This module introduces apprentices to academic study skills, emphasising business research, reading, writing, and referencing.

Apprentices will critically analyse apprenticeship standards, focusing on knowledge, skills, and behaviours required for the End Point Assessment.

The overarching theme centres on systems thinking, aiming to develop an understanding applicable to the apprentice's workplace.

Apprentices will delve into systems thinking and modelling, gaining skills to understand, intervene, and analyse complex systems effectively.

Through hands-on learning, apprentices explore Soft Systems Methodology, Diagrammatic Methods, Viable Systems Modelling, and more - fostering a practical approach to addressing organisational complexities.

This module offers apprentices a foundational understanding of business ethics within a philosophical and sociological context.

Apprentices will explore ethical concepts, frameworks, and their application in analysing organisational practices.

Apprentices will cover topics such as Introduction to Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethical Theory, stakeholder perspectives, and legal frameworks like GDPR, emphasising ethics in systems thinking and risk management.

This module aims to familiarise apprentices with effective interventions for implementing Systems Thinking and facilitating change management within businesses.

Apprentices will learn diverse approaches for delivering systems interventions, understanding assessment and evaluation methods, and designing and implementing interventions for organisational improvement.

Apprentices will also develop the skills to assess, analyse, and design interventions, applying change methodologies while fostering stakeholder engagement and adaptability in real-world scenarios.

Apprentices will learn to select and combine appropriate systems methodologies, develop practical interventions using systems models, and engage stakeholders effectively through empathetic facilitative processes.

This module equips apprentices to apply programme knowledge in real workplace scenarios, focusing on determining intervention scope, and understanding regulatory environments, legal requirements, and health and safety considerations. 

Key Skills and Behaviours (KSBs) include applying systems knowledge, effective engagement and collaboration, and designing and leading change interventions based on a sound understanding of diverse methodologies.

This module empowers apprentices through personal development and focuses on enhancing leadership and communication skills.

Apprentices will create a personal development plan, set life goals, and assess strengths.

They will also explore diverse leadership approaches, emphasising ethical considerations and principles of corporate social responsibility, while also preparing apprentices for dynamic roles through communication skills like listening, emotional intelligence, and teamwork.

In this inquiry-focused course, apprentices will master techniques for gathering and evaluating both quantitative and qualitative information, emphasising inputs, transformations, and outcomes.

Through honing questioning and listening skills, apprentices will adapt approaches in real-time, uncovering hidden assumptions, and constructively challenging them where necessary.

Apprentices will develop a keen analytical eye through selecting, eliciting, and interpreting data for model building, navigating trade-offs between value, cost, and timeliness.

Apprentices will meticulously chart their journey, aligning with KSBs outlined in their Apprenticeship Standard, and conversations with their mentor.

Through reflective practice, they will optimise their portfolio's structure, drawing connections between academic learning, job roles, and the workplace standards.

Utilising gap analysis techniques, they revisit the Individual Learning Agreement to ensure comprehensive preparation for the End Point Assessment (EPA).

This guides apprentices through the final stages of their apprenticeship, focusing on preparing for the Gateway process and End Point Assessment (EPA). Apprentices will critically reflect on their learning journey, ensure their portfolio meets the necessary criteria, and work with tutors and employers to identify any gaps.

This equips apprentices with the skills and confidence needed to succeed in the EPA, covering project submissions, presentations, and professional discussions.