Monday 6th February to Sunday 12th February marks National Apprenticeship Week, a national annual celebration of apprenticeships.
At Meridian Trust, we have a very successful apprenticeship programme that we’ve been running across a range of different disciplines and career levels across our Trust and its academies.
Below you can hear Meridian Trust HR Officer, Ali Nicholson, talking about the important role apprenticeships play in Meridian Trust.
As proud supporters of apprenticeships, we’ve also taken the opportunity to ask some of our current and former apprentices about their experiences, who you can hear from below.
The Cambridge Partnership also offers Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeships which is an alternative to a traditional full-time university course, offering a postgraduate-level qualification, no tuition fees, and the opportunity to earn while you learn. Kaylea Harman is a current apprentice.
Adam Steels is Head of Bishop Laney Sixth Form, an Assistant Principal and the Trust Director for 16-19 provision. Having been with Meridian Trust for almost thirteen years in a variety of different roles, he’s about to complete his Level 7 Masters degree Apprenticeship, a first within the Trust.
We caught up with him to find out more…
Adam, tell us about your apprenticeship?
It’s the ‘Level 7 Senior Leader Apprentice Standard’ which focuses particularly on governance structures and operational excellence for leaders. It’s really useful for someone like me, who works across different schools and needs to influence multiple stakeholders.
It’s a degree apprenticeship, so it has a Masters degree integrated into it, which is a great way to get the benefit of a taught Masters program as well as the novel approach of an apprenticeship route. Even better, it’s all funded by the apprenticeship levy.
My apprenticeship is provided by the National College for Education, which runs a series of programs at different levels (Level 3, Level 5 and Level 7).
What have you enjoyed about it the most?
I’ve enjoyed the academic writing element of it as well as the opportunity to meet colleagues in the Trust that I wouldn’t necessarily otherwise have met or worked with. The course has enabled me to go hunting for aspects of professional development in areas I wouldn’t ordinarily look. I’ve expanded my network in the process.
How long has it taken and what’s involved?
I’m due to graduate in April, so it will have taken 24 months to complete.
The early focus of the course was on university-style (at Masters level) essays, covering topics such as; leading people, operational excellence, strategy and strategic leadership and change management. It has enabled me to think in a more business-focussed way about my approach to my role in senior leadership here.
What has been the biggest challenge?
Identifying 20% of each week to spend doing ‘off the job’ tasks whilst fulfilling my teaching and leadership roles has been quite a challenge, however there have been some great opportunities as a result of it.
How has the Trust supported your apprenticeship?
I’ve been able to speak to various senior leaders within the Trust, who have imparted a lot of knowledge and wisdom, which I’ve found invaluable. Helen Anderson talked me through various aspects of academy and trust finance and I also spent time with the previous Trust HR Director and the Exec Principals about their roles. Mark Woods kindly agreed to me sitting in on a term’s worth of Principals’ weekly meetings which taught me a lot about how things operate at that level. Richard Spencer who is the EP for Ely, and Simon the Principal have both been very supportive, helping me to connect to other people and providing the testimonies of my work; which is a key part of the evidence base for an apprenticeship.
What have been the main benefits to you?
The main benefit of this apprenticeship has been the gift of helping me to understand the bigger picture… to act and lead beyond my role.
It’s been great to talk about the apprenticeship with my sixth formers and have a working knowledge of what every apprenticeship is like (they’ve all got English and maths components for example, even at Level 7!).
It’s also a great springboard to go on and do NPQH (National Professional Qualification for Headship) or NPQEL (National Professional Qualification for Executive Leadership) and to support progression to that next senior leadership role.
Any advice for others?
Go for it! If you’re prepared to drive things forward and squeeze every bit of value from the opportunity it’s 100% worth it! I have learned so much and enjoyed every step of the journey.
