I started work as an OU degree apprenticeship Practice Tutor (PT) in October 2019. My reason for signing up was simple; I had a role where I was responsible for supporting staff tutors in the School of Computing and Communications, and some of those staff tutors were managing practice tutors. One only really understand something if you go ahead and do it. Seven years later, I’m finally stepping aide from the role of the practice tutor.
This blog shares a set of thoughts and reflections about the role. I begin with a very brief summary of the degree apprenticeship scheme and what practice tutor does. This is followed by some personal reflections about the good points, and the not so good points of the role. I then share some links to other blog posts, and blog categories that relate to the PT role. I then wrap everything up with some final reflections.
Before continuing, the PT role and apprenticeships that I describe relate to the degree apprentice scheme in England. There are separate (and different) schemes for Wales and Scotland.
Apprenticeships
A degree apprenticeship, as the name suggests, is where students study for a degree whilst working. In doing so, apprentices gain knowledge and practical experience that relates to their academic study. Employers of a certain size have to pay something called an apprenticeship levy to the government, which is a percentage of their overall salary costs. Although this is a indirect tax, employers can also get that money back (in an indirect way) by putting some employees through a degree apprenticeship scheme. The government, in turn, pays for the education of the apprentices.
To create a quasi-competitive marketplace, employers can choose which degree apprenticeship educator use. Sometimes employers might want to send their apprentices to a local university, or they might want to use a national provider like the OU, which can give apprentices a bit of flexibility in terms of how they study.
There are, of course, different apprenticeship for different subjects and specialisms. More information about what the OU provides is through the OU apprenticeships page. The apprenticeship schemes that are supported by a provider must conform to what is known as an apprenticeship standard, which is defined by a government body, Skills England. The standard that relates to computing apprentices is known by the title Digital and technology solutions professional (Skills England).
To pass a degree apprenticeship, apprentices must pass two elements: the academic bit (the degree bit), and the apprenticeship bit (the workplace bit). During the apprenticeship, evidence for both these bits must be collected. For the academic bit, this means assignment, exam resuls, and module scores. For the workplace bit, this means creating a detailed portfolio of evidence that shows how an apprentice has gained an understanding and mastery of knowledge, skills and behaviours that are defined within an apprenticeship standard.
Introducing the Practice Tutor
When meeting apprentices and their line managers for the first time, I introduce the practice tutor role as being ‘administrative glue’ between different organisations; there is the organisation in which the apprentice is employed, and there is the organisation that provides the degree level education. There is also the organisation (Skills England) which lays out the various requirements for the apprenticeship.
The primary aim of the practice tutor is to be a positive and helpful advocate for the apprentice, whilst also helping the apprentice and their line manager navigate a way through all the requirements. Since there are a lot of requirements, this isn’t a very easy task; there is a lot of detail to attend to.
A PT meets with an apprentice and their line manager four times a year, in a formal meeting that is known as a quarterly review (QR). During the QR, a practice tutor asks a lot of questions, such as: is the apprentice being given sufficient ‘off the job’ time for their important academic study? Also, is the apprentice being given appropriate opportunities within their employment to enable them to gather up evidence to show that they meet the knowledge, skills and behaviour (KSB) part of the apprenticeship standard.
To keep track of everything a digital tool, known as an ePortfolio, is used. An important PT responsibility is to make sure that the ePortfolio is being updated by the apprentice. Although they are given training and guidance about how to use it, a PT may be required to offer further help and guidance. A PT will certainly need to play a role in making sure that all the apprentice’s KSBs are evidenced in advance of an apprenticeship assessment, which I known as an end-point assessment.
To help with the QR meetings, there is a suggested agenda, which I’ve always done my best to follow. The most important question to ask is often the one at the start of a meeting; the one where you ask, ‘so, how are you getting along?’ This opening question leads to other questions, and discussions that enable the academic content of modules to be related to work-based activities.
Differences between the PT role and the AL role
The PT is different from the OU associate lecturer (AL) role. Here are what I understand to be the key differences:
A PT must have a broad view of the curriculum that an apprentice is studying, whereas an AL may only be focussed on the specifics of an individual module.
A PT must not only have an understanding of a degree programme that is studied, but also the degree apprenticeship standard.
A PT will be interacting with a small number of apprentices (5 or 6), whereas an AL will typically have a group of 20 students (depending on the module).
A PT will make use of different systems and tools than an AL. The PT will need to work with a complicated looking ePorfolio system, whereas the AL will need to work with module websites and eTMA systems.
A PT will be working with an apprenticeship support team, whereas an AL will be working with different colleagues: a staff tutor, module team members, and other student support staff who are working in a student support team.
