Application to become a licensed AOC assessment centre:
Information and Principles of Operation
NET Mandate and background to the AM2
The AM2 Assessment of Occupational Competence (formerly known as the AM1 skills test)
was introduced into the training of electrical installation apprentices in the early 1980’s under
the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). At this time the qualification to become an
electrician was generally City and Guilds 2360 part 1 and part 2. While employers could be
confident that an apprentice who gained these qualifications had the right level and amount of
underpinning knowledge, they had no indication of their level of competence.
This resulted in the introduction of the Achievement Measurement 1 (AM1), to be taken at the
end of the individual’s 2360 part 1 training. The assessment was set nationally by the
employers and organisations within the electrotechnical industry, and locally delivered by
colleges and training providers.
Independence
The AM1 was later redesigned and the new version named the AM2 was designed to be
completely independent of the training process, with the first AM2 centres operating out of
government owned and managed Skills Centres. The basis for AM2 was that when an
apprentice electrician undertook the assessment, it was:
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at an independent centre to which they had never been before
invigilated and assessed by an AM2 examiner they have not previously encountered
during their training
During the late 1980’s the government sold the Skills Centres to a private national training
provider, who subsequently went into liquidation; at the same time the electrical contracting
sector came out of scope to CITB. This resulted in the establishment of the Electrical
Installation Engineering Industry Training Organisation (EIEITO) mandated, by statute, to set
the standards required for the training of apprentices.
The intellectual property and copyright of AM2, and the responsibility for its delivery was
similarly ceded, by statute, to EIEITO. National Electrotechnical Training (NET) was
established in the 1990’s as an independent industry charity; the successor in deeds and title
to EIEITO, with the purpose of maintaining the independence of the industry’s assessment of
competence.
Apprenticeship and Level 3 NVQs
With the advent in 1997 of the NVQ training process, electrical apprentices began being
assessed for underpinning knowledge in the training environment and for practical
competence in the work place environment. However the industry requirement for an
independent assessment of the apprentice’s competence at the end of the training process
remained. This is because the installation of electrical systems requires the electrician to have
safety critical competencies established during the training process. AM2 has therefore
remained a component of the apprenticeship framework.
With the introduction of the Qualification and Curriculum Framework (QCF) in 2010 it was
desired that there should be an independent unit within the qualification structure that
delivered the Assessment of Occupational Competence (AOC) to all operatives seeking to
attain the status of an electrician via the electrotechnical NVQ Level 3 Diploma. The
assessment of this AOC is to be the AM2, which was extensively revised in 2010 following an
independent consultation process with the employers and other organisations in the industry.
The AM2 is managed, quality assured and overseen, in agreement with the awarding
organisations, by NET.
Registered Charity No. 1068863 Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England No. 3389705 Registered Office:
CAN Mezzanine, 49-51 East Road, London N1 6AH
Telephone: 0207 250 8511
Website: www.netservices.org.uk
© National Electrotechnical Training, 2010
Application to become a licensed AOC assessment centre:
Information and Principles of Operation
Principles of Operation of an AM2 centre
The independence of the AM2 and the non-disclosure of its operations is fundamental to its
purpose and integrity of an AOC as a fair and valid assessment of an individual’s
occupational competence.
Licensed AM2 centres are contracted to ensure that this integrity is maintained by:
1. Having an AM2 facility that is physically separate from the training areas
2. Providing access to the AM2 centre only to AM2 candidates and AM2 examining
personnel
3. The provision of trained AM2 examining staff who are not involved (in any way) in the
training and/or work based assessment of AM2 candidates
4. All AM2 centres must operate on a public access basis (i.e. a training organisation
cannot have an AM2 facility for the purpose of delivering AM2 only to its own
candidates only)
Approved test centres must have a viable customer base and will be expected to provide a
business plan on application to ensure that it is a viable business proposition.
Notes:
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AM2 centres operate over a 48 week a year programme
All set-up, operation and maintenance costs will be borne by the proposed AM2
centre
AM2 test centres shall normally be designed and established to reflect anticipated
demand, i.e. 2, 4, 6 or more installation booths plus 1, 2 or more fault diagnosis
booths as appropriate
NET licences each AM2 centre on an annual basis and charges an annual licence
fee. The annual license fee reflects the centre’s capacity based on the number of
installation booths. NET charges an assessment fee of £30 for each AM2
assessment or part thereof in the case of a retest
Centres are responsible for marketing and promoting their own AM2 services and
setting appropriate fees (NET provides guideline prices)
Test Centres shall be approved and licensed by NET. NET reserves the right to
establish facilities in any establishment and geographical location acceptable to NET
To register your interest in becoming an AM2 centre please complete and submit the NET
AOC Centre Application Form, together with the requisite business plan.
See our website for the form and information about the application and licensing process.
Stephen Plant
NET Development Manager
E: stephen.plant@netservices.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 1068863 Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England No. 3389705 Registered Office:
CAN Mezzanine, 49-51 East Road, London N1 6AH
Telephone: 0207 250 8511
Website: www.netservices.org.uk
© National Electrotechnical Training, 2010