The Apprenticeship Portfolio - what should go in it and why

When starting an apprenticeship, that first meeting with your tutor will undoubtedly be filled with lots of buzz words and guidance which will take some time to sink in. But after a few months you will gradually have become used to the words “portfolio“, “gathering evidence“, “Gateway“ and “EPA“. However, it is not unusual to still feel quite daunted by all of this even after 3 months and many worry about asking us in case we think they haven’t been listening. Please don’t worry! Your tutor is there to advise and will absolutely welcome those questions so he or she can help you.

But, here is a little guidance on what you need to know, do and why...

Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSBs)
Depending on the apprenticeship you are doing, you will be given a list of Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours detailing what you need to learn and what you need to become competent in during your time as an apprentice. These are the foundation of your whole apprenticeship and assessment!

Tip: print them out and pin them to your wall so that they become so familiar with them which will in turn enable you to keep looking out for opportunities to practice them and show how well you can do them.

Portfolio
In order to prove to your manager, your tutor and your assessor that you know them and can successfully do them in your job, you must gather evidence of that in a portfolio. Your portfolio is effectively a collection of files such as…

• Word, Powerpoint, Excel or other files which you have created at work as part of carrying out the skills you are required to learn and practice

• written assignments from your tutor to give you the opportunity to explain your knowledge

• case studies which you have written about something you did at work, explaining how you did it, what challenges you had, how you overcame them, what you learned and so on

• perhaps a recording of a presentation you gave or a professional discussion you had which clearly shows you know your stuff!

These are just a few examples but effectively, any files, explanations, email conversations, screenshots, recordings and testimonials can go into your portfolio so long as they show convincing evidence of the abilities and behaviours you need to demonstrate for your role. There are some restrictions on how many of each format you can use so just speak to your tutor about that. Your tutor will help you throughout your time on the programme to learn what you need to, and your manager will help you throughout to practice the skills you need to at work. It is down to you to do your best and to put together a convincing portfolio of work to impress the assessor. That said, your tutor and manager are there to help guide you on how to do it.

Gateway
Only once your portfolio is complete and of good quality will you be allowed to go to “Gateway” which is the point where you can now enter the End Point Assessment (EPA) period and be assessed for your qualification by an external assessor. Again, depending on your apprenticeship subject, you may have other Gateway entry criteria to prepare such as a work-based project ready to do, or an exam to revise for. Not only that but every apprentice must have been on the programme for a year and a day before they can enter Gateway. EPA is an exciting stage when you are ready because it is your time to shine and show what you can do! Make sure you have a good portfolio to lead you into that last leg of your journey.

From all of us at Swarm, good luck!