In order to get the most out of an apprenticeship, it’s important to take every opportunity available to you. Following some of the apprenticeship tips below will make sure that you understand what is expected of you and help you to succeed in your job role.
Understand the standard:
The most important element of making sure that you get the most out of your apprenticeship is to understand what you are being assessed against. Make sure that you download the occupational standard, assessment plan and occupational brief (if this exists). We would advise you to print these out to discuss with your employer and/or training provider so that you fully understand what is expected within your job role and for end-point assessment.Plan carefully with your employer:
This is probably the most important aspect of being successful in your apprenticeship. Within your job role, you need to make sure that you can demonstrate the competencies within real-world work tasks. It’s essential that both you and your employer understand what is expected so that you can ensure full coverage against the totality of the standard. This very much links back to understanding the standard but more importantly it means that your job role needs to provide the opportunity to do this. Early planning to make sure that you get the opportunity to work on projects that allow you to achieve coverage over the duration of the apprenticeship is essential. Outline a plan with your employer and training provider to make sure that you plan to include every element of the standard and have regular review meetings to make sure goals are met. It’s important that evidence is assessed throughout to make sure that each element is covered in full across all of your work.Understand how end-point assessment works:
Another top tip for apprentices and this again links back to understanding the standard is making sure that you know what is required at EPA. The apprenticeship assessment plan will outline this and it’s important to prepare in relation to this. One absolutely essential element of this is to understand how the end-point assessment awarding organisation work and what they will expect to see at EPA. This cannot be stressed enough and all good employers and apprenticeship training providers will consider this as early as possible in the apprenticeship so that you are fully prepared. Some EPAOs work in slightly different ways to others and you need to gather your evidence in line with their expectations to get the best result on your apprenticeship.Create outstanding evidence that is easy to assess:
Linking back to the previous point and understanding how end-point assessment works, another top tip for apprentices is to make sure that your evidence is easy to assess! A well-structured portfolio or projects with clear reference to the skills, attitudes and behaviours outlined in the standard will make the assessor’s job easier. What you need to understand here is that assessors want to see clear and concise evidence that maps against exactly what you are being assessed on. Using video demonstrations of your very best practical evidence will show that you can function in the workplace in accordance with the skills, attitudes and behaviours of the standard. At this point, you will see that everything is very much linking back to our first apprentice tip which is to understand the standard. Everything revolves around knowing what you are being assessed against and being as concise as possible in presenting evidence to show that you are competent against the expectations of the standard.Enjoy the experience and take opportunities to learn:
Always remember that an apprenticeship is on the job training and not a college course. You should take pride in putting your evidence together and enjoy the experience. Putting evidence together should be a natural part of your job role if you have carefully planned exactly what you are going to cover within your job role. Be creative about presenting your evidence in a clear and concise manner. Another thing to consider is to take as many opportunities as you can to learn new skills that will contribute towards your development and future career. Evidence of continuous professional development in relation to general work skills and your sector provide further opportunities to show that you are a competent and professional employee. By taking as many opportunities as possible, you will show a willingness and drive to your employer and increase your chances of gaining full-time employment at the end of your apprenticeship. Additionally, this may provide you with the opportunity to build a network of contacts that you would not normally meet when doing your day to day role.Start any knowledge or vendor exams early:
If there are any vendor exams, functional skills or additional knowledge elements that need to be completed as part of your apprenticeship, do not leave these until the last minute. Make sure that you complete any training and exams as early as possible in the programme as some of the things that you learn may help you within your job role. Completing these as early as possible also ensures that you are not waiting for results towards the expected end date of your apprenticeship as this may cause a delay when completing end-point assessment.General tips for making a good impression with your employer and customers:
- Ask for help: The apprenticeship standards have been designed by the industry for the industry that you work in. With this in mind, you will have a wealth of experience within your organisation that can help you with something that you do not understand.
- Learn from others: Very much linked to the previous point, if you see someone who is excelling within your workplace at a specific part of your job role, try to learn from them. Look around at colleagues who are excellent in different areas and ask them to show you what works best so that you pick up a wide range of skills.
- Be professional: Get the basic right. An apprenticeship is not a course that you take any more. It’s an employment opportunity to help you build a successful future if you act in a competent and professional manner. Turn up on time, be polite, be professional, be positive, show a willingness to learn and take up opportunities that are presented to you. These are just some key points and remember, every person that you deal with throughout the course of your apprenticeship could be a potential client or future employer. Try to make a good impression at all times.
- Be confident: When you understand the standard and plan with your employer and/or training provider to make sure that you will be ready for EPA, be confident about how you go about your job role. If you know what you are being assessed against, the EPA process should be easy and it’s an opportunity to show off what you learned and that you are a proficient and professional person that can operate effectively within the standard outlining your industry sector. You get out what you put into an apprenticeship and if you understand what is expected and have done the hard work, be confident in your ability to excel within the workplace and when completing end-point assessment.
- Understand your industry: This links back to a number of the previous points, it’s important to understand your industry so that you show evidence against any expected skills, attitudes or behaviours in relation to the industry. Try to focus on showing that you are competent within the specific sector of your apprenticeship when you present evidence rather than showing that you have general work skills. Obviously, you do need to develop good general working skills but understanding your industry and always considering how to work best within the legal and ethical requirements of this industry will make you stand out as a specialist.
- Plan your future: An apprenticeship is an opportunity to gain full-time employment and you should consider this at all time. Be open and honest with your employer if you would like to gain full-time employment at the end of the apprenticeship and actively discuss where you can see yourself progressing within the organisation when you can. The key point here is to ensure that you do not get to the end of your apprenticeship and find out that there is no job for you. Ensure you are well prepared to progress within your organisation or elsewhere depending on your personal preference and opportunities. If you are not happy within your current organisation and want to plan a future beyond this after completing your apprentice, make sure that you are ready for this, which takes is on to our next point.
- Build networks: As previously mentioned, everyone that you deal with throughout your apprenticeship could be a potential employer or client. Although the key aim of an apprenticeship is to secure full-time employment when completed, this is not always the case. Don’t be afraid to create a network of contacts that may be able to help you in the future if things do not work out with your current employer.
