Lifetime Line Manager Guide

Line Managers’ apprenticeship support guide

Creating an environment for success The value of line managers supporting a high quality apprenticeship programme is crucial to the learners overall progress and ensuring they have the best learning experience. Line managers act as the first point of contact for the learner, their site and Lifetime Training. They will: • Be there to support and offer guidance to the learner • Attend the Meet Your Coach session with each learner • Escalate any progression concerns to the Learning Coach • Attend progress review meetings to understand how the learner is progressing and identify areas where they may need additional support • Provide ongoing support to the learner throughout the programme • Co-ordinate the End-point Assessment activities with the End-point Assessor and the learner • Facilitate and plan off-the-job activities • Ensure the welfare and safety of their learners, making sure any safeguarding concerns including allegations of bullying and harassment are recorded, reported and where required promptly investigated and removed (training is provided) Click here to learn more about your welfare responsibilities and how you can support in educating learners to stay safe and protect themselves For the 24/7 Safeguarding Helpline call: 0330 666 7247 or visit www.lifetime-learner.online (password: lifetime) 2

Line Manager roles and responsibilities As the line manager, you will be a role model for learners, supporting and guiding them to ensure they get the best possible opportunities from the programme Enrolment • The Meet Your Coach enrolment session will last approximately 2 hours • The Coach will explain the programme and outline the responsibilities of the learner, employer and training provider • Discussion to highlight your learner’s existing knowledge to inform a personalised training plan • Identify any additional learning needs or areas of strength to further support a personalised training plan • Discuss and agree programme responsibilities between you, the learner and Lifetime Learning Coach Learning Coach visits • Line managers are required to attend progress review meetings with the learner and their Learning Coach every 12 weeks. This is to understand the progress made, identify any areas of additional support and plan the next 12 weeks of learning • The Learning Coach will deliver a teaching and learning session every 4-6 weeks. It is best practice for the line manager to be available at the end of this session to discuss progression and development points with the learner • We will always try to schedule visits on dates/times that best suit you, the learner and your business. If for whatever reason a visit needs to be rescheduled, please ensure you inform the Learning Coach as soon as possible End-point Assessment • Attend the gateway discussion with the Learning Coach and learner to agree whether the learner is ready to take the End-point Assessment • Attend the planning meeting with the End-point Assessor and learner to co-ordinate the activities • Ensure the learner has access to any business reports, facts or figures that they may need to complete their project 3

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Off-the-job training (OTJ) Support with the planning and implementation of OTJ Off-the-job training is a statutory entitlement for an English apprenticeship. Put simply, it is training received by the learner during their normal working hours which supports the knowledge, skills and behaviors relevant to their apprenticeship. If a learner works 30+ hours a week, they will need to demonstrate 6 hours per week of off-the-job training. If they work less than that, the required off-the-job training hours will be amended accordingly to the hours worked. Off-the-job in a nutshell • Training that is completed during paid working hours • Training that is relevant to the apprenticeship and focused on teaching new knowledge, skills and behaviors • Must be planned in advance during the progress review meetings • Off-the-job training does not mean that the learner will be away from their work place for that time We offer interactive webinars that are sector specific to support line managers understanding of off-the-job training and discuss real life examples of what constitutes. Book onto one of our webinars for a date and time that suits you. Book on to an off-the-job webinar here 5

The learner journey 1. Nomination 3. Pre-enrolment Appropriate apprenticeship Ahead of the Meet Your Coach has been identified and a session, both you and the learner nomination has been sent to will be given access to our learner Lifetime Training. management platform, Aptem. The learner will be required to complete some pre- enrolment activities including maths and English initial assessments to determine their current working level. 2. Eligibility 4. Meet Your Coach A member of Lifetime’s Enrolment A Learning Coach or member of Team will contact the learner to our Enrolment Support team will complete eligibility and suitability contact the learner to arrange a checks, completing a skill scan suitable date and time for their to ensure the learner is enrolled Meet Your Coach session. The onto the correct programme aligns with their roles and Meet Your Coach session can responsibilities. Should they miss take place face-to-face this call or want to speed up the or remotely. process, please encourage them to ring 020 3514 8542. 6

