Apprenticeship uk

A day in a life of a hearing aid dispenser apprentice

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A day in a life of a hearing aid dispenser apprentice

Does the thought of a mountain of student debt terrify you?

Does government funded training, to build a lifelong career sound more appealing?

In which case ApprenticeNow could be the place for you. In the follow post we speak to Laura who has just completed her Level 5 recognised Health and care profession, and British society of Hearing aid qualification. Below she opened up to us about her experience as an Audiologist apprentice and where this path has taken her.

So Laura, what made you want to become an Audiologist apprentice?
I’ve always dreamt of working in the healthcare sector, I have a passion for helping people and this has been a huge driver for me. For a long time, I thought I would need a degree to achieve this, and I was nervous about the increasing university fees so when I found out about this apprenticeship I was delighted. I did some research and came across ApprenticeTips.com which had some insightful blog posts from other apprentices, they all seemed successful, and I wanted to be a part of this. It was amazing to see the career development of previous Audiologist apprentices, they had gone on to secure permanent positions after they qualified which made me feel super reassured that this was the right career move for me.

How did you find this apprenticeship?
I did some research and found ApprenticeTips.com who had tonnes of detailed posts about the different types of apprenticeships there are. I found all the information about the course on there. It was a great resource to hear from other apprentices as well. I read one particular post about a previous apprentice’s tips and tricks on the application process which was great for me. I applied the knowledge from the article when I filled out my own application.

That’s amazing! What does your role entail?
I work independently to test peoples hearing, advising on hearing care and where necessary supplying and fitting hearing aids and other communication devices. I am responsible for maintaining accurate records and identifying the need for onward referral for a medical opinion. It’s great as I get to interact a lot with both the general public as well as my colleagues – everyday is different!

How have you developed your skills?
As well as learning the craft of audiology. One of the biggest skills I’ve developed is my self-confidence. I was very nervous when I first embarked on my apprenticeship, I was conscious of my lack of experience. With the help of my team and apprenticeship coach I worked on this skill and have really flourished in my role. I am now extremely confident engaging with customers and providing an excellent service to them.

What’s next in your career now you’ve qualified?
Now that I’m qualified, I’m pleased to say I’ve been offered a permanent position within my company. I am looking forward to progressing in my career and continuing to help people! I plan to continue to upskill myself and climb the career ladder in my industry. I hope to one day be a lead audiologist and plan to pass my skills down to new junior members of staff. I am a big advocate for apprenticeship schemes and hope to stay in touch with my apprenticeship provider and mentor others on the course.

Would you recommend an apprenticeship from your experience?
Definitely, I would not have been able to gain industry experience like this without my apprenticeship provider and employer. I’m so glad I chose this over university. It’s been a great experience. I would really recommend taking a look at ApprenticesTips.com for more details on the world of apprenticeships. They are a great resource.

If this sounds like it could be your calling check out our other posts on blog – ApprenticeTips.com for all the latest and follow us on our socials to keep up to date.
 
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Level 3 Water Treatment Technician Apprenticeship

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A man, water technician, in a white helmet points to something, while another man in a yellow helmet is holding papers.

Are you looking to start a career in Engineering and Manufacturing? Are you a self-starter and a great problem solver? If so, then a Level 3 Water Technician Apprenticeship might be for you.

What is a Water Technician?

Water Technicians are responsible for the development, installation and maintenance of water treatment programmes for the water systems of industrial and commercial buildings such as schools, hospitals and hotels. As a Water Technician you will be expected to ensure the quality of water is suitable and safe for specific uses e.g., for food production, drinking and washing, preventing and minimising health risks such as microbiological contamination and scale formation.

Within the Water Technician Apprenticeship there are different roles you may undertake. This may include: a Water Treatment Technician, Water Treatment Equipment Technician, Legionella Risk Assessor, Water Treatment Operations Supervisor. There will be some aspects of these roles that are similar and some that differ.

What are the entry requirements for this apprenticeship?

