Apprenticeships
Improvement Practitioner
Level 4
Identify and lead the delivery of change across organisational functions and processes.
Qualification
Improvement Practitioner Level 4 Apprenticeship
Qualification Level
Level 4
End Point Assessment Centre
Ofqual
Instruction Language
English
Qualification Duration
14 months (this does not include EPA period)
Included in
Our Green Skills Pathway
Employer Funding & Incentives
Funding
As of the 18th March 2024 the government announced significant changes to apprenticeship funding, aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their hiring of young apprentices. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled plans to eliminate SME co-investment payments for apprentices under the age of 22, alongside increasing the transfer limit of apprenticeship levy funds from 25% to 50%.
Incentives
Employers could get £1,000 each for taking on an apprentice who is either:
- aged 16 to 18 years old, or
- aged 19 to 25 years old and has an education, health and care (EHCP) plan or has been in the care of their local authority
What you can use the payment for
The payment is different to apprenticeship levy funds, so you can spend it on anything to support your organisation’s costs. For example, on uniforms, your apprentice’s travel or their salary. You do not have to pay it back.
To read the full Apprenticeship Standard: Click here
Who is this course suitable for?
There are a variety of job titles associated with the occupation, these include, but are not limited to: Business Improvement Practitioner, Continuous Improvement Manager, Process Excellence Manager, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Quality Control Senior Analyst, Environmental Compliance Manager, Engineer (Environmental, Mechanical, Geotechnical, Civil, Chemical, etc), Environmental Construction Management, Environmental Data Analyst, Environmental Health and Safety Officer, and Transportation Engineer.
Green job titles
- Environmental improvement compliance manager
- Environmental improvement engineer
- Environmental improvement construction manager
- Environmental improvement data analyst
- Environmental improvement health and safety officer
Roles & Responsibilities may include:
- Identifying potential opportunities, diagnosing issues, proposing solutions and implementing changes and controls
- Coaching teams and sharing best practice
- When leading projects they may manage small teams ensuring motivation and momentum, and be responsible for the successful completion of the project
Role Profile (what the successful candidate should be able to do at the end of the apprenticeship)
Improvement Practitioners use a blend of Lean and Six Sigma, project and change management principles and tools to identify and lead the delivery of change across organisational functions and processes. Improvement Practitioners can be found across all sectors and functions including automotive, banking, engineering, food products, IT, property, retail, telecoms, Local and County Councils, NHS, Voluntary / Charity, Utilities, Pharmaceuticals, Insurance, Hospitality etc.
Typically, Practitioners lead smaller projects and/or play a key supporting role in a larger programme – tackling issues that may require swift problem solving, or re-occurring challenges that require in-depth analysis and the implementation of a range of effective and sustainable countermeasures. They are the focal point for all stakeholders and responsible for communication throughout a project.
Improvement Practitioners demonstrate the following Behaviours:
- Commitment: A personal commitment to the principles of environ mental sustainability and stronger communities.
- Adaptability: Ability to evaluate the merits of a situation and be open to alternative approaches.
- Flexibility: Be flexible in your approach to work, adapting to changing market and policy landscapes
- Drive for results: Continuous drive for change and encourages others to deliver results across functional areas capturing and standardising best practice
- Team-working: Awareness of own and others’ working styles. Creates high performing team.