A PT will have to take an active role in record keeping, whereas the AL may sometimes send referrals to a student support team, the main work is academic – the marking of assignment and running of tutorials, rather than administrative.
A PT will have a lot of discussions with their apprentice. Unless expressly arranged, or occur during tutorials, an AL may only have relatively few conversations with their students.
Good points
Here are the really positive points of being a PT:
Being able to immediately make a difference to the apprentice during quarterly review meetings in terms of answering their questions, offering guidance, and reassurance.
Being able to see directly and immediately how apprentice develop in confidence and ability during their course of their studies.
Being able to gain insight into what happens within an industrial setting. This has been especially valuable, since I have been directly involved in teaching of some principles of software engineering. It has been really helpfu to reflect on what is taught, and what is done.
The people. I’ve really enjoyed meeting with all the apprentices and line managers. I have actively looked forward to the quarterly review meetings.
Not so good points
Here are some of the frustrations that go with being a PT:
The administration and record keeping. There is quite a lot of it to do, and in my experience, a PT needs to regularly remind an apprentice they have to update the ePortfolio system. Although the wider apprenticeship team do try to highlight its importance, the PT must regularly monitor what apprentices upload to their ePortfolio.
A PT doesn’t use the ePortfolio every day. This means that it can be sometimes difficult to navigate. Different providers use different tools, and some are better than others. The OU has used two different systems, and both have their idiosyncrasies. PTs need to have a tolerance for software systems that are ‘clunky’.
PTs need to tolerate the bureaucracy that comes with an institution running an apprenticeship programme. Unlike other aspects of higher education, degree apprenticeship provision is subject to OfSted inspection, which is the same quality assessment framework applied in the school sector. This means that there is a necessity that an apprenticeship provider keeps a lot of records. From a practical perspective, this means that there is a requirement that practice tutors are observed every year.
There is always change, and it is important that PTs take time to understand what changes occur. These might take the form of changes to apprenticeship standards (governments have a habit of meddling), changes to quarterly review agenda items, changes to end point (end of apprenticeship) assessments, changes to degree curriculum (there is a new suite of modules that will be starting), and changes to the operation of the ePorfolio tool and how it is used. Some of these changes can be particular disorientating. The apprenticeship team has an expectation that we’re on top of all of the detail, even though the PT is typically a part time role.
Skills required
The PT helps apprentices to develop knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs). Here are three KSBs which I feel are essential to practice tutors:
Knowledge: of a degree programme, or the requirements needed to satisfy an apprenticeship standard, and the ability of accumulate knowledge of how an employer works and what they do.
Skills: an ability to ask questions, and an ability to work with unfamiliar tools and systems, an ability to complete administrative tasks in a timely way (as otherwise, the apprenticeship team will be getting in touch to ask their own questions).
Behaviours: to adopt a friendly approach, and to be tolerant of bureaucracy.
Related blog posts
During my tenure as a PT, I’ve shared summarise of various training events that I’ve attended over the years. The following two blog tags offer a handy way to gain access to related posts:
I’m leaving the apprenticeship programme at an opportune moment, and a moment that feels right. An entire cohort of apprentices are just about to complete their degree apprenticeships. I’ll certainly try to attend their degree ceremony if I’m able to do so. I’m also leaving at a time when the curriculum is changing. A suite of new modules that are specially designed for apprentices begin from this October; staying on as a PT would mean that I would have to learn more about these new modules. Instead, I’m going to take my tutor time to tutor on a new level 1 module, which I’ve never done.
The PT role is very different to that of the AL role. I will not miss the necessary bureaucracy that comes with the role, but I will certainly miss regularly meeting the apprentices and their line managers who have been, without exception, a real pleasure to work with.
Being a practice tutor
I started work as an OU degree apprenticeship Practice Tutor (PT) in October 2019. My reason for signing up was simple; I had a role where I was responsible for supporting staff tutors in the School of Computing and Communications, and some of those staff tutors were managing practice tutors. One only really understand something if you go ahead and do it. Seven years later, I’m finally stepping aide from the role of the practice tutor.
This blog shares a set of thoughts and reflections about the role. I begin with a very brief summary of the degree apprenticeship scheme and what practice tutor does. This is followed by some personal reflections about the good points, and the not so good points of the role. I then share some links to other blog posts, and blog categories that relate to the PT role. I then wrap everything up with some final reflections.
Before continuing, the PT role and apprenticeships that I describe relate to the degree apprentice scheme in England. There are separate (and different) schemes for Wales and Scotland.