To apply for a Water Technician apprenticeship, the typical requirements are 3-5 GCSEs at grades A-C (including English and Maths) or equivalent.

What is required of a Water Treatment Apprentice?

As a Water Treatment Apprentice you should have a willingness to learn new skills and demonstrate the ability to be professional and respectful of others. In addition, you should be a self-starter and be willing to make independent decisions and develop solutions and improvements to work practices. Another core skill is to be able to work safely and to supervise the safety of others, as well as be receptive to feedback.

Water Treatment Apprentices will also learn the appropriate water treatment for specific water systems and be able to treat them. As well as, but not limited to, giving presentations and demonstrations to customer/site personnel regarding treatment recommendations and creating reports.

What technical knoweldge will you learn on a Water Technician apprenticeship?

Some of the technical knowledge all Water Treatment Technicians will be required to know are:

  •  The Chemical reactions involved in the corrosion and scaling processes in water systems.
  •  The cell structure of waterborne microbes and the interactions with biocidal products used to control them.
  •  The concepts of flow and heat transfer in water systems and how they affect water treatment processes.
  •  Ion transfer technologies, including resin and membrane based systems, used to change water quality.

The importance of health and safety

As a Water Technicians you should be able to keep yourself and others safe by understanding, complying and implementing statuary health and safety regulations and contribute to improving safer working conditions.

What technical tasks will you prepare and perform?

As a Water Treatment Technician you will:

  • Gather system data to enable the correct selection of operational resources that may be required e.g. access equipment (ladders, scaffold or cherry picker).
  • Complete work task risk assessments and develop work plans and method statements for the task(s) involved.
  • Ensure the suitability and correct operating condition of resources and equipment for the work tasks involved. This can include test equipment, chemical dosing equipment, water pumps and other specialised equipment.

You will also perform the:

  • Identification of suitable sampling and application points in a water system
  • Assessment of relevant test parameters and sampling plan for specific water systems
  • Performance assessment and evaluation of water system conditions and operations utilising specific monitoring equipment
  • Application of water treatment programmes to specific water system types e.g. cooling towers, steam boilers, heating and chilled systems etc.
  • Interpretation of test results and development of treatment programme improvements and recommendations

Undertaking an apprenticeship can be a great alternative to college or higher education.

For more information and to apply for the Level 3 Water Technical Apprenticeship check out www.apprenticenow.com.  

If a Water Treatment Technician isn’t for you, but you’re still interested in career in Engineering and Manufacturing, why not check out the Level 3 Digital Engineering Technician Apprenticeship.

Social media strategy in 6 steps

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Patterned letters spelling out social media

A practical guide to creating a working social media strategy

Getting to work on a client’s social media gives you the chance to flex your creative muscles and can be one of the most exciting parts of being a digital marketing apprentice. However – without a clear plan in place, it can quickly go wrong and could cause more harm than good. If you’re wondering how to get started with creating a strategy that works, read on, as we take you through the most basic elements of a professional social media strategy.

1. Define your goals

What are you hoping to achieve with your social media posts? Engagement, following, email sign ups? Having a goal in mind as you create your content will help you communicate a clear message to your audience. If you’re working on behalf of a client, they might already have some goals they can share with you. Ultimately, social media makes up part of a businesses sales efforts and so should be trying to accomplish a goal either directly or indirectly. 

2. Know your audience

Before you start posting, you need to know who you are trying to target. There’s no point in posting Love Island memes if you’re trying to sell life insurance to pensioners. You might have more than one target audience – these are known as your segments. In which case, you need to plan content that will resonate with each of these. This informs not just what you post in terms of content and tone – but where you do it. LinkedIn, for example, is best for reaching professionals. TikTok might be your best for Generation Z. Again, make sure there is a clear definition of who you or your client wants to reach. 

