About us

1st for Awarding is the new name for 1st for EPA. We’re an award-winning assessment organisation (EPAO). We’re Ofqual recognised and a Certified B Corp.

We assess over 30 apprenticeship standards across digital, business, creative and marketing routes. Our people and our expertise set us apart, and are the reason we’re trusted by hundreds of providers to deliver excellence in EPA and assessment.

Training providers choose us for expert-led assessments, long-term partnerships and ongoing support that helps apprentices succeed.

Leadership Team

Helen Shinner Managing Director
John Pritchard Executive Director
Ben Jones Head of Partnerships
Owen Davis Head of Operations
Nile Smith Head of Delivery
Annie Fowden HR Manager

Our mission

Our mission is to support apprentices to succeed in their apprenticeship. We do this by working with training providers and employers to provide apprentices with all the support needed to undertake assessment and complete their apprenticeship.

Our values are:

Quality & Integrity: We are quality-focused and we act with integrity – doing the right thing and doing things the right way.
Supportive: It’s about looking for what’s possible, building on ideas, staying flexible, and helping things move forward even when plans shift. People count on us to do what we say we’ll do.
Adaptable: We adapt with purpose. We flex, pivot, and stay open to change, taking our stakeholders with us on our jou
ey.
Passionate: We love what we do. We’re proud of what we build and who we build it for.
Ownership: We take ownership – we know our impact matters.

We’re a Certified B Corporations, meaning we meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

“When apprentices win, we all win“

We are quality-focused and we act with integrity

Integrity means doing the right thing and doing things the right way. This shows up in how we approach conversations, decisions, and day-to-day actions – with honesty, tact, and professionalism. We choose the right path, even when it’s not the easy one.

We are supportive – we make a difference to real people

Whether it’s colleagues, providers, apprentices, clients or wider stakeholders – we show respect, listen, collaborate, and act with the aim of helping others progress. It’s about looking for what’s possible, building on ideas, staying flexible, and helping things move forward even when plans shift. People count on us to do what we say we’ll do.

We are adaptable and we embrace change

We adapt with purpose. Our world is fast-paced and apprentices are real people – every situation is different. We flex, pivot, and stay open to change. That means clearly communicating the why and the how, and helping others understand what the change is trying to achieve.

We are passionate – we love what we do

We’re proud of what we build and who we build it for. This doesn’t mean you need to be passionate about assessment itself – it’s about believing in the impact you make and caring about doing great work.