Apprenticeships
A degree apprenticeship, as the name suggests, is where students study for a degree whilst working. In doing so, apprentices gain knowledge and practical experience that relates to their academic study. Employers of a certain size have to pay something called an apprenticeship levy to the government, which is a percentage of their overall salary costs. Although this is a indirect tax, employers can also get that money back (in an indirect way) by putting some employees through a degree apprenticeship scheme. The government, in turn, pays for the education of the apprentices.
To create a quasi-competitive marketplace, employers can choose which degree apprenticeship educator use. Sometimes employers might want to send their apprentices to a local university, or they might want to use a national provider like the OU, which can give apprentices a bit of flexibility in terms of how they study.
There are, of course, different apprenticeship for different subjects and specialisms. More information about what the OU provides is through the OU apprenticeships page. The apprenticeship schemes that are supported by a provider must conform to what is known as an apprenticeship standard, which is defined by a government body, Skills England. The standard that relates to computing apprentices is known by the title Digital and technology solutions professional (Skills England).
To pass a degree apprenticeship, apprentices must pass two elements: the academic bit (the degree bit), and the apprenticeship bit (the workplace bit). During the apprenticeship, evidence for both these bits must be collected. For the academic bit, this means assignment, exam resuls, and module scores. For the workplace bit, this means creating a detailed portfolio of evidence that shows how an apprentice has gained an understanding and mastery of knowledge, skills and behaviours that are defined within an apprenticeship standard.
Introducing the Practice Tutor
When meeting apprentices and their line managers for the first time, I introduce the practice tutor role as being ‘administrative glue’ between different organisations; there is the organisation in which the apprentice is employed, and there is the organisation that provides the degree level education. There is also the organisation (Skills England) which lays out the various requirements for the apprenticeship.
The primary aim of the practice tutor is to be a positive and helpful advocate for the apprentice, whilst also helping the apprentice and their line manager navigate a way through all the requirements. Since there are a lot of requirements, this isn’t a very easy task; there is a lot of detail to attend to.
A PT meets with an apprentice and their line manager four times a year, in a formal meeting that is known as a quarterly review (QR). During the QR, a practice tutor asks a lot of questions, such as: is the apprentice being given sufficient ‘off the job’ time for their important academic study? Also, is the apprentice being given appropriate opportunities within their employment to enable them to gather up evidence to show that they meet the knowledge, skills and behaviour (KSB) part of the apprenticeship standard.
To keep track of everything a digital tool, known as an ePortfolio, is used. An important PT responsibility is to make sure that the ePortfolio is being updated by the apprentice. Although they are given training and guidance about how to use it, a PT may be required to offer further help and guidance. A PT will certainly need to play a role in making sure that all the apprentice’s KSBs are evidenced in advance of an apprenticeship assessment, which I known as an end-point assessment.
To help with the QR meetings, there is a suggested agenda, which I’ve always done my best to follow. The most important question to ask is often the one at the start of a meeting; the one where you ask, ‘so, how are you getting along?’ This opening question leads to other questions, and discussions that enable the academic content of modules to be related to work-based activities.
Differences between the PT role and the AL role
The PT is different from the OU associate lecturer (AL) role. Here are what I understand to be the key differences:
Good points
Here are the really positive points of being a PT:
Not so good points
Here are some of the frustrations that go with being a PT:
Skills required
The PT helps apprentices to develop knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs). Here are three KSBs which I feel are essential to practice tutors:
Knowledge: of a degree programme, or the requirements needed to satisfy an apprenticeship standard, and the ability of accumulate knowledge of how an employer works and what they do.
Skills: an ability to ask questions, and an ability to work with unfamiliar tools and systems, an ability to complete administrative tasks in a timely way (as otherwise, the apprenticeship team will be getting in touch to ask their own questions).
Behaviours: to adopt a friendly approach, and to be tolerant of bureaucracy.
Related blog posts
During my tenure as a PT, I’ve shared summarise of various training events that I’ve attended over the years. The following two blog tags offer a handy way to gain access to related posts:
Reflections
I’m leaving the apprenticeship programme at an opportune moment, and a moment that feels right. An entire cohort of apprentices are just about to complete their degree apprenticeships. I’ll certainly try to attend their degree ceremony if I’m able to do so. I’m also leaving at a time when the curriculum is changing. A suite of new modules that are specially designed for apprentices begin from this October; staying on as a PT would mean that I would have to learn more about these new modules. Instead, I’m going to take my tutor time to tutor on a new level 1 module, which I’ve never done.
The PT role is very different to that of the AL role. I will not miss the necessary bureaucracy that comes with the role, but I will certainly miss regularly meeting the apprentices and their line managers who have been, without exception, a real pleasure to work with.