3. Do your research

In two ways. Firstly, you need to understand the product or service you are promoting to the best of your ability. You will struggle to post genuine and engaging content if you have no idea what you’re talking about – and struggle even more to respond to any commenters! Secondly, you should take a look at what your biggest competitors are doing. In our experience, this is the best starting point for your own strategy. What do they post, when, and how is it working for them? This should inform what you then decide to post. Is there anything your competitors could be doing better, allowing you to fill in that gap in your own content? You might want to compile your findings to help you with the next step.

A person holding a laptop and phone, showing social media profiles.
Social media is an important part of a digital marketers career.

4. Create some guidelines

It is best to write down in a document some clear guidelines for the content itself. The client might already have these in place – colour palettes, logos, and so on. You could even go a step further and create some ready-made templates for social media. This might make your actual content creation a lot quicker in future. When you’re doing this, you should keep the previous steps in mind, thinking about target audience and goals. Do this for all types of content – don’t forget the importance of blogs and articles, for example, for directing traffic to websites and creating content that can easily be shared across platforms.

5. Write your plan

This is the most important step, and is about you writing a detailed plan for content. 

There are lots of free templates online or you can create your own. You should schedule ahead in blocks where you can, leaving some room for “reactive” content (responding to events that might happen spontaneously). At minimum, you want to define an exact post topic, a basic description, the platforms you want to post to and when. You can go a step further and define more details such as exact captions, links or images to be used. Depending on your client, this might be a two-way process. Planning in this way not only allows you to organise your own workload, but makes it easy to communicate your plans with a client. 

6. Take advantage of the data

Plans are dynamic – they should be constantly updated based on the feedback you receive. Data comes in the form of client feedback – comments or direct messages, or if you want to get more technical, unsubscribe rates as an example. This can be positive or negative but can help you understand how people are reacting to your social media presence. Helpfully, most social media platforms also allow you to access actual statistics regarding individual posts or whole profiles – you should take time to review and understand the most important of these to know what content is doing well for you and what you can disregard. Then revise your plan based on this! And the cycle repeats.


You should now know everything you need to get started with a thorough and effective social media strategy. Understanding the main components of digital and social media strategies in this way isn’t only helpful in your job role – it is one of the core competencies you need to be able to demonstrate as part of the Level 3 digital marketing apprenticeship. Following the information laid out here, you should be able to meet that criteria. Found what you’ve read helpful? Why not read more helpful digital marketing tips and tricks over on our blog.

Digital Marketing Apprenticeship – Types Of Digital Media

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Digital Marketing

Would you be interested in completing a digital marketing apprenticeship? Working alongside experienced professionals, gaining a qualification, and earning a competitive salary! Then you have come to the right place if this sounds appealing to you. We will be talking about all things digital marketing and how you can get an apprenticeship in this field!

Digital marketing is a very fast-moving environment that is growing by the day. Technology is the future, so I believe it is vital to have knowledge within this environment. By working in this sector, two days are never the same and you will acquire new knowledge every day.  You will be able to gain a behind-the-scenes understanding of the most used networks like Google, Facebook, Instagram and many more.

What is digital media and what are the benefits?

Any type of media that uses electronic devices for distribution can be considered digital media. Creating a powerful online presence is vital for any company or organization seeking to grow and succeed. As part of a marketing strategy, it builds brand awareness, which is an essential aspect of how consumers make buying decisions and seek information. With the various types of digital media, you have a wide range of options to reach your target audience.

You may be thinking what are the different types of media?

Paid, owned, and earned are the three different media channels through which a brand can gain exposure and reach its audience. Even though these media types are all different, their end goal is all the same – to build brand awareness and reach the correct audience.

Paid

Paid media is any type of content or marketing channel which requires a payment, this allows a organisation to promote their content through social media posts, display ads, video ads, paid search results and other promoted multimedia. This can be a effective way to expand brand traffic, clicks and reach.

Owned

Owned media is media which an organisation is completely in control of. An example of this could be their website, social media, email marketing and word of mouth. They may use it with blogs, SEO and content creation as it is the easier way to pull in traffic organically.

