Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship Categories

We are now on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) as a main provider and can:

• Deliver apprenticeship training to employers that pay the apprenticeship levy, for any apprenticeships that started on or after 1st May 2017
• Deliver apprenticeship training as a subcontractor for any apprenticeships that started on or after 1st May 2017.

The Apprenticeships are suitable for a number of different roles such as Engineering or IT Technician,  Network or Telecoms Technician and Business Administrator to name just a few.

The Apprenticeships are typically run over 2 -3 years in the workplace. When Semester: Learning and Development manage your apprenticeship the benefits can be easily measured. Your apprentice will spend more time in work being more productive, spend less time travelling, spend less costs on accommodation and your business will be getting a better return on your investment than if they went to a bricks and mortar college.

This is made possible by our use of distance learning coupled with our up to the minute Learning Management System (LMS). We offer flexible start times, so you are not restricted to college term dates.  Also there are no minimum numbers, you can have as few as 1 apprentice.

The competence element will be assessed in the workplace by our team of expert assessors coupled with the use of an e-portfolio, allowing learners to concentrate on learning on the job.

Some of our Apprentice Employers

What we can help you with?

Primarily we are a training provider registered on RoATP – our UK provider Registration Number is 10048806. We are registered with Pearson (sometimes called Edexcel or BTEC) and Engineering Training Awards (ETa). All have been approved for distance learning and we use state of the art systems to deliver and track progress.

Recruitment

If you have never employed an apprentice before, you may not know exactly what to look for in potential candidates. We can advertise for you on our website (see apprenticeship vacancies) and we have a template you can use for your job description, suitable for posting on the National Apprenticeship Service.

Choosing the right candidate to work in your company for 3 years as a trainee, can be a daunting prospect. Let us help take the strain.

Calculating Off the Job Training (OJT) Time

For the apprenticeship to be valid, there has to be 20% of their working time allocated to the apprenticeship. Also, the units and courses chosen must meet the 20% as well.

So what does 20% look like:

• Over the period 1st Jan 2020 to 31st Dec 2021 there are 510 working days
• Standard holiday to be taken will be around 20 days per year = 40, so the number of actual working days would be 510-40 = 470
• Each day is work 7.5 hours as part of the calculation.
• 470 days @ 7.5 hrs = 3525 hrs
• 20% of 3525 = 705 hours needs to be allocated to Off the Job Training

This could be covered by just the NVQ Extended Diploma in Engineering, which has a total qualification time of over 900 hours. Add in a technical qualification (600 hours) , Functional skills (66 hrs each), induction (3 hrs), ERR (20 hours), you are going to need more than 1 day per week to complete the apprenticeship.

So what does an apprenticeship consist of?

Standards 

In May 2017, Apprenticeship Standards came into being. This is sometimes known as Trailblazer Apprenticeships and has completely replaced frameworks since September 2020.

To check the latest standards, head over to the Institute for Apprenticeships website.

Standards are more akin to a job description. Each role profile describes  what the apprentice is likely to be doing.  It also lists the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours (KSB’s) that will need to be recorded before progressing through a gateway.

Knowledge

Understand the impact your service provision has on the wider organisation and the value it adds (Customer Service)

Understanding of general engineering/manufacturing mathematical and scientific principles, methods, techniques, graphical expressions, symbols formulae and calculations used by engineering technicians (Engineering Technician)

Skills

Find solutions that meet your organisations needs as well as the customer requirements (Customer Service)

Undertaking the work activity using the correct processes, procedures and equipment (Engineering Technician)

Behaviours

Personally commit to and take ownership for actions to resolve customer issues to the satisfaction of the customer and your organisation (Customer Service)

Focus on quality and problem solving. Follow instructions and guidance, demonstrates attention to detail, follow a logical approach to problem solving and seek opportunities to improve quality, speed and efficiency (Engineering Technician)

Qualifications

Some standards will list a mandatory qualification, others won’t. We will devise a programme of learning that will meet the KSB’s. We may include additional qualifications or individual units that we feel will be beneficial.

So for instance, the Engineering Technician Apprenticeship specifies qualifications, that we deliver, whereas the IT Technical Salesperson does not. In this case we will devise a programme of learning that will allow the apprentice to meet the KSB’s and deliver qualifications around that.

Assessment

Semester: Learning & Development Ltd deliver learning using the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS). This gives the apprentice a structured approach to learning and access 24/7. The assessment is recorded via the industry standard OneFile e-portfolio. Employers will also have an account so they can access their apprentice’s work and take part in reviews. OneFile is also used to record Off The Job (OJT) Training time and progress.

Each Role also has an Assessment Plan. This details how the evidence will be evaluated and when. Some apprenticeships have a midway gateway, where a certain amount of knowledge(such as level 2 qualification) has to be achieved and agreed with the employer. The apprentice then continues until all the KSB’s have been completed and can progress to the End Point Assessment (EPA).

End Point Assessment

Each apprenticeship has a defined End Point Assessment which will be carried out by a separate company than the training provider. We can source one for you, or use one which you already have a agreement with.

Typically, the EPA will consist of 3 things:

1-Portfolio based validation Interview – this is where the EPA will interview the candidate, the basis of which will be the portfolio of evidence on OneFile.

2-Competence Assessment – this may take the form of a project or task under supervision of the EPA

3-Employer Validation – where the employer signs off that the apprentice has completed all the KSB’s.

Each standard is slightly different in the approach to EPA, some even have an exam that needs to be passed as well as the portfolio.

 

Apprenticeship Levels:

The basic apprenticeship at level 2 is on a par with GCSE levels. In Wales it is called the Foundation Apprenticeship. Typically this will give the learner an insight into the industry and allow them to perform basic routine tasks.

The level 3 Advanced apprentice will already have achieved qualifications or an apprenticeship at level 2 and will learn more in depth knowledge and skills in their industry. When complete they will be the team leaders and typically rise quickly in their chosen industry, compared to those that do not follow an apprenticeship route.

A level 4, Higher Apprenticeship is for those who have level 3 knowledge and skills, possibly some A’ Levels and are looking to become leaders in their industry. They will follow a level 4 program which is equivalent in depth to the 1st year of a university Bachelors Degree course.

It is possible for learners to progress through all the levels. It will take time, patience and hard work but all apprenticeships that are worth doing will require this input.

Cost

For more information, click here