5. In-learning 7. Gateway The apprenticeship Upon completion of the journey begins! Apprenticeship Standard, a gateway conversation and visit Throughout this period, the will be arranged between the learner will receive progress Learning Coach, the learner reviews and teaching and and line manager to learning sessions. Delivery may determine readiness for the be a mix of remote and End-point Assessment. face-to-face. Off-the-job training will be planned in advance and logged throughout via our learner management system, Aptem. 6. Functional Skills 8. EPA (End-point Assessment) There is a government stipulation to have the Once the apprentice is deemed appropriate level of maths and ready for EPA, they are referred English. Without prior attainment to the independent awarding the learner must complete Functional Skills exams (Wales body, End-point Assessment & Scotland have their relevant Organisation for a planning meeting. This will mark the start equivalent.) of a predetermined period of End-point Assessment consisting of (programme dependent) elements such as a business project, multiple choice exam, portfolio of evidence and professional discussion. Once all elements have been passed, the learner will have achieved their apprenticeship! 7

Learning Coach visits Throughout the apprenticeship, The Learning Coach will deliver progress review meetings and teaching and learning sessions. This will take place face-to-face or remotely. Below is an overview of what you can expect from these visits. Progress review visits Teaching and learning sessions Where Where In the workplace or remotely. In the workplace or remotely. Who Who Learner, line manager and Learning Coach. Learner and Learning Coach. What What These visits take place approximately These visits take place approximately every 12 weeks and usually last around every 4-6 weeks. Duration can vary two hours and will involve the following: depending on the support a learner needs, however they usually last • Setting independent learning 45mins - 1 hour and will involve the following: • Observations in the workplace • Teaching and learning towards • Goal setting and teaching apprenticeship goals session planning • Discussion on how to apply • Discussion around progression and knowledge, skills and behaviors planning of off-the-job training • Opportunity for Learning Coach • Setting and completing to provide additional support mock assessment activities to prepare the learner for their End-point Assessment • Identify any areas of additional support 8

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Functional Skills As part of the government’s initiative to improve the levels of literacy and numeracy in the UK, learners are required to achieve qualifications in English and maths, known as Functional Skills. Lifetime will support learners to achieve their Functional Skills whilst on programme. Learners will not be able to take their final End-point Assessment until they have achieved their English and maths qualifications. As their line manager you can offer support to your learner to help complete their Functional Skills. What levels of maths and English are required? • Level 1 Functional Skills to complete a Level 2 apprenticeship • Level 2 Functional Skills to complete a Level 3 (and above) apprenticeship How are maths and English levels assessed? Lifetime complete an initial assessment with the learner during enrolment to find out what their current working level for maths and English is. This assessment is rated on a 5-point scale: Level 2 Level 1 Entry Level 3 Entry Level 2 Entry Level 1 Highest Lowest 10

Lifetime’s online learning platform: Aptem Aptem provides you with a live view of your learner(s) from pre-enrolment through to achievement. Aptem enables you to: • Instantly see how learners are progressing against learning targets • Sign apprenticeship paperwork with electronic signatures • Access the messaging centre to see communications throughout the apprenticeship Click here to learn more about Aptem and how you can use it to support your learners progression 11

Manager support for End-point Assesment (EPA) Practice / mock-assessments Throughout the apprenticeship the Learning Coach will hold informal practice, and more formal mock assessments to prepare the learner for their final EPA. Preparation for EPA The Learning Coach will start to discuss the EPA process and get you and the learner ready 60 days before the end of their learning plan (usually 13-15 months). Line managers should ensure an appropriate location is arranged for the learner to sit their EPA activities (quiet, no disruptions) and any equipment they may need (computer, flip chart etc). Gateway conversation This is where the line manager, Learning Coach and learner decide whether the learner is ready to sit their EPA. All 3 parties must agree that the learner is ready and confident they will pass, and a Gateway Review document will be signed to evidence this agreement. This discussion will usually take place after 13-15 months of learning. Please see timeline illustration overleaf for more information. The Learning Coach will book the gateway conversation in advance with the manager and the learner, this should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. If the learner is deemed not ready, an independent learning plan will be set to get them back on track and a new gateway conversation will be booked in. If your learner has any learning requirements where reasonable adjustments may need to be arranged for the EPA activities, these should be discussed at the gateway conversation with the Learning Coach. They will pass the requests onto the End-point Assessor who will arrange for the reasonable adjustments to be made. Some commonly requested examples include extra time, use of coloured overlays or assessment material in enlarged format. 12