Earned

Earned media is exposure which you earn through word-of-mouth. This can be earned through shares, social media mentions and positive reviews because of good customer service and therfore this will come voluntarily from others without having to pay a price.

Pros & cons of Paid, owned and Earned media

Paid

Pros Cons
Instant results Can be expensive
Easy track The more competition the more expensive
Full control over content creation Invest money without knowing ROI – Return On Investment

Owned

Pros Cons
You have complete control Audience can be limited
Can be published directly on the sites you own Needs regular maintenance
Best for long time marketing Can be time consuming

Earned

Pros Cons
Lower cost than other channels – often free Requires time and effort
Increases brand awareness Can sometimes be negative
Makes brand more reachable Lack of control
Conclusion

No matter what type of media channel you use, whether it is owned, paid, or earned, it can be a valuable element of an effective marketing strategy. It is a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in any of the media types to sign up for an apprenticeship in digital marketing right now to work in one of these sectors and work towards a career in it.

If you would like to explore other areas of digital marketing and learn more click here to read other blogs on our site. Follow us on our social channels, LinkedIn, and Twitter to keep up with the latest updates and apprenticeship news.

Financial Advisor Apprenticeships [Level 4]

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Picture of calculator, pen and a receipt with numbers relevant to Financial Advisor

Financial Advisor Apprenticeships – What You Need To Know

Financial Advisor Apprenticeships is a great opportunity to kick start your career! But you may be thinking, what exactly does this role entail? Here, I will dive into everything that you need to know about Financial Advisor Apprenticeships and how this can help you to advance into your career!

So, what is a financial advisor? Financial advisors provide specialised financial advice to their clients. This means that when a client needs advice on how to manage their money, they will seek your professional advice for help. Typically, they work for large companies such as banks or specialist advice businesses. However, some financial advisors can work for smaller private companies specialising in finances. Financial advisors may specialise in different sectors of finance. For example, one advisor may specialise in providing advice specifically related to pension schemes. Another advisor may specialise in providing advice related to mortgages or investments to private clients. Therefore, within this career, you can take a variety of avenues!

You now may be thinking, what exactly does this role entail? Here is a list of some key responsibilities that you will have as a financial advisor:

  • Speak to clients about their current financial situations, plans, and finances
  • Build valued relationships with clients to help build trust between you and your clients
  • Research financial products that you can recommend to help your clients
  • Produce financial reports for clients
  • Meet performance and sales targets
  • Keep up to date with new products and law changes

So now that we have established what this role is and what key responsibilities are involved within the role, it is important to know what qualifications you need to kick-start your career within this field. This is where the Financial Advisor Level 4 apprenticeship will come in!

Qualifications

You will need a Level 4 qualification approved by the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority). Here is a list of the 3 Level 4 qualifications that you can achieve to have a license to practice in this role:

  1. Chartered Insurance Institute: Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning; designation DipPFS
  2. The London Institute of Banking & Finance: Diploma for Financial Advisers; designation DipFA
  3. Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment: Investment Advice Diploma; designation ACSI

These can all be achieved with the Financial Advisor Level 4 Apprenticeship! However, you need to ensure that you have a minimum of Level 2 English and Maths qualifications before applying for a Level 4 FCA-approved qualification. Every employer is different and can set additional entry requirements depending on what they feel is necessary for their company. For example, some companies may require additional qualifications such as 6 A*-C GCSEs. So make sure that you research whether your employer requires any additional requirements. Typically, a Financial Advisor Level 4 Apprenticeship has a duration of 24-30 months, depending on your employer.

Financial Advisor Level 4 Apprenticeship Competencies

Within your Financial Advisor Level 4 Apprenticeship there are competencies that you will achieve in order to help you to professionally and confidently transition you into your role. These can include:

Products and Cash Flow Modelling

Here you will learn how to identify which features are beneficial to your client’s needs as you research different financial products and planning methods such as the Cash Flow model.

