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Another day, another CPD session. In addition to being a tutor, I’m also what is called a practice tutor (PT), where I help to support the school’s apprenticeship programme. On 6 November 2025 I went along to a relatively short session about something called the tripartite apprenticeship meeting. It is called this, since it involves, perhaps unsurprisingly, three parties: the apprentice, their line manager, and the OU practice tutor.

What follows are some notes that reflects both the session, and the role of the practice tutor.

Session summary

During the initial meeting, there is an intention of sharing information about roles and responsibilities. It is an opportunity for the PT to gain an understanding of apprentice’s starting point, and to set initial targets. It is also an important opportunity to offer a useful summary of the apprenticeship programme to both the apprentice and their line manager. It is also important to introduce the Knowledge Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) which are integral to an apprenticeship standard.

All the other tripartite meetings will be progress meetings with a priority on making sure the apprentice feels supported. A key objective is to set discuss progress regarding existing objectives, set new objectives, and to address any issues that may have arisen. Like with the first meeting, an important focus is the KSBs, and finding practical ways to evidence their attainment.

During the session, we were asked to reflect on:

• What steps did we follow to prepare for our meeting?
• How did I manage the timing and organisation of the meeting?
• What was my approach to supporting goal setting (and how they relate to KSBs)?
• What might I do differently next time?

We didn’t really get to discuss our reflections in depth, but there was some sharing of views. One useful tip that I picked up was: do consider sending an apprentice example of goals in advance of a meeting.

We then moved onto the importance of goal setting, which use SMART goals. This is, of course, an abbreviation for: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. When it comes to measurable, this could relate to the completion of a certain number of TMAs by the next review, or uploading certain elements of evidence.

The Skills Scan was mentioned. This is a detailed questionnaire, which should be completed every 6 months, that is used to identify gaps in the apprentice’s KSBs. In turn, the results from the Skills Scan can be used to help to guide the creation of goals.

SMART goal targets can be short term, or long term. A short term goal might be as simple as completing a Skills Scan. A long term goal might be meeting career goals and necessary regulatory standards. They can also be skills based, certification based, professional development, time management, or even team working.

Reflections

I am really very familiar with the notion of SMART goals. By attending this session, I realised that I wasn’t applying the SMART framework as rigorously as I could have been. I found it helpful to think of them in terms of short-term and long-term goals.

In advance of a tripartite meeting, one of the things I always do is I carefully review all the records that I have about an apprentice. It takes me a bit of time: I look at where they are in the programme and what their most recent TMA scores have been. If available, I also have a look at a completed Skills Scan questionnaire that is available through the e-portfolio tool that we used. I also will look at any evidence that has been submitted, to determine whether there is anything I need to sign off. What I really need to do more of is to review the previous objectives that have been set.

I also feel that the objectives need to speak more directly to any gaps that I see, and also the characteristics of the degree apprenticeship programme.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the facilitators Jennifier Hillman and Kelly Guilfoy.

In my capacity as a degree apprentice practice tutor, I’m invited to a regular professional development and update meeting which currently takes place on the second Friday of each month. At the time of writing, these meetings are hosted by two colleagues: Chris Thompson and Andy Hollyhead.

This blog post shares a set of notes that were made during a PT training meeting that took place on 8 July 22. The key points on the agenda were, broadly:

• The OU Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and our response
• F2F meeting update
• Good academic conduct for apprentices

ePortfolio update

The university is introducing a new ePortfolio tool, moving from the current system, which is called OneFile, to a different product. Accounts are currently being created, and training will be provided in September 22 with a view to using it from the beginning of October, when new groups are created. Files and records, such as timesheets will (I understand) be moving between the systems.

Quality improvement plan

A quality improvement plan has been put together by the university following the production of an OU annual self-assessment report (which is an internal evaluation about the quality of the degree apprenticeship provision).

