Surfacing The Practices of Apprenticeship Tripartite Reviewer/Coaches In Business Schools

Since the apprenticeship levy was launched in 2017, Higher Education providers have been engaged in ‘tripartite’ relationships between provider, employer and apprentice. Within this relationship, funding rules require various key activities to be undertaken, with examples including ‘Progress Review Meetings’, skills audits, and monitoring of compliance with funding rules. In addition, learners require personalised support and employers require effective communication about their apprentices. As such, new roles have proliferated within providers to service these varied and complex requirements. However, there is no regulatory requirement for the specific roles under which these responsibilities must sit in providers, and there has been no industry framework developed to drive consistency and standardisation in practices.

This session will present an initial scoping of the extent and nature of the workforce engaged in supporting apprenticeships within UK university business schools, and begin to explore the common themes experienced within the tripartite relationship by these colleagues. Drawn from the inaugural Coaching in University Business Apprenticeships 2023 conference (#CUBAApprenticeships2023) data, we will begin to illuminate aspects of the role definition, workload and remit, as well as developing an understanding of the emergent diversity, and possible convergence, of practices, challenges and opportunities amongst those undertaking this work.