Systems and Controls

Here, you will learn more about how to deliver key objectives to your client while meeting the standards of your company. For example, how you can protect both you and your client as well as your firm.

Managing Risk

Giving financial advice can be a very delicate task. Therefore you must know how to apply regulatory requirements both toward you and your company. You will maintain the Fit and Prosper person standards as laid down by the relevant regulators, e.g. FCA.

And there you have it! Everything that you need to know about Financial Advisor Level 4 Apprenticeships! Remember to take your time. Finding the right apprenticeship and employer can be a tedious task however, taking your time will ensure that you pick the right apprenticeship and employer for you!

Good luck! – Apprentice Now

Reasons to do a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship

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The need for digital marketing has never been greater! Companies are always on the lookout for the next employee who will help them become the most sought-after.

Digital marketing

Most people just think of a digital marketer as someone who just manages social media or writes a couple of blogs. These are tasks a digital marketer does but the job involves much more. Dependent on the type of digital marketer you decide to be there are many great benefits to joining this industry. You’ve come to the right place, if you’re looking to get into this industry or if you’re curious about its benefits.

1. Graduate marketing salaries are higher than the national average

Digital marketing jobs tend to be well paid. The average starting salary for a digital marketing graduate is around the £24,000 – £26,000 mark. In the field of digital marketing, the demand consistently outweighs the supply. So, this average will only increase as you develop in your career.

2. Stand out from the crowd

Instead of doing a course or a degree in digital marketing, an apprenticeship gives you real hands-on experience. This will give you knowledge and experience you can’t learn in the classroom.

3. Progression

After completing a Digital Marketing Apprenticeship, you can progress in more ways than you might think. In many cases, apprentices can receive promotions within their current employers or even be placed into higher-level apprenticeships. Having a qualification and work experience will make you more attractive to other employers if you decide to apply for high-level positions. The possibilities are endless when it comes to digital marketing, whether you want to be a digital marketing executive, manage a marketing team or open your own company.

4. Flexibility

People with a digital marketing career have a lot of flexibility in their work. Project deadlines are usually present in these kinds of jobs, so you can devote as many hours as you want to work. There is no need for digital marketers to work 9-5 as they can work from home, office or wherever they feel comfortable. Digital marketing careers include email marketing, referral marketing, content marketing, search engine marketing, influencer marketing, pay-per-click marketing, etc. For newcomers and those interested in pursuing a career in digital marketing, a digital marketing career offers a variety of options.

5. Number of roles

Another reason to choose a digital marketing career is that it provides numerous roles. The marketing strategies and techniques used in a digital marketing career vary according to the client’s needs and requirements. To add, another great benefit is once you’re in the digital marketing space it’s much easier to switch sectors, for example, moving from social media to programmatic advertising. 

6. Constantly expanding

There is no doubt that digital marketing is an industry that is growing rapidly. In the last few decades, the internet has become an active component of people’s lives. A way of looking at it is that this is only the beginning of the internet. Businesses, blogs, websites, journals, and a lot more will continue to flourish as long as the internet is there. Digital marketing will continue to grow as long as there is the internet. It will allow as many people as possible who are passionate about marketing. Since digital marketing is such a vast industry, the number of digital marketers present isn’t even half of its potential.

Here is a link to a blog that includes the growth statistics surrounding digital marketing.

Conclusion

There is a lot of potentials for newcomers to invest in this industry, making it a good choice for those wanting to pursue careers in digital marketing. 

If becoming a digital marketing apprentice is something that interests you, sign up for our newsletter to be notified of upcoming available opportunities.

Top tips to ace the Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship

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Have you wondered what a Level 3 Digital Marketing apprenticeship is like? As a current apprentice I can offer insights and outline what the apprenticeship has been like in my experience so far. As well as all my top tips for acing the apprenticeship.

Work life

Becoming an apprentice can be exciting but overwhelming at the same time. Daily activities in digital marketing are varied each day. With new problems to solve and learn. It’s exciting work and people with good communication skills and analytical minds will thrive in the job.

