In this episode, we’re talking about how to select and manage  a training provider. We’re going to guide you through our top tips and key steps to consider when deciding which apprenticeship provider to choose. We’ll also share with you some examples where a flexible approach to apprenticeship has worked really well, so we can help you build a good, long-lasting relationship with your training provider. 

What You’ll Learn: 

- Why you should search for a like-minded training provider that understands your strategy rather than focus solely on the standard that they deliver

- Why you need to prioritise the consistency of learners’ experience if you are running multiple apprenticeships in your organisation

- How to step forward as an empowered employer and determine how an apprenticeship will be delivered

- Which elements of an apprenticeship programme you can negotiate with a training provider  

- A useful tool that can help you manage your apprenticeships

- How to set the right expectations at the beginning of an engagement of a training provider

Maximising your apprenticeship training provider is all about you as the employer taking the lead, being empowered, knowing what good looks like in your organisation, knowing what you want to get out of a programme, and then finding somebody who can help you achieve that. 

Resources: 

- Scopesuite https://www.startswitha.co/project/scopesuite/ 

- Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/ 

- Download our Opportunity Guide https://www.theopportunity.global/theopportunityguide/

- The Opportunity Group Website https://www.theopportunity.global/

- The Opportunity Group LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theopportunitygroup/ 

- Connect with Michaela Reaney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelareaney

- Connect with Kate Temple-Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-temple-brown 

Today, we are bringing together some of the information that we've been sharing in other episodes, and we’re going to talk about creating a successful apprenticeship. We are going to use the acronym SET that stands for Strategy, Engagement, and Training Provider, in order to help you create the most effective apprenticeship programme for your organisation. 

What You’ll Learn: 

- Why an Apprenticeship programme must link to your wider business goals and strategy

- How to think about Apprenticeships in terms of developing skills and behaviours rather than applying standards 

- Why it’s wise to invest time into engaging line managers and learners before and during an apprenticeship 

- Why it’s important to set engagement rules and expectations for an apprenticeship group

- How to effectively engage senior level managers and leaders in an apprenticeship programme

- How to choose your training provider based on what elements of a programme you can negotiate to the benefit of your organisation and learners 

So, when starting an apprenticeship programme in your organisation, be strategic and start with an end in mind. Spend time in conversations with line managers and learners, as well as with senior managers and leaders. Seek additional value and support from your training provider, and SET yourself up for creating a successful apprenticeship. 

Resources: 

- Episode 021 Open vs Closed Cohorts https://apple.co/3SneYyG 

- Episode 011 Failures: What We Have Learned from Them https://apple.co/3R6g4O4 

- Download our Opportunity Guide https://www.theopportunity.global/theopportunityguide/

- The Opportunity Group Website https://www.theopportunity.global/

- The Opportunity Group LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theopportunitygroup/ 

- Connect with Michaela Reaney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelareaney

- Connect with Kate Temple-Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-temple-brown 

Today’s episode is dedicated to wellbeing, mental health and the holistic development of apprentices. In the last couple of years, we’ve discovered that the learners rely a lot on the support and guidance from their apprenticeship training provider and their employer throughout the course of their programme. So, how can you better support your apprentices to be resilient and mentally well, and why is it so important? 

What is Covered: 

- The benefits of mental wellness support in an apprenticeship programme

- Why mental health and wellbeing support should be part of the standard apprenticeship package

- How mental health and wellbeing support affects the retention rate of a programme

- How line managers and mentors can benefit from development to support apprentices’ wellbeing  

- How coaching conversations and style can support the holistic development of apprentices 

We strongly believe that an apprenticeship is a holistic intervention that is changing people's lives. Therefore, we empower you to ask for mental health and wellbeing support as part of your apprenticeship delivery, whoever your training provider is.

Resources: 

- Able Futures: Support for Mental Health at Work https://able-futures.co.uk/ 

- Martin Lewis - Money Saving Expert https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ 

- Download our Opportunity Guide https://www.theopportunity.global/theopportunityguide/

- The Opportunity Group Website https://www.theopportunity.global/

- The Opportunity Group LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theopportunitygroup/ 

- Connect with Michaela Reaney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelareaney

- Connect with Kate Temple-Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-temple-brown 

Today, we're going to have a debate about two ways of delivering an apprenticeship - through open and closed cohorts. First, we’ll define what open and closed cohorts are, and then we’ll discuss the benefits and potential limitations of each. As always, we’ll give examples of the types of organisations and learners that have used each format of apprenticeship and gained added value from either open or closed cohorts. 

