EPA Standard
Business Administrator
Level 3 
£5,000 18 months
1. What the role entails
The Business Administrator develops, implements, maintains and improves administrative services. They support and engage with different parts of the organisation and interact with 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.
2. On-programme assessment
Before entering Gateway, the apprentice must complete the following on-programme assessment requirements:
- Level 2 English and maths
- a Portfolio of Learning
- a completed Project and prepared Project Presentation.
3. Gateway requirements
The employer, independent training provider (ITP) and apprentice make the decision to take the apprentice through Gateway. The apprentice must achieve all the required on-programme elements before they enter Gateway
4. End-point assessment
The EPA for Business Administrator contains three methods of assessment:
Knowledge Test
The test will be in the form of multiple-choice questions that align with the standard’s knowledge requirements. The MCQ test is 33.3% of the total score and is graded as Fail, Pass or Distinction.
Portfolio-based interview
The Portfolio of Learning, which is not directly assessed, provides a structure for the Interview. The apprentice must upload their Portfolio of Learning to our online platform, one month before the Interview. They should provide at least one piece of evidence for each of the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours in the assessment plan. The Interview is 33.3% of the total score and the Independent End-Point Assessor (IEPA) grades this as Fail, Pass or Distinction.
Project Presentation
The Work-based Project begins three months before triggering Gateway, and the apprentice will upload this to our online platform. The apprentice produces a Presentation on a project they’ve completed or process they’ve improved, including scoping, planning, managing, communicating to stakeholders, and monitoring and reporting results. The IEPA will provide a question for the apprentice to answer in the Project Presentation. The Project Presentation is 33.3% of the total score and the IEPA grades this as Fail, Pass or Distinction.
5. Grade aggregation table
| Knowledge Test | Interview | Project Presentation | Overall Grade |
| Pass | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Distinction | Distinction | Distinction | Distinction |
| Pass | Pass | Distinction | Pass |
| Pass | Distinction | Pass | Pass |
| Distinction | Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Distinction | Distinction | Pass | Pass |
| Distinction | Pass | Distinction | Pass |
| Pass | Distinction | Distinction | Pass |
If the apprentice fails one or more assessment method the overall grade will be a Fail.
6. Completion and certification
We’ll activate certification once the apprentice has successfully completed all EPAs, and the IEPA has verified this. Working with the apprenticeship certificate issuing authority, we’ll ensure the apprentice receives their certificate.
7. What next?
The learning doesn’t stop once the apprenticeship is complete. We offer a full suite of programmes to take your apprentice up the career ladder. Their next steps could be the Level 4 Associate Project Manager apprenticeship and then maybe the Level 5 Operations or Departmental Manager apprenticeship.
Why NCFE?
We’re an approved End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) specialising in EPA delivery across health, education, early years, digital, social care, finance and business apprenticeship standards. We offer flexible and reliable EPA solutions supported by sector expertise, guidance documents and proactive service and support.