Uni of Liverpool’s student apprenticeship scheme makes ‘reasonable progress’ in new report

The University of Liverpool’s student apprenticeship scheme has made “reasonable progress” so far this year, according to a new report by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

More recognisably known as Ofsted, the department has seen vast improvements across the education scheme since their last visit to the university, which actually put a pause on apprenticeship enrolments for 12 months.

Their last monitoring inspection in February 2024 found fault with the way the University of Liverpool managed the scheme, noting that many students left their apprenticeship before completion.

However, the most recent visit has seen “reasonable progress” being made across the Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Health and Society at Brownlow Hill, where the apprenticeship schemes are undertaken.

At the time of the inspection, there were 65 students studying and working towards their apprenticeship qualifications.

Ofsted officers have said UoL’s teaching and apprenticeship training now aligns more effectively with the curriculum in place, and leaders of the scheme have strengthened the support given to their students.

The report found that leaders have improved the tracking and monitoring of apprentices’ progress, and managers now hold more regular meetings with skills coaches in comparison to last year’s visit.

Officers also added: “Too many apprentices left their apprenticeship before completing. Of those who remained, around two thirds of apprentices achieved their apprenticeship.

“After achieving their apprenticeship, all remain in employment with just over two thirds of apprentices acquiring more responsibilities at work, gaining a promotion or moving on to further study.”

Following the monitoring visit in February 2024, the university put a pause on apprenticeship enrolments throughout the department in order to focus more on their current cohort.

The level 7 advanced clinical practitioner (integrated degree) apprenticeship is the only apprenticeship that the university offers.

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Documents released by Ofsted said: “They discuss in detail the progress that each apprentice is making. Leaders and skills coaches agree any necessary interventions, such as additional one-to-one coaching, if apprentices fall behind in their learning. Most apprentices make their expected progress.

“However, a few apprentices have fallen significantly behind in their learning. Skills coaches’ action plans for these apprentices are too vague and do not focus enough on the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours that apprentices need to develop to quickly catch up.”

Responding to the findings, a University of Liverpool spokesperson said: “We are pleased that this latest report shows we have made progress against all of the main areas for improvement identified at the previous full inspection.

“We are working to ensure that the apprenticeship programme continues to be a valuable offering for health care practitioners looking to take their next steps on the career ladder.”