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Our Employer Commitments page covers what you must do to be compliant with DfE's Operational Requirements; what you must do as an apprenticeship employer. this page provides information about about best practice.
Communication
Success in apprenticeships depends on the three parties working together, and regular communication between them is key.
The Tripartite Agreement states that employers must:
- Participate in all required meetings, and respond to emails we send about your apprentice's progress
- Return all documentation completed and in a timely way
- Notify us if there are changes to the agreement. Most importantly we need to be made aware of any changes in supervisory staff so that we are able to stay in contact with you as the employer as required.
- Communicate any issues with on-the-job training or performance that might impact their performance on the course with the University.
- Not share performance (coursework/exam marks) data with other parties outside the Tripartite Agreement.
Mentorship and Relevant Experience
In the Tripartite, you agree to providing 'the experience, facilities, and training necessary to achieve the training objectives' of the Apprenticeship. What does this look like in practice?
Mentorship and on the job support is essential to the success of your apprentice, so ensuring that you have staff who are adequately trained to provide this support is important. Organisaitons like the Education Training Foundation have free online resources that are great for employers who are starting out or are interested in learning more about being a mentor. The University can also put you in touch our network of employers who have experience of training apprentices at different events throughout the year.
Develop a Training Plan
Much of the learning undertaken by Apprentices is done in the workplace. It's common for employers to have a development plan for their employees and Apprentices are no different. Just as the University provides a set curriculum that your apprentice will follow, you should provide a structured approach to your Apprentice's training. Upon request, you must be able to evidence your Apprentice's development/training plan to the Deparment for the Economy.
Apprentices succeed where an employer's training plan is well established, and they have a good understanding of your expectations of them in terms of their professional development.
- At the start of the Apprenticeship, you should establish clear training targets/milestones for the duration of the Apprenticeship that are personal to the apprentice, taking into account their previous training and experience. Provide your apprentices with the opporutnity to review their plan regularly with their mentor and seek support and feedback.
- Many employers assign work to apprentices that is relevant to the modules that they study. This could be through a rotation with a particular team, or just protected time with relevant members of staff. While it may not always be possible, this alignment with work and study improves retention and attainment.
- You should also consider exposing your apprentice to opportunities where they can practice and develop their 'soft' skills, for example presentations and public speaking. Apprentices often are invited back to their local schools to talk about their experience.
Programme Directors can provide feedback about the suitability of your training plan - if you are a new employer it's a good idea to discuss this at the very start, even before your apprentice begins working for you.
Update your contact details regularly
Over the course of the Apprenticeship programme, we'll be in touch with you regularly for a number of reasons, including:
- To provide you with updates on academic performance and attendance
- To complete necessary paperwork
- To relay important information about the programme
- To seek your feedback
- To invite you to participate in events related to appreniceships
It's important that you keep your organisation's contact details with us up to date. You should notify your Programme Director or email apprenticeships@ulster.ac.uk to let us know - please include details of the new contact within your employer if possible.
