Can you sit an EPA early?

As an apprentice, if your contract states that the apprenticeship has a specific expected duration, but you finish the training early and feel ready for the EPA, can you take it early? Does it depend completely on the employer or do you have an input too?

As you may know, a degree apprenticeship is composed of the Knowledge Skills and Behaviours. The knowledge is given by the academic course, skills by the workplace and Behaviours by both.

If you have successfully completed the academic qualification and have the certificate and you have enough evidence for the knowledge skills and Behaviours to pass as per the apprenticeship standard then you can apply for EPA.

So ultimately the decisions lie firstly with the employer as you'll need to pass their gateway to apply for EPA. They may decide to insist you don't until you have 'x' years experience but this would be unreasonable if you can prove you have enough evidence to pass already.