5. Apprenticeship Delivery 

There are many different providers, each will have a different approach to the way in which they deliver your apprenticeship programme. Although we all work within the same Apprenticeship Standards, the manner and quality of delivery can differ considerably. Different providers will also have different methods of training the apprentice away from the workplace. Some may deliver via day release, some block release, some online, some face-to-face. 

It is important to understand how the provider you select to work with plans to deliver the apprenticeship, where they plan to deliver the apprenticeship and how much support/engagement they will provide you and the apprentice.

We tailor our apprenticeship delivery to each Apprenticeship Standard and to each employer, depending also on who you select as your apprentice. As part of the consultation process (see point 1), we find out how you work as a business and what your requirements are in terms of the training that needs to take place, the devise a programme that meets your requirements.

6. Apprentice Mentor

Being an apprentice mentor is not just limited to developing a learner’s knowledge and skills in relation to the job they will undertake in the future; they must also support an apprentice's transition into the working environment as many will have come straight from school. This may include helping them to understand how to conduct themselves, work with others and develop confidence in all the areas experienced workers take for granted.

The Mentor doesn’t necessarily have to work with the apprentice all the time. This will depend on the size of your business and the breadth of the apprenticeship programme. In smaller businesses, the apprentice may well work under the mentor all the time. In larger businesses, there is a good chance that the apprenticeship programme will see the person move through several departments and work under many different people within the business. In this case, it is still preferable to have one person centrally who oversees the apprenticeship programme, even if they are not with the apprentice all the time.

It is a good idea to identify who this person could be prior to employing the apprentice.

From our side, we assign a Training Officer to each employer and apprentice. They will conduct official reviews with the apprentice 12 times a year however they are always on hand, either by phone or email should you or the apprentice have any questions.

Most of a review meeting will be completed by the Training Officer and apprentice however you, or a representative who knows the apprentice, are needed for a short period to review, and comment on the apprentice’s progress. This is to ensure that all parties involved in the apprenticeship are clear on the apprentice’s progress towards the targets set from one review to the next and overall, towards the completion of the programme. In addition, we will conduct a more in-depth Gateway review on an annual basis with the final one at the end of the delivery period, signalling that the apprentice is ready for their End Point Assessment