Getting started with your BTEC Apprenticeship

Transcription

1 3 Getting started with your BTEC Apprenticeship The following section will introduce you to the structure of the Apprenticeship, and explain what is expected of you as an apprentice.

2 Getting started with you BTEC Apprenticeship BTEC Apprenticeship: First steps Congratulations you have chosen a great way to get into employment and learn and develop new skills! An apprenticeship is when you learn on the job, gaining a nationally recognised qualification within the sector you ve chosen to work in. A level 3 Apprenticeship lasts between 1 and 2 years. You will develop your knowledge and skills and be assessed on the day-to-day tasks you do as part of your job in order to gain your Apprenticeship. People might progress into Apprenticeships through a range of different routes. You might: have recently completed a full-time programme in school or college, such as a BTEC First or National or GCSEs be seeking employment through the Apprenticeships route, having been out of education, training and/or employment for a period of time already be in employment and seeking the opportunity to develop your skills further through an Apprenticeship route. You need to be 16 or over to apply for an Apprenticeship. There is a full progression route available through the Apprenticeship ladder, from Foundation Learning to Higher Apprenticeships. You can choose to start an Apprenticeship at the most appropriate level for your existing skills. For example, if you have relevant qualifications you could start directly on a Higher Apprenticeship (if available). Progression through Apprenticeships should closely match your own career progression. It is important that your employer is closely involved when planning your progression, to make sure that the programme matches your role and development plan within the workplace. Before progressing to the next level of Apprenticeship, you may need to change aspects of your job role to meet assessment requirements. An Apprenticeship is made up of different parts. The diagram shows what this looks like. 30

3 BTEC Advanced Apprenticeship in Customer Service Guide and Planner Knowledge and competence Pearson BTEC Level 3 Apprenticeship in Customer Service You must complete, or have completed, one of the English transferable skills qualifications, one of the mathematics skills and one of the ICT transferrable skills qualifications listed below*: FS English Level 2 FS Mathematics Level 2 FS ICT Level 2 GCSE English GCSE Mathematics GCSE ICT PLTS * A complete list of approved qualifications can be found at You will be assessed on each of these parts. Some of the assessment might be through an onscreen test, but the majority will be about collecting evidence at work. You will be supported by an assessor and your employer. Starting your Apprenticeship It is important to get the beginning of any Apprenticeship right. The first stages of your journey are crucial to ensuring you are on the correct programme at the correct level. It also ensures the programme works effectively with the business needs of your employer. Best Practice The induction process is the best opportunity to identify and understand any reasons why your learning might not progress smoothly. This information can then inform your learning plan. You should find your induction interesting and motivating as well as preparing you for the months ahead. Registration Your asseser will register you onto your BTEC Apprenticeship. Your awarding organisation is Pearson. Mentors At the start of an Apprenticeship programme, it is likely you will be given a mentor at your workplace. Your mentor acts as your buddy and will help you in the day-to-day working environment. The mentor can be anyone at your workplace who has appropriate experience and the time to assist you. The induction process This ensures you completely understand your programme of learning and what will be expected of you, your assessor and your employer. It is good practice to involve your employer during the induction process. This will help your assessor to build a rapport with your employer and also gives your employer a full understanding of what will be taking place during the Apprenticeship programme, and how they can support you. 31

4 Getting started with you BTEC Apprenticeship A good induction is important for the Apprenticeship journey and should have clear and realistic targets. This induction is likely to cover a range of topics, possibly including: the Apprenticeship Agreement the framework that is being completed unit selection current competency levels training an individual learning plan (ILP) discussed with timescales for achievement equal opportunities health and safety the appeals procedure full discussion of assessment and review visits how evidence is collected preparing for tests. During your induction you might take an assessment to ensure you are working at the right level and not repeating a qualification you ve taken before. You will also work with your assessor to create an individualised learning plan. This will help you to make sure your programme of study is right for you. The Apprenticeship Agreement The Apprenticeship Agreement is a legally required document that cements the relationship between apprentice, employer and provider and links it to the Apprenticeship Framework. The induction is a good time to work through the content of the agreement. Best Practice Try looking at the different components of the framework in detail. How does each part relate to your dayto-day job? Understanding the framework In order to get the most out of your Apprenticeship, it is important that you fully understand the qualification and the components that make up the Apprenticeship. Your induction should explain this and show how the qualification relates to you and your work. There will be a clear link between your job and the qualification you are starting. Unit selection and current competency levels Once you understand the framework, it is time to start looking at the units you will be completing. You may take part in a Skill Scan. This will help you identify what skills you are already familiar with and are competent in doing. 32

