5 Action Areas for Collaborating with Employers on Apprenticeships
When it comes to delivering higher and degree apprenticeship programmes, collaboration with all relevant stakeholders is key to success.
The employer is crucial in this constellation. Providers need effective strategies to engage employers in different ways, including attracting potential apprenticeship partners, working with employers on programme design, coordinating the delivery of the programme together and agreeing and undertaking assessment protocols.
In this blog, we outline actionable recommendations that practitioners can explore to enhance collaboration with employers on the design, delivery and assessment of apprenticeship programmes. We include examples from across the sector of institutions who have devised interventions to improve their engagement with employers and to enrich the apprentice experience.
Recruitment and Admissions
Employers are responsible for recruitment on apprenticeship programmes. However, it is vital that institutions work closely with their employer partners at the recruitment stage to ensure that their interests are represented and that they are well aware of the kind of skills and roles the employer is trying to build within their business.
In a report based on research at Middlesex University, Dr Finbar Lillis suggests setting up a steering group made up of employers and academic staff, which agrees processes for recruitment and admissions.
Having a systematic approach to admissions that includes voices from the provider and employer ensures the needs and objectives of each stakeholder are met in the recruitment process. Key areas for consideration should include:
Determining entry requirements
Developing approaches to meeting learners’ needs
Understanding the employers’ desired skills base
Setting out an onboarding process that ensures smooth transition between the provider and the employer for the applicant
You might also support the employer with their recruitment beyond the apprenticeship scheme, especially if this is a business concern they are looking to address. Brunel University offer employers a complimentary full recruitment, selection and assessment service as part of their partnerships. This includes conducting shortlisting and screening to criteria set by the employer at no extra cost.
This approach is especially helpful for enhancing collaboration with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), who may not have the same resources and capacity as larger businesses. As a result, it can also serve towards the effort to boost local economies and plug skills gaps.
Identifying Learning Outcomes
An integral part of any apprenticeship programme design is identifying key objectives and outcomes. The role of the provider at the design stage is to build the programme around the employers’ needs.
While the employer will generally lead in the process, providers can support them by identifying desired learning outcomes that respond directly to the Occupational Standard (OS) set out for the apprenticeship. Some key considerations at this stage include:
How does each module on the programme reflect the definitions set out in the OS?
How does the time allocated to each module and the chronology of the programme successfully support the apprentice in developing the skills set out in the OS?
Where can you offer flexibility in the curricula so that course content can respond to the changing business landscape?
How does the programme content develop short-term skills apprentices need to successfully undertake the professional role in question?
How does the programme content prepare apprentices in the long-term to fill the needs of an evolving labour market?
The employer will generally have an idea of what skills they are hoping to cultivate from the programme. However, you may help them to further understand the skills gaps they are dealing with – by conducting research, for example.
It’s important to develop a systematic approach for identifying learning outcomes. Many providers and employers choose to use a framework such as SMART, which aims to ensure that objectives of specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-framed.
Contact and Communication
A successful employer partnership demands clear communication that is frequent and targeted.
You can ensure that your contact with the employer is effective by stating clearly from the outset what they should expect.
On their webpage intended to attract potential employer partners, the University of West London outlines the precise support it offers to providers in programme design, delivery and assessment. This includes:
Regular liaison between an Apprenticeship Support Link Tutor (ASLT) at the university, the apprentice and their mentor in the workplace
Face-to-face meetings between the course leader and ASLT in the workplace to monitor progress and bring together key stakeholders
The software and steps used for the apprentice, employer and institution to record targets and actions (in this case, hosted on CampusPress, UWL’s virtual portfolio website)
An outline of how feedback is provided to students (face-to-face, via marks, comments on assignments and over email)
Providing clarity on the levels of contact with the institution an employer can expect will help to establish strong communication channels. UWL’s approach, is effective because it also serves to set standards and expectations of engagement with new employer partners.
Leading a regular cycle of visits to the workplace is vital. Dr Lillis’ report found that employers sometimes exhibited reluctance to send mentors off-site due to workload and time management. By being present in the workplace, you reduce the burden on employers to visit campus and identify the workplace not only as a space of practice, but also of learning.
Tracking Progress and Feedback
Providers should maximise engagement opportunities they offer to ensure an employer partnership delivers on stated aims and allows mutual tracking of performance and progress.
Fundamental areas in which you will need to engage with employers include:
Tracking performance
Reviewing agreements
Assessing skill development
Exploring the interaction between ‘on the job’ and ‘off the job’ training
While employers will be responsible for on the job learning, it’s the role of the provider to ensure that apprentices do 20% of that learning off the job. So, it’s worth thinking about what strategies you will use to track and evidence that training. Recording this information is vital as it will signal to employer progress that has been made and also form part of the assessment in the EFSA audit.
You might consider using an off the job training tracker. This will allow providers, employers and apprentices to track and view progress in real time.
The University of South Wales set up an Employer and Apprentice Liaison Group (EALG). The group meets three times per academic year and participants can also give feedback through an online system. This goes on to inform programme adjustments, and employers and apprentices can access the university’s direct responses to feedback through a dedicated section on the institution’s Intranet.
Providing consistent access to information about progress and skills development, in addition to regular opportunities to feedback and see their suggestions implemented, makes for effective employer engagement.
Employer Outreach and Developing New Partnerships
The outreach work you do with employers is crucial step in maintaining strong relationships into the future, and also has the potential to attract new partners.
You might use engagement opportunities to attract potential employers who might want to part with you on an apprenticeship programme. Nottingham Trent University have arranged a series of events to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week (6 – 12 February 2023), including an Open Day and a Fair for Employers.
NTU’s Discover event for employers is delivered online at lunchtime, while their Fair for Employers runs over several hours in the afternoon. This makes it accessible for businesses, as representatives may be limited in their capacity to leave the workplace to attend an on-campus event in normal working hours.
Outreach activities should also seek to engage current partners in developing their resources and skills. For example, you might consider running training sessions for SMEs.
Recognising excellence is crucial. While you may have awards in place for apprentices and teaching staff who go above and beyond, it’s important to also acknowledge the work of employers.
The University of Huddersfield has developed a series of Apprenticeship Awards, which includes categories for Large Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year and Apprenticeship Ambassador.
Offering awards can create enthusiasm in your partnerships, but it may also open avenues for marketing. Mid Yorkshire Hospitals was the recipient of three awards from Huddersfield in 2022 and used the opportunity to promote their partnership with the University on their website. This has the potential to bolster your apprenticeship programmes, attracting new employer partners and applicants.
You might also consider the following approaches to celebrating employers’ work on apprenticeships including testimonials from employers on your website and social media or inviting employer mentors to careers fairs and events.
Next Steps
The suggestions outlined in this blog post are intended to be small, achievable actions providers can take to improve their collaboration with employers in their apprenticeship programmes.
When designing your institution’s approach, you might reflect on the following questions:
What systems do you have in place for employers to provide feedback and the university to act on that feedback?
What outreach and engagement opportunities do you offer to employers that makes your apprenticeship delivery competitive and unique?
How do you maintain contact with the apprentice in the workplace and ensure they are fully supported and you are meeting the expectations of the employer?