Some key points that are to be looked at as a part of the plan include:

• Targeted CPD throughout the year, which includes the further development of a supportive observation process to help develop practice, to ensure all PTs and ALs are provided with development opportunities to enable others to become outstanding. Practice tutor meetings are being observed.
• An intention to link observational practice and improvement to the tutor CDSA process to ensure all apprentices are identified (or presented) in terms of having a RAG status (red, amber, and green), and have individual action plans.
• Increasing the frequency of contact for learners who are red or amber: If an apprentice is flagged as being amber or red, there’s an additional meeting (which can be claimed back as an additional support session) and there is an action plan that is to be completed, and another follow up meeting in a month’s time.
• Review all apprentice progress monthly, including a review of individual plans where apprentice progress is rated red or amber.
• Ensure practice tutors use ‘starting points’ to inform learning plans: the next intake, aim to get a skills audit and commitment statement early, so students can speak about them during the early meeting, to gain a detailed understanding of the needs of students.
• Practice tutors will begin to discuss ‘next steps’ with apprentices, to understand what their intentions beyond their apprenticeship. I have noted down the point: start picking up at each progress review, to facilitate a career related discussion.
• Upskill practice tutors to ensure that knowledge, skills and behaviours are reviewed throughout all stages
• Ensure attendance of apprenticeship mentor (line manager/supervisor) at all Tripartite Review meetings: someone who represents the organisation, needs to be at the meeting. If this doesn’t happen, there should be referrals to the university apprenticeship programme delivery managers (ADPMs).
• Improve the recording of off the job training: apprentices are told to record their timesheets. This is known to be a contractual obligation. The employer line manager and apprentice has to know that timesheets need to be recorded. If they are no doing this, this needs to be escalated, through the APDMs. If no responses, then the processes for removal from the programme may be instigated. There needs to be an entry every 4 weeks, to show that the apprentice is in learning.
• Ensure all apprentices receive the minimum number of reviews regularly: every apprentice must have 4 reviews. The only exception is if they have a break in learning.
• Enhance supportive measure to keep apprentices in learning: develop better monitoring of apprentices, between modules.

A return to face-to-face review meetings

From 1 August 2022, practice tutors are allowed to return to face to face reviews. There should be one face to face every year, and a maximum gap of 15 weeks between each review, and evidence of the planning of the next review (which should be captured on the ePortfolio).

Apprentices returning following a study break

A study break is, simply put, a period of time when an apprentice is not studying their academic of work-based modules. A break in learning might occur due to personal commitments. Apprentices should have the review within 4 weeks of returning to study. Also, a conversation is needed early on during the apprentice’s study of a programme to ensure they are on the right programme.

For the formal part of the meeting, the apprentice, line manager, and the practice tutor must be present. If it is a face-to-face meeting, and there isn’t a line manager, try to find a delegate. It is a funding requirement that these meetings take place. They should, ideally be scheduled two weeks in advance.

If there are students returning from a break in learning, get in contact with them two months before their restart, to make sure they feel they are ready to start learning. Also, ensure they are recording on the job timesheets to provide evidence of study.

Lone working guidance

The university has now prepared some new guidance about lone working, which is appropriate for when practice tutors visit an employer. There’s a checklist, and an accompanying risk assessment, for visiting locations. Practice tutors must review this official guidance when planning a first progress review meeting.

Good academic conduct for apprentices

Good academic conduct is important. In the apprenticeship context, a group of apprentices might start working at an organisation at the same time. Whilst it is certainly okay that peers gain support from each other, and collaborate closely on work tasks, peers should not collaborate with each other when it comes to working on and submitting academic assessments (unless group work is specifically required on an assessment task).

During this session Andy Hollyhead shared a number of slides from a fellow Practice Tutor, Stewart Long. The presentation (which could be shared with apprentices) covers the topic of plagiarism and the difference between collaboration and collusion.

Further information about study skills is available through an earlier blog post and also from the OU Study Skills website, which provides links to some really useful booklets.

Reflections

One of the good things about this session is that it offered reassurance about the things that I am doing well and also offered some helpful guidance about what I should be doing, and ought to be doing more of. 

A particularly interesting point is the link between the apprentice, the employer, and their wider career aspirations. I’m very much a subject specialist, rather than a careers specialist, but I’m certainly draw on my own knowledge of roles and opportunities with the IT and Computing sector and bring them into discussions with apprentices. This said, I do feel that this is an area that I need to develop, or get a bit more knowledgeable about.

I was particularly encouraged that I was doing the right things, in terms of planning for review meetings with employers and apprentices. One thing I do need to do is expose more of the actions that I am taking. Just as the apprentice must record off the job training, in the form of timesheets, I also need to make sure that the scheduled review dates are recorded within the ePortfolio, to ensure that colleagues within the apprenticeship team can see what is scheduled. I have all the dates in my Outlook calendar. I need to transfer them to OneFile (and, eventually, the new ePorfolio system, when it is introduced).

More information about the OU degree apprenticeships are available through the OU Apprenticeship pages.