Industry Specific Higher Level Apprentices

Year 1 – Working together to add value plays a key role in bringing together a group of apprentices all working in the same industry, studying together but working with a range of different employers.  The 5 day residential, supported by the University that leads the overall apprenticeship, challenges the apprentices to work together.  They plan and problem solve together and are inspired to develop the new skills that enhance their ability to contribute to teams in their workplace.  In addition to formal review sessions that draw out learning from carefully designed outdoor exercises, the programme and Lindley’s facilitators start to develop the reflective practice capabilities of the apprentices.  The apprentices are given plenty of opportunity to develop their ability to learn through trial and error. Representatives of the employing organisations as well as the University’s tutors are key to supporting the transfer of learning from the residential experience to the on-going apprenticeship programme.

Year 2 – Leading other effectively builds on the learning and development from year one and reflects the increasing responsibilities of the more experienced apprentices.  This second residential experience is designed to expand their understanding of their growing leadership roles and develop the skills to deliver those roles.  The outdoor exercises in the programme have increased levels of complexity and challenge compared to year 1.  In addition the apprentices are required to identify how their learning will help their employing organisation deliver its corporate objectives, as well as preparing for an assessed element of their studies.  The Lindley team and University tutors work in partnership to facilitate effective reflection and application of learning.

Year 3 – Industry specific development has lower levels of outdoor experiential exercises and more focus on industry specific knowledge and skills.  A series of case studies and a mock industry development project take learning to date and challenge the apprentices to apply it to a complex real world scenario.  The Lindley team supports the University’s ‘industry experience rich’ team to deliver the programme.

To support planning and funding, Lindley carefully maps the outcomes from its outdoor residential experiences to the required competences of a range of sector specific apprenticeship programmes and has experience of working with new employer led apprenticeship schemes.