However, being a new apprentice, I suffered from lack of confidence and imposter syndrome. It becomes easy to only focus on your responsibilities, that you forget to check in with yourself. So to any new apprentices, I would advise you to:

  • Record your achievements at work – congratulate yourself on them
  • It’s okay to make mistakes
  • Show enthusiasm and willingness to learn

Using these tips will help you stay motivated. Allowing you to work more effectively.

Apprentice OTJ work

For most apprenticeship providers, completing 20% of your work week on OTJ work is a must. You will need to learn how to juggle both your OTJ work and work duties, which can start to get overwhelming towards the end of the apprenticeship.

Here’s how I dealt with juggling OTJ work:

  • Set aside time in the working day for OTJ work
  • Track the time you spend on work vs apprentice work
  • Track overall apprenticeship progress.

Doing this helped me to keep track of my work tasks vs my apprenticeship tasks. It helped me to treat them as two separate tasks to complete.

What happens after your Digital Marketing apprenticeship?

Finally, after your apprenticeship ends you could go on to study a Level 5 Degree Apprenticeship in your chosen area. Which you could find using the UCAS career finder, similarly you could also browse our site and check out other apprenticeships.

You could also continue your employment and continue to work in marketing. All with 1 years experience under your belt.

Could You Be A Science Industry Maintenance Technician?

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Do you want to work in an industry at the leading edge of technology? With opportunities at companies such as AstraZeneca, GSK, Ineos and Pfizer, there has never been a better time to become a Science Industry Maintenance Technician!

What is a Science Industry Maintenance Technician?

A science industry maintenance technician helps to ensure creation and maintenance of safe operation of science industry plant through the installation, maintenance, testing and repair of mechanical, electrical equipment and instrumentation. This role requires proactivity to help find solutions to problems and identify areas where their working environment can be improved. As well as core engineering skills, maintenance technicians need to follow safe working practices, specific to this industry. Work varies, using specialist safety equipment, completing shift work and working on sites running 365 day operations.  

Science industry maintenance technicians work in a wide range of companies, including, but not exclusively, chemical, petrochemical, polymer, primary and secondary pharmaceutical, biotechnology, formulated products, engineering and nuclear manufacturing.

What Skills Do You Need?

Achieved a minimum of Grade C at Level 2 (GCSE) in:

  • English
  • Mathematics
  • Any Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) subject.

What Skills Are Desirable?

  • Strong Communication – You will be working with various stakeholders, therefore communicating effectively using a full range of skills will be required: Speaking, Listening, Writing, Body Language and Presentation.
  • Teamwork – Ensuring you are a team player, working effectively as part of your team.
  • Independence – The ability to take responsibility for your own work.
  • Proactivity – Initiating and completing tasks at work.
  • Awareness – Understanding of the impact your work on others.
  • Time Management – Ensuring work is completed on schedule and to an excellent standard.
  • Adaptability – To be able to react to change in a positive manner.
  • Perseverance – Pursue excellence in the face of adversity.
  • Willingness To Learn! – Someone who is motivated to improve.

What Skills Will You Gain?

  • Understand and follow internal and external regulatory procedures in order to meet the quality standards set out by both your employer and the industry regulators.
  • Understand your business’s Goals and Objectives. Taking into account your own role within the organisation and how you can help to meet those objectives.
  • Maintaining systems and equipment that are relevant to your discipline, whilst following regulatory procedures (or multiple if required by your job role).
  • Apply techniques to identify and solve problems before they can arise, this applies to all aspects of the job role. (This can include systems, components, and inter-personal relations)
  • Understand and display relevant technical knowledge within your discipline.
  • Understanding how to identify end of life issues with equipment.
  • Understand and apply information taken from briefs, engineering documents, specifications, manuals and databases.
  • Input and interpret data accurately and efficiently.

Why Should You Apply?