What You’ll Learn: 

- What open cohort means in the context of an apprenticeship

- Why social learning experience is so valuable in an open cohort

- The limitations of open cohorts

- How an open cohort can support an individual on an apprenticeship programme  

- What a closed cohort is and what type of apprenticeships are suitable for this format

- How closed cohorts can support line managers in an organisation

- How learning in a closed cohort can bring a cultural shift to an organisation

- The value of closed cohort apprenticeships for continual upskilling of employees   

Both open cohorts and closed cohorts are great formats in which you can deliver an apprenticeship. You can balance between having a closed group that’s focused on a unique aspect of your business with an open group where the learners can benefit from other organisation’s best practices and experiences outside of your industry. So do your research and explore both as part of your apprenticeship strategy.

Resources: 

- Download our Opportunity Guide https://www.theopportunity.global/theopportunityguide/

- The Opportunity Group Website https://www.theopportunity.global/

- The Opportunity Group LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theopportunitygroup/ 

- Connect with Michaela Reaney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelareaney

- Connect with Kate Temple-Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-temple-brown  

Today, we’re talking about the Digital Marketer Level 3 Apprenticeship, a standard that we are starting to deliver this October as an open cohort, 13-month programme. We’ve launched this apprenticeship after successfully supporting young people into creative roles with our Marketing Debuts programme. We’ll share with you how we are planning to deliver the Digital Marketer Level 3 apprenticeship, and give some examples of what other organisations are doing with this standard. 

What You’ll Learn: 

- Why Digital Marketer Level 3 is so relevant and what skills it can provide for the learners

- How this programme can benefit SMEs

- The partnership we’ve created for delivering this apprenticeship with Watertight Marketing

- The role of the line manager, including the mentorship and coaching the line manager will experience to help their team succeed

- Who can apply for Digital Marketer Level 3

- What qualifications learners get at the end of the 13-month programme

- How this apprenticeship can be used as part of your retention strategy

Digital Marketer Level 3 is a super-relevant apprenticeship that shows how apprenticeships can be used as a year-long intervention for someone honing their craft and becoming strategic in a marketing role. It also increases the understanding of the power of marketing as a key element to a fast growth strategy. 

Resources: 

- Learn more about Digital Marketer Level 3 Apprenticeship https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/digital-marketer-v1-1 

- Download our Opportunity Guide https://www.theopportunity.global/theopportunityguide/

- Watertight Marketing https://watertight-thinking.com/ 

- Book: Watertight Marketing by Bryony Thomas https://watertight-thinking.com/about-the-book/ 

- Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program https://www.10ksbapply.com/ 

- Episode 011 - Failures: What We Have Learned from Them https://apple.co/3pSbF6v 

- Episode 012 - How do I Maximise the Apprenticeship Levy if I Am Not a Levy Payer? https://apple.co/3AZlyFW 

- The Opportunity Group Website https://www.theopportunity.global/

- The Opportunity Group LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theopportunitygroup/ 

- Connect with Michaela Reaney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelareaney

- Connect with Kate Temple-Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-temple-brown  

As we're all finding in the world right now, there is a challenge around retention of employees, supporting the talent in your team, and attracting those individuals to not only join your organisation, but to stay. So in this episode, we're going to talk about using apprenticeships as a retention tool. We’ll share the findings of the research that we've been doing in this space, and how we believe apprenticeships are a great way to retain your staff as well as upskill existing employees to minimize the need to go to an already tight talent market for new hires.

What You’ll Learn: 

- How to turn the war for talent into an opportunity to develop your existing employees

- Useful stats about employee development and engagement to share with your teams and budget holders

- How to leverage apprenticeship programmes to develop and retain talent in your organisation 

- The possibility of personalisation within a regulated framework of an apprenticeship

- Why organisations need to develop a retention strategy across the board

- How apprenticeship levy funded programmes are more attractive in a time when L&D budgets are squeezed.

