Senior Leader Apprentices embark upon a Level 7 part-time programme that lasts three years – made up of varying interconnected, yet separate, components. With a long programme duration, lots of learning and teaching plus assessment deadlines, it is easy for learners to lose sight of the overall award and not always anticipate the key stages and focus of the different milestones. Additionally, block teaching results in these learners having less continuity and communication touch points than other learners within the University.

Considering these challenges, the Senior Leader Apprenticeship programme team decided to introduce extra-curricular days for learners at two key stages in the academic year to offer forward-focused information sessions, extra support and the opportunity for sharing of good practice beyond the curriculum workshops and seminars.

The hope was this would enable learners to better plan, be motivated and energised to stay the distance and ask, and have answered, questions as needed at the optimum moment in the programme schedule. So, ‘Apprenticeship Autumn Reboot!’ and ‘Spring Back into Apprenticeship Action!’ were launched. Please join us to find out what we did, how we did it, what our learners thought and what the teaching team learnt from these new initiatives.