College celebrates 100% engineering assessment success

Students and staff at Sunderland College are celebrating an outstanding 100% pass rate in their final engineering apprenticeship assessment. 

Every member of the college’s first cohort of Engineering Technician apprentices completed their End Point Assessment (EPA) with the majority now progressing to a Higher National Certificate in Engineering to continue their studies. 

Following their success, the apprentices – who work at a range of leading regional employers such as ZF Automotive UK, ZF TRW and Marelli – are now close to being time-served engineers. 

Sam MacDonald, an apprentice at Marelli, said: “Whilst completing my Engineering Technician apprenticeship with Sunderland College, I was able to gain the knowledge and experience to ensure that my transition into a working environment was seamless as possible.

“Throughout my BTEC and NVQ, I have received all the help that I have needed to get me through my qualifications and end point assessments. I believe without the help and support I have received from Sunderland College I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Rob Cook, Engineering and Maintenance Manager at Marelli, added: “We would like to congratulate the apprentices on passing their End Point Assessments. We see apprenticeships as a key tool in our recruitment and development process, and as a way of addressing a growing skills gap that is faced by most engineering companies.

“Apprenticeships are a great way of upskilling and training individuals as they apply what they learn at college in the work place.  The services that Sunderland College provide have proved vital and our working relationship has been key to ensure this process runs smoothly from initial recruitment through to completion of the apprenticeship.” 

Sunderland College, part of Education Partnership North East, works with hundreds of employers to help young people across the North East gain real work experience, gain job skills and knowledge, all while getting paid and studying towards a relevant qualification, with over 97% of apprentices progressing to employment or further study. 

Jake Baillie, Business Executive at Education Partnership North East, said: “Following the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are delighted to see our first intake of Engineering Technician apprentices complete their End Point Assessments with a 100% success rate. 

“We are proud to see most of the apprentices are progressing to higher education with Sunderland College to continue their development whilst continuing to play valuable roles with their respective employers.”