Planning meeting A minimum of 7 days after a successful gateway conversation is held, a planning meeting will be booked in with an independent End-point Assessor, the manager and learner. The EPA activities will be booked in during this meeting so you’ll need to support with ensuring equipment, location and shift patterns are considered. The End-point Assessor needs to be impartial to be able to effectively assess the learner, and the Learning Coach essentially ‘hands over’ to the End-point Assessor after the planning meeting. You may find that the Learning Coach may attend elements of the End-point Assessment such as multiple choice test invigilation or as a panel member for project management assessment. These are the only exceptions a Coach can attend End-point Assessment. Illustration of approx timeline for EPA Month 13-15 End-point Assessment Month 1-13 On programme Up to 2 months to complete EPA Month 3 Month 5 Month 9 Checklist Month 11+ Practice Practice Practice 60 days before Mock assessment assessment assessment Gateway assessment Results and recognition Once the learner has sat all of their EPA activities, a pass, merit, distinction or fail grade will be awarded. This information will be provided to the Learning Coach to feedback to the learner and line manager. This will typically be within 5 working days to communicate the results of the EPA. We anticipate that all learners will achieve either a pass, merit or distinction, however if the learner fails some, or all of their EPA, a re-sit will be arranged and the manager will need to support to co-ordinate this. 13

Supporting our learners Lifetime is committed to making sure every learner receives the tailored support they require so they can complete their apprenticeship and achieve their goals. We offer a variety of comprehensive support and aftercare to accommodate a wider range of learning needs and social concerns. This includes: • Dedicated teams in place to support in assessing and actioning the individual support learners needs • The ability to tailor the level of support to suit the individual needs for as long as they need it throughout their apprenticeship • Wealth of support resources, including: • Access to virtual learning • Coping strategies • Self-help guides • Signposting to relevant external support • Guidance on how to use technology to support learning Please refer to our Additional Learning Support brochure for more information. Career information, advice and guidance Apprenticeships across all sectors mandate that all apprentices are provided with appropriate career information, advice and guidance (CIAG) to support successful career progression. CIAG includes developing critical transferable skills and the confidence required to move into higher-level training and gaining promotion. Although most learners grow within their current employer, this support enables them to explore other roles and sectors, for example, in the case of relocating or redundancy. Many have said that they were able to use this new knowledge to support family, friends and colleagues. The quality and accessibility of CIAG, including outside of your organisation, is critical and continues to be a key focus area of Ofsted and other external quality assurance organisations. 14

Learner welfare As an education provider, Lifetime has a duty to protect and support learners welfare, in idetifying and supporting a range of welfare and safeguarding issues. This includes our commitment under the Government’s Counter-terrorism and Security legislation, in particular the Prevent Duty, to protect and prevent people from being drawn into potential terrorist and extremist activities either face-to-face or online. The Prevent Duty encompasses building apprentices’ resilience to the threat of radicalisation, challenging extremism and raising awareness of and demonstrating fundamental citizenship behaviours that help us to successfully live, work and thrive together. These are referred to in the Prevent Duty as British values and cover: • Democracy • Challenging discrimination • Individual liberty • Rule of law • Tolerance and understanding of different faiths Learners will be made aware of potential threats by different groups and individuals at an international, national and local level, and the importance of remaining vigilant and reporting any concerns. Learn more about welfare responsibilities and how you can support how we educate learners to stay safe and protect themselves in our Employer Guide to Learner Welfare. 15

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