- Professionalism: Promotes a moral, legal and socially appropriate working manner, aligns behaviours to the organisations values. Maintains flexibility to needs of project
- Continuous development: Proactively seeks and acts on feedback. Reflects on performance and has a desire for development. Adapts quickly to working with new situations/stakeholders/challenges
- Safe working: Ensures safety of self and others, speaks out to challenge safety issues
Course Costs
Maximum Funding
£6,000.00
Non Levy Employer 5% contribution or Employer 5% contribution
£300.00
End Point Assessment Cost (Paid by Kiwi)
£TBC
96
Students saved up to 50% on their fees
96 Students saved up to 50% on their fees
Course content
OCCUPATIONAL BRIEF OF STANDARD
KNOWLEDGE
Improvement Practitioners have the Knowledge and understanding of:
- Compliance: Legislative and customer compliance requirements including environment and health and safety
- Team formation & leadership: Decision-making techniques e.g. consensus, authority rule, majority rule
- Project management: Business case, risk analysis and management, toll-gate reviews, work breakdown structure, lessons learned, pilot studies, project review, process management and measures, benefits tracking
- Presentation & reporting: Reporting templates, message mapping, case for change
- Change management: Stakeholder identification, analysis and management (RACI). Change curve, resistance characteristics, change sponsorship, compelling point of view
- Principles & methods: Business value of Lean and Six Sigma improvement methods – 8D, practical problem solving, Define Measure Analyse Improve Control, Design for Six Sigma
- Project selection & scope: Y=f(x) equation (outputs are the result of inputs), business scorecard cascade
- Problem definition: Cost of Poor Quality, problem analysis models such as Is/Is Not
- Process mapping & analysis: Swim lane, value stream map, performance metrics – continuous, Parameter diagram, Takt time, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, theory of constraints principles, Kanban
- Data analysis – basic tools: Spreadsheets and pivot table analysis, statistical analysis software
- Measurement systems: Repeatability and Reproducibility principles
- Basic statistics & measures: Control charts – attribute data, principles of normality
- Data analysis – statistical methods: Measures of central tendency and spread
- Process capability & performance: Capability analysis – continuous data for normal distribution
- Root cause analysis: Key principles including symptoms, failure-mode, potential/verified cause, critical inputs, escape point. Graphical representation of data with dot, scatter and box plots
- Experimentation: Active versus passive analytics, design of experiments, experiment plan
- Identification & prioritisation: Selection and prioritisation matrix, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis
SKILLS
Improvement Practitioners have the Skills within the context of their own organisation to:
- Compliance: Work in accordance with organisational controls and statutory regulations
- Communication: Speak and write clearly. Influence others, question effectively. Plan and deliver meetings presenting insight to engage audiences
- Coaching: Observe, listen, use questioning, provide feedback and spot learning opportunities
- Project management: Define, sequence, plan and schedule activities with phases and milestones. Estimate effort and duration. Create and update project charter. Review progress
- Change management: Sponsorship contract, surface and manage resistance, build compelling narratives for change, assess change impact
- Principals and Methods: Select and apply a structured method and appropriate improvement tools engaging with subject matter experts to deliver business benefits
- Project selection and Scoping: Support the identification of improvement opportunity and the scoping of these projects
- Problem definition: Support development of problem/opportunity statements
- Voice of the customer: Support application of techniques to identify and prioritise customers, their requirements and ensure balance against the stated and unstated needs of the business (Voice of the Business)
- Process mapping & analysis: Process map to measure and analyse flow and value. Identify interfaces, functional responsibilities and ownership. Use insight to identify potential opportunities and map future state
- Lean tools: Seek in-process waste through understanding of value within the value stream
- Measurements systems: Plan, carry out and assess results of a measurement system study
- Data acquisition for analysis: Develop a sampling strategy
- Basic statistics & measures: Use graphical analysis to understand distribution and stability
- Data analysis-statistical methods: Identify data-types and select analysis methods and tools. Assess time series data stability and analyse making relevant insight
- Process capability & performance: Select methods and metrics for analysis
- Root cause analysis: Select and apply the appropriate graphical tool dependent on the data type to identify patterns, trends and signals to establish hypothesis
- Experimentation & optimisation: Plan designed experiment with clear objectives, and appropriate levels of Measurement Systems Analysis, analyse experiment data and optimise
- Identification & prioritisation: Identify and prioritise factors, ideas and solutions
- Data analysis – SPC: Select and apply appropriate tools for ongoing monitoring and control. Analyse and interpret control charts
- Benchmarking: Conduct structured benchmarking to support target setting
- Sustainability & control: Identify failure modes and embed learning from improvements
TESTIMONIALS
Kiwi Education is an fantastic training provider who really does put it’s students at the heart of their delivery. Our staff have felt supported throughout their apprenticeship
– False Flag Tattoo
Area: Professional Accounting Taxation Technician AAT Apprenticeship
TESTIMONIALS
Our staff enrolled on courses have not only improved within their roles but with the support from Kiwi Education they have excelled and progressed from one level to a higher level. We are thrilled with the service from Kiwi Education.
– Costa Coffee
Area: Team Leader Supervisor Apprenticeship
Enrol and pay now
Maximum Funding
£6,000.00
Non Levy Employer 5% contribution or Employer 5% contribution
£300.00
End Point Assessment Cost (Paid by Kiwi)
£TBC
Any Questions
Contact us today
We would love to hear from you. Please leave your details here and we shall be in touch within two working days of your enquiry.