best way that I can. I don't know what the final result will be, but I am already happy with what I have achieved so far".

Little did Ana know she was going to achieve a merit grade, which is a great achievement under usual conditions, but even more so in the current situation.