AAT Level 2 apprenticeship Accounts/Finance Assistant standard

Background

The Level 2 Accounts/Finance Assistant apprenticeship standard was approved and published on Friday 19 July 2019. The details of the apprenticeship standard and assessment plan can be found in the document linked below under Support resources.

There are many similarities between this apprenticeship and the Level 3 and Level 4 apprenticeships, but a couple of key differences.

• Unlike the Level 3 and 4 apprenticeships, the Level 2 apprenticeship includes a mandated qualification. The AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting is one of the qualifications that's been approved to use as part of the apprenticeship.
• The End Point Assessment (EPA) must be sat on top of the qualification.

Support resources

The below resources have been designed to assist with the delivery and completion of the apprenticeship.

• Apprenticeship standard and Assessment plan 
• End Point Assessment specification (PDF) 
• Portfolio evidence template (PDF)
• Portfolio exemplar (PDF)

Funding

The Accounts/Finance Assistant apprenticeship sits within funding band 8, capping the amount of funding available at £6,000.

Funding for this apprenticeship will be administered and managed by the employer and spent with the chosen training providers. 

This level of funding opens up a range of options to enable additional training, to augment the apprentice's on-programme learning. 

Delivery options

This graphic demonstrates how the AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting sits within the requirements for the on-programme learning aspect of this Level 2 apprenticeship.

The expected length of the Accounts/Finance Assistant apprenticeship is 12–14 months, but this is only a guideline and you can extend it if you feel it’s appropriate. This gives you plenty of flexibility to incorporate other AAT short courses to ensure the apprentice has a solid foundation in the basic skills needed.  

End Point Assessment (EPA)

The EPA for this apprenticeship will consist of two parts.

• A structured interview, supported by the summary of portfolio evidence. The interview will last for 60 minutes, and will focus on the portfolio completed by the apprentice during the on-programme learning element of their apprenticeship. This interview will be conducted remotely via the AAT Smart End Point Assessment (SEPA) platform.
• An in-tray test overview. The test will be computer based, and last for 105 minutes, this includes 15 minutes at the beginning for the apprentice to review the information provided. The test will be made up of a combination of questions and data evaluations covering the knowledge and skills identified as applicable to the assessment method within the grading criteria.

Full details of the EPA are available in the End Point Assessment specification document (PDF).