All apprenticeships are not created equal, and they come in many different forms. If you're looking to move the dial on retention and employee engagement, you need to think about the personalisation and relevance within an apprenticeship. Also, consider that learning and development is not just for high-performing people in your organisation; apprenticeships can be  a retention tool for all. 

Resources: 

- 5 Surprising Employee Development Statistics You Should Know  https://blog.clearcompany.com/5-surprising-employee-development-statistics-you-dont-know 

- E145: Simon Sinek: The Number One Reason Why You’re Not Succeeding - The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett https://apple.co/3vR3LNR 

- Dare to Lead by Brené Brown https://brenebrown.com/book/dare-to-lead/  

- Download our Opportunity Guide https://www.theopportunity.global/theopportunityguide/

- The Opportunity Group Website https://www.theopportunity.global/

- The Opportunity Group LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theopportunitygroup/ 

- Connect with Michaela Reaney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelareaney

- Connect with Kate Temple-Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-temple-brown

Operations or Departmental Manager Level 5 is another apprenticeship programme worth exploring, and a partner programme to Team Leader Level 3. Today, we want to talk about why it's a good idea to prepare your leaders for what the future holds, but also how professionalising their ways of working is a beneficial skill set for your managers at any level. We’ll also share how we have seen this standard work with the different clients that we have been working with to deliver the ODM programme.

What You’ll Learn:

- Who the Operations and Departmental Manager Level 5 Programme is for

- How this programme helps leaders navigate and manage change in their organisation

- How ODM enables managers the space to focus on themselves in their day jobs

- The relationship between ODM, and ILM or CMI leadership qualifications

- The benefits of flexibility and personalisation that ODM provides

- Three tips for someone considering this apprenticeship programme 

As an organisation, why wouldn't you want to support and develop your leaders and managers to learn? There is no downside to having more leaders and managers capable of motivating, inspiring, and leading change in your organisation. So go away and think about how you can start to support your leaders and managers further, either through this apprenticeship programme, or some shorter, sharper interventions. 

Resources: 

- Episode 017 A Deep Dive into the Team Leader Level 3 Apprenticeship https://apple.co/3d7TaYq  

- ILM Qualifications https://www.i-l-m.com/ 

- Chartered Management Institute https://www.managers.org.uk/ 

- 5 Surprising Employee Development Statistics You Should Know  https://blog.clearcompany.com/5-surprising-employee-development-statistics-you-dont-know 

- Download our Opportunity Guide https://www.theopportunity.global/theopportunityguide/

- Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/ 

- The Opportunity Group Website https://www.theopportunity.global/

- The Opportunity Group LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theopportunitygroup/ 

- Connect with Michaela Reaney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelareaney

- Connect with Kate Temple-Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-temple-brown  

Team Leader Level 3 Apprenticeship is another one of our favourite standards. Today we are going to share with you some of the creative ways that we have used it with our clients as their  graduate programmes, and also how we have seen some other organisations use this as a successful foundational apprenticeship. 

What You will Learn: 

- What Team Leader Level 3 focuses on and why it is a great foundational programme

- How to use Team Leader as a graduate programme

- How learners can apply this standard in their day-to-day job even if they are not yet leading teams

- Who we think can benefit most from Team Leader Level 3

- Team Leadership is a trainable skill with its own toolkit

- How this programme can help your organisation with employee retention

- Why human skills are critical core skills in today’s changing world of work

We believe that Team Leader Level 3 is a great foundation for other, higher-level programmes, and other routes to progression post this programme. It helps you develop the fundamental skills and behaviours that you are looking for in your team in the next stage of growth and development of your organisation. 

Resources: 

- “What Are Critical Core Skills?” https://www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/skills-framework/criticalcoreskills 

- Episode 013 Why Apprenticize Your Graduate Programme? https://apple.co/3zukwQ3 

- Download our Opportunity Guide https://www.theopportunity.global/theopportunityguide/

- Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/ 

- The Opportunity Group Website https://www.theopportunity.global/

- The Opportunity Group LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/theopportunitygroup/ 

- Connect with Michaela Reaney on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelareaney

- Connect with Kate Temple-Brown on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-temple-brown