Building Control Apprenticeship portal

In your panel interview, the panel is looking for you to show how you have applied your knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) in your role.

The panel is not there to catch you out. They are there to mark in a fair and consistent way, and although they must remain impartial you might pick up on clues in what they say. For example, if during a discussion the panel tries to move the conversation on, it may have heard enough to award you the marks. If it asks about a certain element of your work, answer on that element – the panel knows where marks are available and is giving you the opportunity to achieve them. This is where it pays for you to be familiar with the assessment criteria (the KSBs).

Other things to note:

• The EPA panel interview will be held virtually using a video conferencing platform such as Teams or Zoom.
• The number of questions: 30 based on building control.
• Five of these questions will directly relate to your logbook.
• It can last up to two hours.
• Panel interviews generally start with the interviewee giving a short presentation on the contents of their logbook.

It is important to be familiar with the assessment criteria that will be used in your panel interview (and the EPA as a whole). These are called the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs).

Once you have familiarised yourself with the assessment criteria, take some time to think about how and when you have demonstrated each of the KSBs in your role. Your logbook will help you here. Then practise speaking out loud about them. You could practise with a colleague or a friend.

For example, if one of your KSBs states ‘Always act with skill, care and diligence and deal with any complaint in an appropriate professional manner’, you could think of a time something hasn’t gone to plan and describe:

• what happened;
• how you reacted to it;
• why you chose that solution;
• what happened as a result.

Tip: To improve your answer further, you might also reflect on your decision – would you make the same choices again? Perhaps you’ve changed something so the problem cannot reoccur, or implemented a new process so your colleagues know how to handle the situation in future.

By doing this reflective work, it will help you focus your thinking on the positives and negatives of what you did while on your programme, and phrase your answers in a way that demonstrates what the panel is looking for. It’s also likely that you will find examples of situations in your logbook which cover multiple KSBs – so these ones are important to mention in your interview.

We have already talked about the need to practise answers relating to the KSBs, but you might be asked a more general question which requires you to do a bit of storytelling – so your answer has a beginning, middle and an end. The panel will be interested to hear the journey that you made to resolve a problem and your reflection on the process:

• What was the problem or need?

• What did you do?

• How did you work with others to achieve what you needed, or persuade others this was the right thing to do?

• What was the outcome? (e.g. an improved process, positive results, feedback from managers, happy customers)

• Reflect on your own performance. Looking back now, what would you do differently or do next time? Remember, doing things wrong or getting poor results in the past is not a bad thing if you have reflected and can identify ways to improve.

• Sum up the KSBs that you demonstrated. Don’t be afraid to mirror the KSBs by using the same phrases. Add these into your examples. For example, if the criteria says, ‘Demonstrates an understanding of the requirements contained within the Building Act…’, mirror this and say ‘I demonstrated my understanding of … by …’

• Find a quiet space for your interview

• Reread your logbook and have a copy of it for your interview.

• Two screens are a good idea: one for the interview and the other for your logbook.

• Blow your own trumpet! In the interview it is essential to show the panel where you made a difference. Even if your apprenticeship involved supporting others, make sure to highlight the role you played and the skills you brought to your team.

• If things get too much during the interview, use the excuse of having to look something up in your logbook. Stall for time until you get yourself back together again. Take a deep breath and get back to the conversation.

• Finally, try to enjoy it. As odd as this may sound, it’s a good opportunity to talk about what you have learnt over the course of your apprenticeship. It is your chance to show you can carry out your role to a high standard. Practise speaking about your achievements.