Apprentice Handbook. A Guide for Apprenticeships at NHSBT

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1 Apprentice Handbook A Guide for Apprenticeships at NHSBT

2 Many congratulations on starting your apprenticeship. I am delighted that you are part of our Award-Winning Apprenticeship Scheme. This is a fantastic opportunity to improve your long-term career prospects, whether you are starting out in your first job, or progressing at work. The Apprenticeship Scheme is a key component of our People Strategy. The future of NHSBT depends on having skilled and talented colleagues to support delivery of our life saving services. Having a vibrant Apprenticeship Scheme ensures that NHSBT is enhancing the future talent of the organisation and the next generation of colleagues are ready for the complex, challenging and exciting demands of running our organisation. Throughout your programme, you will be provided with a variety of opportunities to explore, analyse and develop your own skills and behaviours, as well as train to obtain a nationally recognised qualification. You will be supported by a range of colleagues internally and externally to NHSBT who will encourage and motivate you; help to strengthen your skills and behaviours and develop your technical ability. Our Apprenticeship Team are also there to help you every step of the way. This is just the start of our apprenticeship journey of which you have become an important part of. We are continuing to build our apprenticeship offering and by 2020 we hope to be delivering up to 40 different programmes which will provide varied pathways and progression. I hope your chosen Apprenticeship Programme will help you to succeed in your current job and give you the confidence to achieve more in your career as you progress. In the meantime, I wish you every success and I look forward to hearing about your progress at the Apprenticeships Celebration Event once you have successfully completed your programme. Yours Sincerely, Katherine Robinson Director of Workforce

3 Introduction Your apprenticeship consists of four key partnerships who work to together for your qualification to be attained. The partnership is made up of: Apprentice Learn new skills, builds the portfolio of evident to demonstrate competence and complete requirements to attaining your apprenticeship. ESFA The Education and Skills Funding Agency provides funding for the entire programme on behalf of the Government. Employer Offer opportunities to gain the practical skills and provides study time to complete the apprenticeship Training Provider Deliver, facilitate and assess learning and training. An assessor would be allocated you once enrolled. The training provider provides support to the Apprentice and Employer for the apprenticeship to be successfully achieved. The Apprenticeship Programme What is an Apprenticeship? An Apprenticeship is made up of several components that are put together to create a Standard or Framework, which when completed result in an accredited qualification. These qualifications will be a mixture of competency/skills, knowledge, behaviour and transferable skills. An Apprenticeship is a recognised qualification throughout the UK and EU. It will tell employers what you can really do at work not just what you can remember for an examination. This means that they are a valuable qualification and will aid you to progress in your chosen career. What is the length of an apprenticeship? A time scale for the completion of your apprenticeship will be set out in your Individual Learning Plan (ILP) once you have formally enrolled. They are a minimum of 12 months typically for an Intermediate (Level 2) Apprenticeship and can be up to five years for Higher (Levels 4 and 5) and Degree (Levels 6 and 7) Apprenticeships depending on the programme you are following and your prior experience.

