Business Administrator 

The role of the Business Administrator involves developing, implementing, maintaining and improving administrative services. The Business Administrator supports and engages with different parts of the organisation and interacts with internal or external customers, with strong communication skills (both written and verbal), using initiative, time management, problem-solving skills, decision making, and the potential for people management responsibilities through mentoring or coaching others.

The responsibilities of the role are to support and engage with different parts of the organisation and interact with internal or external customers. With a focus on adding value, the role of the business administrator contributes to the efficiency of an organisation, through the support of functional areas, working across teams and resolving issues as requested. The flexibility and responsiveness required, allows the apprentice to develop a wide range of skills.

Gateway Requirements

The decision to take an apprentice through Gateway is made between the employer, training provider and apprentice, typically after 12 – 18 months on-programme. The apprentice must have completed all on-programme elements before they enter Gateway, including the completion of a Portfolio of Evidence, a completed Project and fully prepared Project Presentation, and Level 2 in English and Maths.

End-point Assessment (EPA)

EPA consists of three discrete assessment methods. These can be delivered in any order – via remote assessment – and are weighted equally in their contribution to the overall EPA grade.

Assessment Method	Duration	Minimum grade	Maximum grade
Knowledge Test	60 minutes	Pass	Distinction
Portfolio Interview	30 – 45 minutes	Pass	Distinction
Presentation / Project	20 – 30 minutes	Pass	Distinction

Knowledge Test

The KT comprises 50 equally weighted multi-choice questions with four possible answers, of which only one will be valid and correct. The questions will relate only to the knowledge areas of the Standard.

Presentation / Project

The project is completed from month 9 of the apprenticeship and should be completed prior to EPA being triggered, this is then uploaded to our online platform, SEPA, at Gateway. The apprentice produces a Presentation on a project, incorporating scoping, planning, managing, communicating to stakeholders, and monitoring and reporting results. The presentation lasts 10-15 minutes, with a further 10-15 minutes for a Q&A session.

Portfolio Interview

The Portfolio of Learning, which is not directly assessed, provides a structure for the Interview. The completed Portfolio of Learning is to be uploaded at gateway and should provide at least one piece of evidence for each of the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours as outlined in the assessment plan. The interview assesses understanding and learning shown in the portfolio of learning

Example of Overall Grade

Knowledge test	Presentation/ project	Portfolio interview	Overall grade
Pass	Pass	Pass	Pass
Pass	Distinction	Distinction	Pass
Distinction	Distinction	Pass	Pass
Pass	Pass	Distinction	Pass
Distinction	Distinction	Distinction	Distinction

To achieve a Distinction, the apprentice must meet all of the Pass descriptors and Distinction descriptors assigned to this method. If the apprentice fails one or more assessment methods the overall grade will be a Fail.

Feedback

The IEA will not provide the apprentice (or their manager) with a preliminary grade, as it will be subject to Skillsfirst internal quality assurance processes. Skillsfirst will aim to confirm the apprentice’s final and overall grade approximately 10 working days after the last assessment.

Certification

Once moderation is complete and the apprentice has successfully completed all EPA methods, Skillsfirst will activate certification through the Apprenticeship assessment service. Certificates will be sent directly to the employer.

You can download a copy of the information on this page here

A link to the Business Administrator standards page can be found here