5 BTEC Advanced Apprenticeship in Customer Service Guide and Planner WEBLINK On your BTEC Apprenticeship website you will find a wide variety of activities to generate evidence across all the mandatory units and a selection of the most popular optional units from the qualifications that make up that part of the Apprenticeship framework Your assessor will visit you in your workplace to support your work Best Practice Looking at your own job role can help you identify opportunities for learning and assessment in the workplace. It is extremely important you feel part of this whole process. You should feel involved in choosing the units you are going to achieve and these should be relevant to the job you are doing. You will discuss the units you are going to take with your assessor. If you have any questions, just ask! Your mentor is likely to be involved in this and perhaps your employer as well. You may find there are units you want to do but can t as your job role does not allow you the opportunity to collect evidence for them or prove your competence. However it s still a good idea to ask you never know what arrangements your employer or assessor might be able to make. Training Once you have chosen your units with your assessor, it is time to look at any training needs you may have. This can be relevant to any part of the Apprenticeship or something that will help you in your day-to-day job. Involving your mentor at this stage can help you with arranging any in-house training needs. The Individual Learning Plan The individual learning plan (ILP) is crucial to ensuring you complete your programme to the required standard and in a timely manner. It drives the programme and should be a working document throughout your journey. The ILP should: be a plan of the whole programme and of your journey contain framework details and details of units to be completed with set target dates 33

6 Getting started with you BTEC Apprenticeship Best Practice The ILP will tell your story and the journey ahead. It should also constitute a record of what has taken place, and what has been achieved, as you work through your programme Best Practice You, your assessor and your employer can all use your ILP as a way to track your progress. You can record your evidence to include in your portfolio include all your personal details, place of work and mentor contact details contain the assessor s name and contact details and also alternative contact details in case you can t get hold of your assessor. The ILP should contain SMART targets. For every target set, consider whether the target is: S specific, significant, stretching M measurable, meaningful, motivational A agreed upon, attainable, achievable, acceptable, actionoriented R realistic, relevant, reasonable, rewarding, results-oriented T time-based, timely, tangible, trackable. It is important that the targets set are agreed by both you, your assessor and your employer. Your ILP drives the programme and should be kept with you. You should look at it and make sure it is updated at every visit. An example ILP can be seen on page 38. Equal opportunities Equal opportunities, and the legislation that governs them, play a major part in the Apprenticeship journey and it is important they are explained fully to you at the induction and also covered throughout the programme. You must fully understand what equal opportunities are and what to do if you feel you are being discriminated against in any way. It is important you need to have every opportunity to do the best you can. 34

7 BTEC Advanced Apprenticeship in Customer Service Guide and Planner Health and safety Health and safety is another important part of your journey. You must fully appreciate your responsibility for health and safety. Your working environment should be healthy and safe, but you also have a responsiblity to work safely and there will be policies and procedures in place for this. If you see something that breaches health and safety, it is your responsibility to do something about it. If it is something you cannot deal with yourself, speak to your assessor or to your employer. Examples of bad practice could include: standing on chairs when reaching a high place leaving drawers open fire exits blocked with rubbish coming to work with flu or an infection like diarrhoea and vomitting. The appeals procedure The appeals procedure is in place to protect you against any unfair or incorrect assessment decisions so you must understand the procedure from the outset and throughout the programme. Training providers usually have their own appeals procedure set up, so make sure you find out exactly how it works. Assessment and review visits During the induction process, you will also learn what happens when the assessor comes to visit and the different types of visit that will take place. It is crucial that you fully understand the difference between assessment visits and review visits so you know what to expect during your Apprenticeship journey. Again, if you have any questions, just ask. Assessment visits On these visits, the evidence collected for your portfolio of evidence is assessed and the assessor can observe you in the workplace carrying out your day-to-day activities. Other assessment opportunities may also take place, such as, observations, professional discussions or question and answer sessions. It is important you feel a part of these visits and they should be planned so that the assessor does not distract you from doing your job. The location of the visits should be in your workplace and can either be at your workstation or away from it, depending on what has been agreed before to the visit. This will all be explained to you. 35