4 What are the different types of apprenticeships? There are various apprenticeship levels currently ranging from level 2 up to level 7. Across all levels, apprentices would work towards work-based learning to gain a qualification to demonstrate competence or skills, knowledge, behaviour and Functional Skills. An overview of the levels of apprenticeships and an example of what these are equivalent to are: - Intermediate Apprenticeship: Level 2 qualification. Equivalent to 5 GCSE passes at grades A* to C or grades 9 to 4. Advanced Apprenticeship: Level 3 qualification. Equivalent to 2 A Level passes. Higher Apprenticeship: Levels 4 and 5 qualifications. Equivalent to a HNC (for level 4) or HND or a Foundation Degree (for level 5). Degree Apprenticeship: Levels 6 and 7 qualifications. Equivalent to a Bachelor s Degree or Postgraduate Diploma (for level 6) or a Master s Degree (for level 7). Apprenticeship Programme Structure: This section provides you with an overview of the structure of an apprenticeship. Please note that this may differ depending on the programme you are undertaking, therefore the actual structure that you will work towards, will be discussed with you, once you are formally enrolled on the programme at the initial meeting with our training provider (see the flowchart on the next page detailing the key steps of the process and support). It is important to note that there will be different assessment methods depending on the programme you are undertaking. These will be discussed with you as part of the initial meeting (see below). Some programmes may require formal exams. Competence or Skills: The competence/skills section is made up of several elements; each describes activities that you will need to demonstrate at work. Some elements are complex and require you to undertake many activities. You must be competent in all elements before this section of the programme is signed as complete. To show that you can demonstrate the standard outlined you will be required to gather a portfolio of evidence; depending on your programme this may be produced as an e-portfolio or as a paper-based folder. Your assessor (allocated from the training provider) will discuss what can be used as evidence throughout your programme. Knowledge: This section is made up of different elements and may reflect the competence and skills requirements of the qualification. This enables you to demonstrate that you have the knowledge you need to carry out your work to the level required as outlined within the apprenticeship standard and by your Employer. You may need to attend college for this part, usually on day release, which you will need to agree in advance with your manager. Behaviours: You will be required to show that you rolemodel positive behaviours throughout your apprenticeship. Each standard will detail the types of behaviours that will be assessed. Your Employer will also expect you to demonstrate their values on an ongoing basis. Functional Skills: You may need to achieve Functional Skills in some or all the following areas if you do not have GCSE (or equivalent) grades at A* to D or grades 9 to 4 in English, Mathematics and Information & Communication Technology (ICT). This is done by demonstrating competence, collecting evidence and by passing external examinations. You may be exempt from completing these functional skills if you have GCSEs or any other relevant qualifications. You must provide evidence of these qualifications by bringing in the certificates on the Awareness Day or during the recruitment process (for new starters. The NHSBT Apprenticeship Team will need copies of these certificates as they are required to gain the whole apprenticeship framework or standard. If you do not bring in these

5 certificates at the start of the programme, you will be required to complete the Functional Skills in parallel with your other studies. End-Point Assessment Within every Apprenticeship Standard, there is an End-Point Assessment that must be completed to gain the qualification. Each Standard has an End- Point Assessment Plan, which details the assessments that will be independently undertaken at the end of your apprenticeship. You can find your Standard and Plan on the Apprenticeships People First webpage. Please ensure you familiarise yourself with these documents and ask any questions at your enrolment to ensure you fully understand this process before commencing the apprenticeship. The Process: Training providers have been secured to provide apprenticeships across different programmes at NHSBT. The training provider supports us in the raising awareness of apprenticeships (whether this is an Awareness Day for existing employees or one to one telecons for new recruits), the initial meeting and enrolment of our employees onto apprenticeship programmes and the delivery and quality assurance. They will have assessors who will support you throughout your Apprenticeship, supporting you in the achievement of your Programme. See the flowchart on the next page detailing the key steps of the process and support. Induction If you are an existing employee, you will be required at attend an Awareness Day to gain further information about our programmes before you are formally enrolled to start. These take place on a quarterly basis. This is to ensure you have received sufficient information about apprenticeships before committing. Line managers are also encouraged to attend the Awareness Day to obtain further information as the impact on operations and support requirements will be discussed. If your manager is unable to attend, we strongly encourage them to contact the NHSBT Apprenticeship Team for a telecon briefing before the programme starts. For managers recruiting an external apprentice (new starter), the NHSBT Apprenticeship Team will have a telecon with the manager prior to the recruitment to discuss what to expect and support requirements. Once the Awareness Day or Briefing Telecon has been held and you have confirmed that you wish to progress with your application, referral paperwork will be sent to our training provider for you to start. Our training provider aims to contact our apprentices within 3-4 weeks of the referral being made. An initial meeting will then be arranged, where you will be formally enrolled onto your programme. This initial meeting is a face to face meeting with you, your Line Manager and Assessor from our training provider. At this meeting, you will need to bring your highest academic achievement certificate and any certificates relating to English, Maths and ICT (such as GCSEs, O Levels, Key Skills or Functional Skills), if you have not already provided these. You may need to undergo an online skills assessment if you do not have your certificates and you haven t completed this prior to your Awareness Day. You will be given information about the Apprenticeship Programme and the activities that you will be undertaking, which are relevant to your job role together with any additional information about processes and procedures including the Assessment Complaints process. In addition, you and your manager will need to sign an Apprenticeship Agreement and Commitment Statement. Your Assessor will also discuss the Individual Learning Plan (ILP), frequency of review meetings, evidence collecting and portfolio building, any examinations that you may need to undertake, methods of assessment and quality assurance needed to achieve your Apprenticeship. This will be in addition to a corporate induction if you are a new employee to NHSBT. It is important that your line manager attends your initial meeting and formal

