“There’s nowhere we won’t go to progress Apprentices!”
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Pearson TQ was made aware that Project Anemoi on the Falkland Islands had reached a point where evidence collection for the Royal Engineer Heating & Plumbing apprentices could now take place. Due to the apprenticeship requirements, certain assessments for the Heating & Plumbing trade can only be completed face-to-face, meaning that a Pearson TQ assessor needed to be dispatched to the Falklands.
After gaining agreement from the Royal Engineer’s HQ, one of Pearson TQ assessors took up the challenge of completing the 36 hour round-trip flight to the Falklands for a two week assessment visit and contending with the local extreme weather conditions to gain appropriate evidence for his Heating & Plumbing apprentices.
Our assessor explains: "The last time I was on the Falklands was in the 1982 conflict when I was an 18 year old Sapper, so returning was emotional. I can safely say though that I hadn’t missed the weather!"
“When I first arrived it became clear that, due to the adverse weather, certain project areas had fallen behind programme so my original assessment schedule would need amending. I liaised with Royal Engineer troop management to agree a new schedule and due to the weather constraints limiting opportunities to see apprentices in the outstations it was apparent that I would need to extend my stay. I gained agreement from the Royal Engineer host unit to spend an additional 10 days in the Falklands so that I could ensure that my learners got the best out of my time.”
During his extended time on the Falkland Islands the Pearson TQ assessor was able to progress four Heating & Plumbing apprentices to approximately 65% complete. Unfortunately, with the various sites being behind schedule, the apprentices were not able to demonstrate all the required skills to meet the Apprenticeship. However, he was able to agree plans with them so that they would be able to produce the required evidence when work allowed.
In addition to looking after his Heating & Plumbing apprentices, our assessor also organised briefings for Royal Engineer management and apprentices of the other Royal Engineer trades currently deployed on the Falklands to advise on the evidence they would need on return to the UK to support their qualifications.
This is a great example of Pearson TQ and the Royal Engineers working together at both HQ and local Unit level to ensure that vital assessor access to apprentices was facilitated, irrespective of the location and extreme weather conditions!