8 Getting started with you BTEC Apprenticeship WEBLINK The website contains a range of activities and guidance for each assessor visit. Evidence gathering support for each main topic area explains to you what types of naturally occurring evidence from the workplace could be collected ahead of the assessor visit. Structured guidance on completing observations and professional discussions also ensures the assessor can get maximum value out of the time they spend with you in the workplace. Make sure you use your assessment visits to demonstrate your skills effectively You will probably have produced some evidence between visits and you will want to discuss this with your assessor during the visit. You will be given feedback on your evidence collection so that relevant evidence can be linked to the appropriate units. Feedback is not meant to be critical but helpful to you achieving your goals. You will need to be part of the process of mapping your evidence to the standards even though the material on the website will have unit numbers against them. You should also be able to tell your assessor where you feel your evidence meets the requirements. This will make you feel involved in your programme and help you understand what you are doing and why. Review visits These visits are used to review your journey so far, to address any potential issues, and look at and adjust any target dates. How evidence is collected Your evidence can be collected in various ways and it is important you understand the process of collecting evidence fully. Evidence could be written, videod or taped discussions, work products with explanations, worksheets or observations from your assessor on you at work performing particular tasks etc. Your induction should clearly cover evidence collection so you can be sure you are on the right track from day one. Some assessors may suggest you keep an everyday diary of what you do. This makes excellent evidence and gives the assessor the opportunity to see exactly what you have been involved with between visits. It can also provide a starting point for further discussions. 36

9 BTEC Advanced Apprenticeship in Customer Service Guide and Planner You might be observed during the visits in fact this is one of the best ways of assessing you at work in a normal working environment. This can make some people nervous, but remember that it is an excellent way to be assessed and benefits your learning and helps fine tune your skills. Your manager/mentor also needs to be aware they will be involved in evidence collection, as they may be asked for written or verbal witness statements during your time on the programme. Preparing for onscreen assessment You may have the option to take an onscreen assessment for some units, in place of collecting evidence from your place of work. It is important you understand what to expect if you are taking this method of assessment. You need to make a note of, and be aware of, the target date for sitting the assessment. You will be given help to prepare so it won t come as a surprise. You might have to do some extra practice and there are some interactive quizzes on your website to help you check your knowledge of these units. Other important factors to consider Be aware of your targets so that you feel part of the decisionmaking process in the planning of the programme. Take responsibility for your own learning. Some providers like to ask the apprentice to complete a learning-styles questionnaire: this helps the assessor to determine how best you learn and will help to keep you motivated. Be clear why you are doing the Apprenticeship in the first place! What are your future plans? Make sure you discuss this with both your assessor and employer. You might have a development plan which links to your programme but also encourages you to look at the bigger picture: what do you want to achieve in three years? You may want to do your driving test, get a mortgage or travel. Whatever it might be, a development plan can start you thinking about yourself and how you can develop. About your general attitude and behaviour Finally, remember you are an employee and you will be representing your employer and their organisation. Your behaviour and attitude are important. If you remember the following key factors, you won t go too far wrong! Be punctual for work and for your assessment and review visits. Be positive. 37

10 Getting started with you BTEC Apprenticeship Wear the appropriate clothes or uniform as set out by your employer. Be courteous to your work colleagues. Take your learning and training seriously this is a great opportunity for you to earn while you learn. Enjoy your time with your employer and make the most of all the learning opportunities that come your way. Example individual learning plan An example structure for an individual learning plan is shown below. Learning Plan (Area/Topic/Subject to be Addressed include Learning Method and Resources) Target Date Amended Target Date Achievement Date Planned Resources Comments: Start Date: Completion Date: Expected Duration: 38