Apprenticeships can be beneficial for both employers and employees. For employers, they provide you with an opportunity to build a culture of knowledge sharing, where upskilling in the workplace becomes the norm.
For employees, they offer a gateway to career progression. Apprenticeships teach people new skills, show them new ways of working and provide them with opportunities to take on more responsibility. However, for you and your staff to get the most out of an apprenticeship scheme, it’s essential you work with a provider who can meet the exact needs of your business.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the criteria you should consider before choosing the right management provider so everyone involved can reap the rewards. These include:
- Which Area of Your Business Need Support With Learning and Development?
- What Type of Learning Opportunities Do They Provide?
- What Do Their Credentials Look Like?
WHICH AREAS OF YOUR BUSINESS NEED SUPPORT WITH LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT?
There are many different apprenticeship schemes available in the UK and most tend to specialise in certain areas. Therefore, before you start your search, be sure to iron out which areas of your business need support with learning and development.
For example, you might have plans to develop more leaders in your business. If that’s the case, we recommend working with a provider who offers leadership and management programmes as part of their service.
Most providers also offer programmes to fit learners at different levels. Some are catered towards people in junior positions, while others are more advanced and aim to support senior members of staff.
Always do your research. Providers should be able to give a list of qualifications and programmes on their website. However, it’s always worth having a conversation with their team to explain the areas in your business that need support.
This way, you can feel rest assured they’ll deliver the right kind of training to help you achieve your goals and guarantee a return on investment.
WHAT TYPE OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES DO THEY PROVIDE?
Most providers follow a training plan. This training plan should reflect your needs and why you intend to enrol your staff in the programme.
Having a clear picture of the types of learning opportunities provided on the programme is also essential for the learner experience. Do the modules sound engaging? Are they aligned with your staff’s goals? Will staff be able to bring value back to the workplace after completing the course?
The provider's training plan should be versatile, including a mixture of seminars, self-learning opportunities and one-to-one time with a tutor.
Ideally, the provider should have an online training platform where learners can access valuable resources and webinars. The right provider should always go above and beyond the usual standards and their credentials should give you a pretty clear picture of whether they do or not.
WHAT DO THEIR CREDENTIALS LOOK LIKE?
Always look to work with a provider that has a proven track record. Who have they worked with in the past? Do they have any case studies? The best providers should be able to show examples of how they’ve helped other businesses flourish in the past.
The provider should also be registered. You can check whether that’s the case here. They should have an Ofsted rating and this information should be available online too.
Keep an eye out for accreditations. The ideal management apprenticeship should be part of the Chartered Management Institute and other bodies such as the Education & Skills Funding Agency.
Be sure to find out about the tutors running the programme. The best tutors have industry experience and are passionate about helping others achieve their goals.
Here at Ascento, we can offer all of the above and more.
HOW CAN WE SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS?
At Ascento, we’ve been providing management apprenticeships for over 15 years. We’re a fully accredited provider of learning and development programmes and aim to add real value to learners and their employers.
We offer a range of management programmes. Whether you have staff who are beginning their careers or managers who have ambitions to take the next step towards becoming a leader — we can cater to your exact needs.
We’ve worked with some of the most trusted brands in the country throughout the years. These include the likes of Macdonald Hotels and Zest.
Get in touch with us today to find out more.
