Since May 2022, I’ve been on the Senior Leader Apprenticeship with Henley Business School. Yesterday evening — 21 months and 45,052 words later — I submitted my final assignment to the Chartered Management Institute ahead of my live assessment day later this month.
As it’s National Apprenticeship Week, I thought I’d share some thoughts as I pause for breath and look back…
What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a programme that combines learning with practical application in the workplace. They come in a range of levels, from Level 2 (GCSE) to Level 7 (master’s degree). So while my dad thinks I’m retraining to become a mechanic, the Level 7 programme I’m on will lead to a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration, as well as Chartered Manager status from the CMI.
What does it involve?
There’s a requirement to spend 20% of your working hours ‘off the job’. My final tally was 473 hours. This requires a supportive employer and line manager — but the biggest challenge was myself. I should have been doing 20% less work in my day job. The reality is that most of the time I was trying to do the same work in 80% of the hours.
It took a while to work out the best way to manage this. Modules are structured into back-to-back 8-week sprints, so I had to accept that this was going to be a constant tension and find a means to keep on top of it. I settled on dedicating each Monday to apprenticeship work. But with a demanding role, module workshops throughout the week and evening classes in London, there was no escaping the need to be at peace with adaptability.
How have I found it?
It’s been intense. I’ve submitted 7 work-based projects, 3 presentations, 2 personal development assignments, and a strategic business proposal. All of these contribute to evidencing the 70 KSBs (knowledge, skills and behaviours) that have to be ticked off. Looking back, this seems like a lot — because it is. Throw in a new job and a new baby and I’m proud to have (nearly) made it through in one piece!
I’ve enjoyed the summative process of my apprenticeship: learn something new, apply it, get a mark, move forward. And all the reasons that have made it so stretching are the same ones that make it so rewarding. Having to blend theory and practice is difficult, but it’s made me better at my job: not only have I been able to expand my knowledge of academic frameworks and concepts, but I’ve also had to quickly and pragmatically apply these at work to real problems and challenges.
I’ve had the opportunity to develop and implement some really interesting projects; these include using chatbots to optimise customer support operating models, using beta testing as a driver of innovation, designing leadership development programmes to achieve strategic objectives, and embracing the value of ‘being bold’ to support CSR.
If you’re thinking about an apprenticeship and want to talk it through, give me a shout!