  • This apprenticeship takes place over a minimum of 36 months, where you will learn valuable skills from your paid employment whilst receiving the specialist training from your Apprenticeship provider.
  • Upon completion you will have achieved a: Level 3 (Advanced) qualification – Equivalent to 2 A-levels
  • Salary during employment (to be confirmed by the employer) and a potential base salary upon completion of £29,000 per annum.
  • Opportunities in industries including but not limited to automotive, biotechnology, chemical, engineering, formulated products, nuclear manufacturing, petrochemical, polymer, primary and secondary pharmaceutical.
  • It’s an excellent opportunity to kickstart or accelerate your career in the STEM industry!

Conclusion

The Level 3 Science Industry Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship is an amazing opportunity for career growth. With so many recognisable industry leaders taking on Apprentices, now is an excellent time to consider this career path. You will gain many desirable soft and hard skills that will make you an invaluable asset to the industry. You may choose to continue with your current employer or see where your experience and knowledge can take you in the industry. There is also further opportunity to study with at a higher level with an example of a Level 6 Science Industry Process Plant Engineer building upon the skills gained at level 3 to help design and manufacture chemical, biological or science-based technologies. The options and opportunities within the industry continue to grow as more resources are invested into apprenticeships, with both employers and apprentices seeing a bright future in the industry!

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Level 7 Postgraduate Engineer Apprenticeship

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Group of four university engineer post graduates in their graduating gowns and cap with certificate

Well, what now? The path through higher education has been the traditional route for engineers for the past 30 years, but what happens next? Here at ApprenticeTips, we think it’s time to debunk this conventional route to work and give postgraduate engineers the opportunity to explore a path more suited to them to kick start their career.

Overview

Duration- Typically 24-30 months (this does not include EPA period)
Qualification- Level 7 Post Graduate Diploma in Engineering Competence
Funding- Maximum funding of £27,000
Sector- Engineering and manufacturing

The engineering sector is vital to the UKs economic status and produces over one quarter of the UKs total GBP. With the engineering sector ever growing, so has the demand for engineers. Employers need over 180k people with engineering skills each year to help meet this requirement we need to double the number of graduates entering the industry. Our universities currently produce about 25k engineering and technology first degrees each year meaning the Post Graduate Engineer Training Standard will be critical in meeting the sector’s future skills needs. This is an amazing opportunity for postgraduates to get involved and start their career in a respective and professional work environment.

The Role

The new Level 7 Postgraduate Engineer Apprenticeship offers amazing opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge in a highly-regarded postgraduate programme to develop your engineering competence. Further your ability in a real life working environment and earn while you learn! You will work in a range of areas that cover a variety of engineering disciplines including:

  1. Research and Development Engineer
  2. Design and Development Engineer
  3. Systems Integration Engineer
  4. Quality Assurance/Compliance Engineer
  5. Test / Qualification Engineer
  6. Manufacture / Production Engineer
  7. Maintenance / Test Engineer
  8. Product Support (inc logistics) Engineer
  9. Decommissioning/ Disposal Engineer
  10. Supply Chain/Procurement
  11. Engineering Business Manager

Post Graduate Engineers will develop solutions to engineering problems using new or existing technologies through innovation, creativity, change and may have technical accountability for complex systems with their associated risks. You will have the opportunity to work in a wide range of specialised roles, developing your skills, knowledge and experience.

Skill and Knowledge Requirements

As a post graduate engineer, you should be able to demonstrate:

Knowledge:

  • The theoretical knowledge to solve problems in existing and emerging technologies and applying and developing analytical techniques
  • Understanding of business and commercial needs/constraints
  • knowledge and understanding of own competencies capabilities and limitations
  • Understanding of financial responsibilities and authorisation processes
  • Understanding of technical sign off responsibilities and who within their organisation needs to be involved in the sign off of product/processes

Skills:

  • Safe working practices and an understanding of technical governance and quality management
  • Compliance with legislation and codes but be able to seek improvements
  • Practical competence to deliver innovative products and services
  • Technical responsibility for complex engineering systems
  • the skill sets necessary to develop other technical staff

Entry Requirements

Every employer has their own recruitment and selection criteria requirements. However, in order to optimise success for yourself, make sure you have a recognised Bachelors Level Degree or equivalent such as BEng or BSc in a STEM subject. You must have at least a level 2 in English and Math before the End Point Assessment.

