ABOUT US
Accelerate People deliver expert apprenticeship assessments across a growing range of standards, powered by Apex.
How We Started
"Having spent 8 years as the COO of Arch Apprentices, an Ofsted Outstanding training provider I had first hand experience of the frustrations of EPA.
Whether it was the unnecessary admin, long turn around times or inconvenient scheduling, we knew there was an opportunity to do it better, saving time and money for training providers whilst delivering exceptional outcomes for apprentices.
So in 2019, I founded Accelerate People. It was our chance to do this our way, think differently and embrace technology to deliver the best experience for providers, employers and apprentices."
Sam Sawyer
Co-founder and CEO
Accelerate People Today
Accelerate People is the largest assessment organisation for digital skills in the UK, and our expertise spans a growing range of sectors including business and leadership, sales & marketing, L&D and more.
We work in close partnership with some of the industry's most respected training providers, including Multiverse, Cambridge Spark and Decoded, and we've just reached a significant milestone: 15,000 assessments delivered.
Underpinning everything is Apex, our in-house assessment platform, connecting every part of the journey from registration and scheduling through to results and certification, with compliance and data built in throughout. Apex is what allows us to scale without compromising on the things that matter: our industry-leading SLAs, the quality and consistency of every assessment decision, and the depth of feedback and data we provide to partners and apprentices.
Why Choose Accelerate People?
Expert
Assessors
100% of our assessors are recruited from the industries they serve, and over 90% of our assessments are delivered by permanent, full-time assessors.
This includes:
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Flexibility and convenient scheduling
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Deep, recent domain experience
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Ongoing professional development and standardisation
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Rigorous quality assurance on every assessment decision
Detailed
Support Materials
Every partner and apprentice gets direct access through Apex to a host of supporting materials, helping coaches and apprentices prepare for their assessment. Our materials are designed to give apprentices clarity on what to expect and coaches the tools to support them with confidence.
This includes:
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Assessment guides
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Project and presentation templates
Dedicated Account
Manager Support
A strong partnership leads to more assessment success, that’s why all of our partners receive a dedicated account manager who will prioritise supporting the needs of our clients and apprentices.
This includes:
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Hosting support sessions for apprentices entering gateway
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Running curriculum and coach feedback sessions to inform curriculum
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Monthly performance reviews (using the performance dashboard)
Meet Our Senior Team
Co-founder and CEO
Sam Sawyer
Sam has been with the Blenheim Chalcot Group since 2013 and co-founded Accelerate People in 2019. As chief executive officer, she has since strategically guided Accelerate People to become one of the country’s leading EPAOs, achieving consistent financial growth. Her extensive background in further education includes leadership of an Ofsted-outstanding training provider. Leveraging her expertise in skills development and educational technology, Sam attends several strategic advisory bodies, including the St Martin's Group.
Executive Director
Zac Aldridge
Zac is Accelerate People’s executive director, leveraging the experience he gained in senior leadership roles in two north east colleges to bring context to AP’s engagement with providers. Zac has also previously held director level roles at the Awarding Organisation, NCFE.
Zac sits on AP’s Board, has senior responsibility for customer engagement, product development, compliance and is the company’s Responsible Officer.
Head of Operational Process
Harshada Sawant
Harshada is Accelerate People’s Head of Operational Process, holding 12+ years of IT leadership experience. She plays a key role in ensuring all platform activity is controlled, documented, tested, and aligned with the organisation’s ISMS and approved control frameworks.
Drives risk mitigation and continuous process improvement, working closely with CISO and leadership to maintain secure, compliant, end-to-end operation.
Head of Platforms
Darshana Goradia
Darshana is Accelerate People's Head of Platforms, where she drives innovation and operational excellence through technology and product strategy. Working closely with management teams, she aligns business goals with scalable solutions, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and future-ready platforms.
Darshana is passionate about leveraging automation and AI responsibly to deliver measurable outcomes and enhance customer experience for apprentices and training providers.