Level 3 & 5 Management Apprenticeship Programmes
Context
South Tyneside Council (STC) is a metropolitan borough council and one of the region’s largest employers, with more than 4,700 employees working in three key groups: Business & Resources, Regeneration & Environment and Children, Adults & Health. The region for which it provides vital public services ranks in the top 25% of all 326 council regions for population density.
At the time of this project, STC was in the middle of their ‘Futures’ modernisation programme ‘Hello Tomorrow, Change is Happening’, aimed at reconciling the challenges of financial pressure with bold transformation ambitions for the local area. This work was simultaneously being aligned with the following values:
- Integrity – We will do the right thing whatever the circumstances.
- Valuing people – We will respect everyone and appreciate diversity.
- Excellence – We will strive for continuous improvement.
To support the delivery of this modernisation programme, a forward-thinking Organisational Development (OD) strategy set out four inter-related themes for the strengthening of the STC workforce, ensuring that they would be appropriately skilled and empowered to contribute to the programme’s delivery and the delivery of exceptional services to the region’s residents:
- Leadership & Management
- Attracting, Recruiting & Retaining Talent
- Progressive, Collaborative & Healthy Working Environment
- Future Skills
Requirement
To directly support the first theme of their OD strategy, STC required a Leadership & Management development programme that would a) utilise their Apprenticeship Levy funds, b) upskill and develop committed aspiring and middle managers who wished to take on more senior roles by broadening their knowledge and expertise and c) form the foundation of their Management Development Programme by following the Council’s Leadership Model.
Delivery of the relevant apprenticeship standards (Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor & Level 5 Operations/Departmental Manager) was required on an in-house basis for STC staff only, and the STC stakeholders requested “a differentiated approach to deliver creative and flexible learning opportunities for staff requiring either [standard] in a combined Management Development Programme.”
Solution
In our proposal to meet STC’s requirement, Eliesha advised that a successful management apprenticeship programme would actually support all four themes of their OD strategy; skilled and effective managers and leaders play an important role in retaining talented individuals, they curate positive working environments and, as well as gaining a set of future-proof skills themselves, they are better able to assess and manage the personal development of others, ensuring they have the skills they need as well.
In order to satisfy STC’s requirement for “a differentiated approach … to deliver creative and flexible learning opportunities for staff requiring either Team Leader or Operations Manager in a combined Management Development Programme,” whilst also meet the requirements of the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), Ofsted and the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP), we proposed a partially combined programme that would allow for a differentiated approach across levels. This involved identifying and signposting the crossover and differentiation between the two apprenticeship standards and was only possible due to our in-depth knowledge of both.
Furthermore, to successfully meet their requirement of a programme that would follow the Council’s Leadership Model, whilst also meeting the generic requirements of the relevant apprenticeship standards, Eliesha proposed to use information gathered in pre-enrolment activities (questionnaires, self-assessments, etc.) as well as unique STC requirements (i.e. the STC Leadership Model) to inform an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for each apprentice. ILP production would also involve each apprentice’s Line Manager, ensuring any additional needs are identified, prior learning is taken into account, and the Line Manager is engaged in the learning process from ‘day zero’.
We also proposed the concurrent delivery and assessment of suitable ILM Certificates at corresponding levels (i.e. Level 3 Certificate in the Principles of Leadership & Management and Level 5 Certificate in Leadership & Management). This additional achievement and recognition, on top of the prestigious Apprenticeship Certification, is a popular ‘value add’ to our apprenticeship delivery and something enabled by our long-term partnership with ILM, for whom we are one of the busiest Approved Centres in the UK.
Results
Following contract award, Eliesha delivered a successful learning programme for 22 employees drawn from STC and their arm’s length management organisation for housing, South Tyneside Homes (STH). These learners formed a collaborative cohort to attend our engaging, interactive learning workshops, whilst also receiving personal support from their dedicated tutor/coach and accessing a bespoke landing page on our proprietary Learning Management System (LMS), populated with valuable content.
Extensive support was provided by our accredited centre and administrative support teams to both apprentices and STC stakeholders, as well as apprentices’ line managers. Apprentices also received help with any Functional Skills requirements, as well as Careers Information Advice & Guidance (CIAG) to ensure that their apprenticeship would help them to maximise their future opportunities.
An important part of apprenticeship delivery is the satisfaction of the employer with the communication, reporting and support of what can become complex programmes to monitor and administer. STC’s primary stakeholder for this project returned a satisfaction survey as detailed below, where scores of 1 are ‘poor’ and 10 are ‘outstanding’.
| Question | 1-8 | 9 | 10 |
| How well does your provider understand your organisation’s training needs? | ✓ | ||
| Does your provider offer training and/or assessment in a flexible way to meet your needs? | ✓ | ||
| Does your provider communicate clearly with you throughout the process? | ✓ | ||
| How do you rate the professionalism of the staff delivering training and/or assessment? | ✓ | ||
| Is your provider delivering training that reflects up-to-date practices in your industry/sector? | ✓ | ||
| How do you rate your training provider overall? | ✓ | ||
| How do you rate the overall quality of the training/assessment? | ✓ | ||
| Do you have the ability to influence the structure, content, delivery and duration of the training? | ✓ | ||
| Was the location where the training was provided convenient? | ✓ | ||
| Please rate the suitability of the training in preparing your employees for the job role they are in? | ✓ | ||
| How likely would you be to recommend your learning provider to another employer seeking similar training? | ✓ |
As of FY23-24, with some apprentices still in-learning (as a result of personal or COVID-19 related disruptions), 66% of those who have successfully completed their programme have achieved a ‘distinction’.