This Postgraduate Engineer Training Apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity for postgrad engineers looking to enhance their knowledge and kick start their career. You will have the opportunity to work in a wide range of specialised roles, developing your skills, knowledge and experience. Earn a professionally recongised qualification that aligns with the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC) at Chartered Engineer (CEng) level. If you want to find more information and resources about our postgrad apprenticeships, click here.

A guide to the End Point Assessment for your Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship

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Are you starting or currently undertaking a Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship? Unsure how the End-Point Assessment works? Look no further!

Overview

Once you have completed your training and passed your Level 3 Marketing Principles Certification, Level 3 Principles of Coding Certification and Google Analytics Individual Qualification, you are ready to start your End-Point Assessment (EPA).

The EPA takes place in the final few months of your apprenticeship, using four assessment methods:

PortfolioEmployer Reference
This will be an accumulation of everything you have accomplished in your job so far. A chance to show the knowledge and competency you have gained through the apprenticeship and how you apply this in your work. Your real work project overviews will include performance reports, customer service and feedback.Your line manager will provide some information on how they think you are performing at work and the progression you have made. This will include how you apply your knowledge and behaviours whilst undertaking tasks within your role.
Synoptic ProjectInterview
You will be given a pre-defined project set to show a selection of your knowledge, skills and behaviours. You will be given 4 days to complete this task. This is a chance to show you are consistent in your work and that you have an understanding of specific digital marketing areas that may not be included in your day-to-day role but you have learnt in the apprenticeship.This is an opportunity to gather any other information or evidence to support your knowledge and competency shown in your Portfolio and Synoptic Project. This allows you to expand and define your work to the assessor, this will include your EPA work and workplace tasks.

The EPA gives the assessor a cumulative overview of your performance against the specified standards, allowing them to make a judgement on if you have met or exceeded the standards. Using a variety of assessment methods ensures that the assessment of your work is a reflection of your performance and the quality of the work you produce for your company using the skills and knowledge you have gained whilst undertaking this apprenticeship.

Grading and Results

Following the completion of your End Point Assessment, the grading will take place by an independent assessor. Who will accumulate your submitted work before the interview and will partially assess. The interview will allow the assessor to explore your portfolio and synoptic project in more detail, validate and test your knowledge. After the interview the assessor will come to a final conclusion for your grade. You will be awarded with a single grade of; Pass, Merit or Distinction.

The criteria that the assessment and grading is made from is the below 3 points:

  • The What: What you have shown you are able to do
  • The How: How your work has been carried out
  • The With Whom: Who you have worked with, the internal and external work relationships you have built

If you have met the minimum expected criteria you will be awarded a Pass. To receive a Merit your work must have a number of dimensions that shows you work significantly above the minimum criteria. For a Distinction grade, the quality of all your work must be significantly above the minimum criteria.

Summary

In conclusion, if you are thinking about undertaking a Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship or have already started, your EPA will happen in the end months of your apprenticeship once you have passed the required exams. You will be focusing on your knowledge, competency and behaviours, aiming to be significantly above the expected criteria to gain a Pass, Merit or Distinction. If you want to find out more information about the different stages of the Level 3 Digital Marketing Apprenticeship, please take a look at the blogs section of Apprentice Tips.

This is a great apprenticeship to undertake, it provides you with all the skills and knowledge you need to excel in your role and career as long as you apply yourself. Please be mindful that each apprenticeship will be based upon how the company your work is ran, you may not always be placed in the department you wish for but you may have the option to rotate. Make sure to research which company and apprenticeship would work best for you. Good luck and enjoy!