What is a professional discussion?

What is a Professional Discussion?

A Professional Discussion is an in-depth discussion about one of the four tasks from Phase 3 of your apprenticeship.

Professional discussion is a planned, in-depth, two-way conversation between your assessor and you. It is an effective way of assessing complex understanding and knowledge. It is an effective use of time and an efficient holistic assessment method.

Professional discussion can help a learner who finds written evidence difficult to produce. It can also be used as an assessment method to confirm authenticity where this is questionable, or to stop any gaps in the learners’ product evidence.

It is also a discussion with your mentor, training provider or employer to talk through and show your understanding of the work. You may talk through a problem that you have encountered, how you dealt with it, the steps you took and reflecting on what you learnt or what you could do differently next time.

An example of a typical flow of a professional discussion below:

How do I prepare for a Professional Discussion?

To pass the Professional Discussion, the Apprentice must demonstrate to the Assessor that they are knowledgeable across eleven mandatory areas of the Standard.

It Is NOT just a chat, NOT a group activity and Is NOT a terrifying ordeal for the learner.

Take your time, answer what you have been asked and don't panic! The key is to discuss.