6 progress reviews throughout your apprenticeship. Any questions can be answered and feedback given via this route. Throughout the Apprenticeship Journey: As detailed above, at the start of your programme your Assessor will complete an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) with you and your Line Manager during the initial meeting. This will detail the activity that you will work towards with regards to the Competence/Skills, Behaviour and Knowledge and Functional Skills to enable you to complete your Apprenticeship Programme. The ILP will include details of your previously gained qualifications and prior learning / experience. Throughout the programme, your progress will be discussed with your assessor. Your Assessor, Line Manager and the NHSBT Apprenticeship Team will be able to review your progress throughout your Apprenticeship Programme to support you in the completion of this. It is your responsibility to advise your Assessor and Line Manager of any difficulties that you may incur to ensure you are supported and to ensure that your Line Manager has the dates of your review meetings. Support: There are various support options available to you throughout your apprenticeship, an overview of these are: Regular meetings and feedback from your Assessor. An Individual Learning Plan (ILP). Contact from the Apprenticeship Team to ensure you are progressing well and you are supported. Attend NHSBT SHINE Programmes (online and face to face). See People First. Access to the NHSBT Library Services. Departmental Buddy (new starters: to be arranged via line manager) Use of our networking group on Yammer and Facebook called ApprenticeshipSHINE. On-line Tutorials (TED Talks) and courses for a range of topics on People First Recognition of Excellence Scheme. Adjustments and support considerations for those who have a disability. You are able to purchase an Apprentice Discount Card at: Your Managers Support: It is crucial that you have your managers full support for your apprenticeship before you commence. This is because there will be an element of off the job Study Time that will impact on your teams staffing. Therefore, your manager and yourself will need to discuss and agree how this will be managed and supported. Your manager will also be required to attend your initial meeting and some of your review meetings to discuss your progress and any support that you may need. Study Time: When enrolling onto a programme, you will need to commit and have support for 20% off the job study time for the duration of the programme. This equates to 1 day per week for a full-time employee and is pro-rata for part time employees. See the Study Time Guidance (available on People First) for clarity on what can be counted towards this. Professional Registration: Some programmes may have an essential requirement for the apprentice to obtain a student level of professional registration / membership to complete their studies. This is not funded from the levy and is not funded centrally by NHSBT. Your manager may need to fund this from their own local budget. This will be discussed further on referral prior to being formally enrolled. Quality Assurance: It is the Internal Quality Assurer s job (through the training provider) to ensure that quality is maintained throughout your qualification so that your portfolio (paper or electronic) is correct and meets the standard of the Awarding Organisation.

7 They may wish to speak to you personally and may accompany your Assessor on a visit. Assessment Complaints and Appeals: If you have a concern regarding an assessment decision, in the first instance you should contact your Assessor and seek clarification. If you still disagree or need to understand the information further then arrange a meeting with your Assessor and your Line Manager to discuss further and agree a mutual solution. If you cannot resolve your concerns with the assistance of your Assessor and Line Manager informally, you are then able to raise a complaint by ing the NHSBT Apprenticeship Team detailing the grounds of your concerns. The Apprenticeship Team will arrange for your complaint to be investigated by a Manager who has not had any previous involvement in the issue and may also be supported by another Manager, again independent of the issue and often present due to their technical expertise relating to the issue. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation into your complaint and your concerns remain unresolved, you can appeal against the outcome and decisions taken. This needs to be in writing and should be sent to the Appeals Secretary (c/o NHSBT Apprenticeship Team). A more Senior Manager from NHSBT (Chair) and our training provider will review the decisions of the Appeal together with your concerns. The Appeal panel s outcome will make a final and binding decision. The expectation is that the final outcome of this process would be completed within 30 calendar days, unless both parties mutually agree to extend this time line. If you have any queries or problems please ensure you talk to your Assessor and Line Manager at your earliest opportunity. Your Responsibilities and Commitment: Obtain information about your apprenticeship programme and ensure you are eligible prior to enrolling. Ensure you have your Line Manager s full support; for opportunities to increase your skills and experience and to support the 20% study time. Attend your Initial Meeting where you will be formally enrolled onto your programme. Liaise with your manager so they can attend your initial meeting and some review meetings. Sign and adhere to your Apprenticeship Agreement and Commitment Statement. Complete your Functional Skills Assessment. Provide your certificates relating to your highest academic achievement and Functional Skills. Discuss and agree your ILP. Sign NHSBT s access to information declaration form and return this to the Apprenticeship Team. Attend your workplace sessions and any taught elements with the training provider at the times agreed on your training plan and not to be absent or late without prior permission. Be responsible for completing all elements of your Apprenticeship within the agreed timeframes. Be responsible for your own learning and agree study dates with your Line Manager and Assessor, including mandatory training. Make yourself available for one to one meetings with your Line Manager and inform them of any changes in circumstances. Be aware and understand NHSBT policies, SOPs relating to your role and responsibilities such as safeguarding. Inform your Line Manager and Assessor of any changes in personal circumstances. Ask for support and access this if you need anything in addition. And most importantly enjoy the experience of your Apprenticeship.

