L7 - Senior Professional Economist

2. Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio

This assessment will take the form of a professional discussion, which must be appropriately structured to draw out the best of the apprentice’s competence and excellence and cover the KSBs assigned to this assessment method. It will involve the questions that will focus on coverage of prior learning or activity.

A professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio will allow those KSBs which may not naturally occur in every workplace or within a project, to be assessed. The independent assessor will be provided with a portfolio to review in advance of the professional discussion. This will allow questions to be formed and tailored to the evidence presented. Thereby provide a two-way professional discussion to bring out the level of detail required within the KSBs; for the apprentice to defend their own work; and to draw out the best of the apprentice’s competence and excellence.

Time

The professional discussion will last for 60 minutes. The independent assessor has the discretion to increase the time of the professional discussion by up to 10% to allow the apprentice to complete their last answer. Further time may be granted for apprentices with appropriate needs, in-line with Queen Mary's Reasonable Adjustments policy.

The Independent Assessor

There will be one independent assessor appointed by the EPAO. They will be responsible for assessing and grading the professional discussion. In addition there will be one technical expert present, whom must be either a practising or retired senior professional economist with experience in applying economics in the work place. The technical expert is not involved in grading decisions, but their questions will help the apprentice demonstrate how they have applied the KSBs in the workplace.