Outcomes
We know that the chief outcome that STC were looking for in their investment of time, resources and funding into this programme was demonstrably more confident and competent leaders and managers. The most relevant source of commentary on this level of personal development and impact comes from the line managers of our apprentices. These individuals have the perspective to see when, where and how new knowledge, skills, and behaviours are being transferred to apprentices’ day-to-day work. They also have the pre-existing knowledge and relationships to take a view of less-tangible changes like confidence. We engage these important stakeholders from the very beginning of apprenticeship programme delivery, and their reflections on apprentices’ progress and development are factored into our formal Learner Progress Reports. Some excerpts (with altered names) from these reports are included below:
Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor – Line Managers
“Callum actively seeks out opportunities to put the course learning to practical use and has been greatly involved in the training of new staff. They are doing incredibly well and this is in part to the knowledge and direction of Callum. I feel the course has given him the tools and confidence to step up to team leader/supervisor responsibilities.”
“Priya continues to manage her team effectively, ensuring that key performance measures are understood and met consistently. The impact the programme has had on her development is noticeable in the conversations that take place. In addition to the learning Priya has utilised the programme to network and has valued the input from her mentor.”
Level 5 Operations/Departmental Manager – Line Managers
“Alexis has demonstrated some excellent skills and managerial qualities from this programme … and he has taken on increased responsibilities resulting from this. His confidence, engagement and performance has excelled resulting from this training, with his willingness to transfer his skills to other people being a great example of the positive manager and officer that he is.”
“Mary has become much more confident in her own skills; she is now much more self-assured whilst working with colleagues as she is able to justify her own decision making. She has always taken responsibility for her workload and for her own tasks but she is now able to ask for help and advice if she needs it because she knows this is a strength not a weakness.”
“It has been clear to see how completing this course has improved his understanding of the complexities of being in a management position. This is from his demeanour, the way his confidence has grown dealing with items outside of his previous comfort zone and his adaptability to take on new tasks. The knowledge and understanding that you need to engage, explain, lead and mentor has really come out and it’s great to see.”
“Carey has grown in confidence over the last few years while completing this course and this has opened up opportunities for her to develop further. She has recently stepped into a new role with additional responsibilities and she is thriving, leading and managing the team as expected and with passion and commitment.”
“Paula’s confidence is growing and is evidenced in her management and support of staff within her team, she is able to put theory into practice and shows a high level of confidence and self-assurance which has been observed within work-based practice.”
Learner Progress Reports are also an excellent place to capture apprentices’ comments on the quality of their learning programme, reflections on their own development and ways in which they notice themselves approaching their day-to-day tasks and responsibilities:
Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor – Apprentices
“Throughout the duration of the course, the support provided from the tutor has been flawless. Eliesha has provided continued support and I have been reassured that they are always happy to assist.”
“I have developed in confidence since setting out on the apprenticeship. I have had an interview for a higher band job that I didn’t expect to get an interview for, but I put this down to my confidence when completing the application process and using my skills and knowledge learned in answering the questions on the application.
Overall, the apprenticeship programme through its learning, workshops, training, and skills have helped me develop in my current role, growing in places I have previously been aware off but avoided and exploring new areas that were previously way outside of my comfort zone.”
“I feel that over the duration of the course there has been rich and diverse learning for my needs, and I have definitely taken away aspects for my development and what learning I can continue to apply. I have a wider understanding of the organisation, team dynamics and feel I have more strategic thinking in my role now. Overall, I have found the course very informative and helpful in regards to my development.”
Level 5 Operations/Departmental Manager – Apprentices
“The course has proven to be very beneficial since my transition into a management role. I have been able to apply the knowledge and skills I have gained to help myself become an effective manager.”
“Incorporating the knowledge gained into my work practice and areas of responsibility has supported my growth in confidence and assertiveness in new areas of leadership and management, in particular my time management, priorities/workload, delegating tasks to staff and introducing/communicating change management.”
“I have developed greatly over the course of the programme, I have been able to implement the learning gained from the theory of the classroom sessions into the day to day management of staff within my team and when delivering projects. Once I had an understanding of the [leadership & management] theory, I was able to adopt them in practical situations with confidence.”
“I feel I have grown in confidence and feel that the learning from the course has supported me in this new role [of Operations Manager]. A change in role has been providing support to team members who are new to line management. I have enjoyed sharing my own experiences and also coaching in these new roles and also signposting where necessary. The Eliesha team have been extremely supportive.”
“The skills I have learnt throughout this programme did help me during our service restructure and the knowledge I have regarding all the module areas has been invaluable.”