8 Apprenticeship Process and Support Overview Step 1: Step 2: Step 3: Step 4: Step 5: Recruitment Request (New Starter) OR Expression of Interest (Existing Employee) Appointment and Induction (New Starter) OR Awareness Day (Existing Employee) Commence Apprenticeship (Activity between apprentice, Manager and Assessor) Reviews, Progress and Support (Probation reviews will also apply for a New Starter) Completion and Achievement New Starter: Manager to submit recruitment request in normal way. Normal recruitment process applies. There are some slight differences for apprentice recruitment - please visit the Apprenticeship People First page under How do I recruit an Apprentice? for further details of this process. Expression of Interest (Existing Employee): Requires full line manager support and eligibility criteria being met. An expression of interest form can then be submitted via People First. The NHSBT Apprenticeship Team will then invite you to an Awareness Day. These are on a quarterly basis. Once expression of interest is submitted, you will receive an from the Apprenticeship Administrator explaining next steps. New Starter: Once pre-employment clearances have been confirmed as satisfactory, inform the Apprenticeship Team of your apprentices start date, full name, DOB, home address and . Also a copy of their qualifications. Their registration with our training provider can then be arranged. The Assessor will make contact directly with the Apprentice and line manager to arrange the induction and complete the registration during the initial meeting (see next step). Existing Employee: You will be invited to attend an Awareness/Induction Day once your Expression of Interest has been submitted. This day will provide further information on your apprenticeship and what to expect in terms of next steps. All apprentices (new starter or internal) will be required to complete an online Functional Skills Assessment (Maths, English and ICT). This is to assess your current working level within these areas. Information pack to be provided by the Apprenticeship Team. Assessor to hold an initial meeting with the apprentice and line manager. Enrol onto programme and agree ILP. Apprenticeship Agreement and Commitment Statement read, understood and signed. Functional Skills assessments completed and copies of qualifications provided. May require college attendance for off-the-job training for elements of programme Agree regular meetings (see step 4) Study time agreed with line manager. Opportunity to learn new skills to achieve programme agreed. The assessor is your first point of contact for your apprenticeship programme. Informal monthly reviews with Assessor to be agreed. Formal 12 weekly meetings with Assessor to be agreed. Line manager to be invited to this review. Regular 1:1 meetings with line manager. Option to have a departmental buddy to support with learning new skills Apprenticeship Team will contact you twice yearly to discuss progress. Feedback survey will be sent out annual by the Apprenticeship Team. Access the support options (see Apprentice Handbook) Enter Gateway of the End- Point Assessment Process. Assessor signs off portfolio. All requirements of programme achieved. Complete End-Point Assessment Process. Explore options for next steps Discuss support requirements for next steps for progression Recognition for completion of programme (you will be contacted individually regarding this) Attend celebration event For further information, please visit our People First page

9 Thank you for your interest in our Apprenticeship Scheme. If you have any queries, please contact your Assessor in the first instance. They are your first point of contact for you and your manager throughout your apprenticeship. If you need any additional support please do not hesitate to contact the NHSBT Apprenticeship Team (contact details available in your Information Pack). For further information visit our People First page at