Apprenticeships
Here you can read useful posts about training and development. We also hope that you find our coverage of apprenticeship training comprehensive and useful.
Over the weeks and months we try and answer some of the burning questions relating to Learning Technology, Digital Apprenticeships as well as e-Learning.
Hospitality's shortest road to recovery
Friday 25th June 2021
How the Hospitality Industry can come out fighting by investing in staff
The Hospitality industry has been the most impacted by the war path of Covid-19, as the sector saw the most restrictions with trading and social interaction through the Government guidelines. Measures implemented by the government such as curfews, social distancing and the lockdowns of the sector have seen a massive decline in the once thriving industry. One of the biggest hurdles the Hospitality industry is facing is the shortage of workers. Following travel bans, border closures and quarantine measures, many workers cannot travel to places of work which has effects on incomes, particularly for informal and casually employed workers. The World Travel & Tourism Council has recently warned that the COVID-19 (C-19) pandemic could lead to a cut of 50…
Coaching Week
Thursday 3rd June 2021
Adam Simcox
Coaching in any aspect of life is known to promote effective communication, boost confidence, improve work performance and build strong connections with your peers. Coaching in the workplace is extremely important as it passes on valuable skills, shapes employees and effectively allows those who are being coach to then be able to go on and coach another. The role of a manager essentially is to become a coach to your peers and those who work around you. When being coached, the better the employee performs, the better they compete their tasks. This sense of achievement is then channeled through their work and in turn can result in a multitude of achievements such as a more positive workplace culture, strong relationship…
Expired Levy Funds
Monday 26th April 2021
Adam Simcox
Use it don't lose it! Did you know that more than £1 billion in apprenticeship levy funding paid by employers expired unused between May 2020 and February 2021 alone. This is a 22% increase from May 2019 to April 2020, where expired levy was valued at £847 million. The Apprenticeship Levy is a UK tax on employers which can be used to fund apprenticeship training. In the current tax year, it is payable by all employers with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million at a rate of 0.5% of their total pay bill. SME employers who do not pay the levy also benefit by having up to 95% of the cost of apprenticeships paid for by the government.…
Digital Skills Week
Thursday 22nd April 2021
Yahia Rezgui
Digital Skills = Growth! but don't take our word for it... The past year has shown us the opportunities and possibilities that digital technologies can offer in transforming the way businesses operate. However, digital technology does not exist in a vacuum, it depends on people and their skills. Covid19 has highlighted the pace of digitisation, with many businesses adapting to it, but the very rapid shift has also left many organisations behind. This is bad for the UK's productivity and competitiveness. It also prevents businesses as well as individuals taking full advantage of digital technology. 69% of business leaders report a skills gap in their organisations. Events such as Microsoft Skills Week shine a spotlight on the issue. All organisations now require digital expertise, not just…
Stress Awareness Month
Thursday 15th April 2021
Adam Simcox
This April is Stress Awareness Month and in light of the current climate it is vital that we learn how to manage our stress levels in all aspects of our lives. Stress is a natural reaction to most everyday experiences. When your body releases stress hormones, the same hormones that triggers your 'fight or flight' response, your breathing speeds up, your heart rate and temperature rise and your muscles tense. Though this process is intended to protect us, if this reaction occurs at multiple points in the day, it could be very damaging for your health. A high overload of stress can cause headaches, muscle aches, depression, insomnia, fertility problems and high blood sugar and pressure which can lead to an…
National Day of Reflection 2021
Tuesday 23rd March 2021
Sienna Sandhu
Reflection is defined as serious and careful thought, the act of looking back at your past actions and evaluating their consequences and the impact they had. The Act of reflection can also be embedded into teaching to create more effective learning for both teachers and students and is quickly becoming one of the most common teaching styles used today. Reflective teaching is a process whereby teachers reflect on their teaching practices in order to examine the overall effectiveness of their instructive approaches (Dana Di Pardo Léon-Henri 2021). Reflective teaching has proven to be wildly beneficial for teachers in numerous ways the most crucial is professional growth. When having a reflective thought process whilst teaching you can effectively analyse not…
World Sleep Day - 19 March 2021
Friday 19th March 2021
Sienna Sandhu
This year's world sleep day falls as the world of work slowly turns back to normality, but how important is sleep to a productive day of work. Did you know we spend around a third of our lives sleeping? Sleep is one of the most crucial factors of one's overall health. A good night's sleep allows your mind and body to repair and adequately prepares you for the next day and without it, the brain cannot function properly. However, how can a good night's sleep enable you to get the best out of you working day? Improved Memory For something to become a memory, three functions must occur, including:Acquisition -- learning or experiencing something newConsolidation -- the memory becomes stable in the brainRecall…
Last call to claim your incentive payment for hiring new apprentices!
Wednesday 3rd March 2021
Yahia Rezgui
The chancellor announced on 3 March that the bonuses offered to employers who recruit an apprentice, set to end this month, will be extended for a further six months to September. And any employers who hire a new apprentice between 1 April 2021 and 30 September 2021 will receive £3,000 per new hire, regardless of the apprentice's age. This is on top of the £1,000 payment already provided for new apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan, meaning that some employers could receive £4,000 in total. It is part of the governments' "plan for jobs" (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-plan-for-jobs-documents/a-plan-for-jobs-2020) in response to the economic repercussions of Covid-19, a clear statement of intent that skills, apprenticeships and work…
World Mental Health Day 2020
Friday 9th October 2020
Yahia Rezgui
Free Mental Health Support for Apprentices Coping with anxiety, worry and stress during the COVID-19 crisis is an issue that affects many of us. Concerns about finances and looking after family or friends while learning how to work in a new way during the Covid-19 pandemic may be increasing stress levels, and it is understandable many people are finding it hard to cope at times. But there is free support available! The Access to Work Mental Health Support Service is a service funded by the Department for Work and Pensions. It provides advice, information, support and tools to help support staff with mental health conditions. What support is available? Here at Oxford Applied Training we support our apprentices though the the Access to Work…
Too busy to take advantage of Apprenticeship Training?
Friday 28th August 2020
Yahia Rezgui
You may very well be missing an opportunity! The role of Training and Apprenticeships in the Covid-19 economic recovery Here at Oxford Applied Training we believe that Apprenticeships and training will play a vital part in the post pandemic economic recovery. Significant government investment of over £2.5 billion in Apprenticeship funding, new levy matchmaking services plus the July announcement of Apprenticeship hire bonuses of up to £2000 make this a better time than ever to find out how Apprenticeships can help your organisation recover from the Covid-19 crisis and become more resilient. Apprenticeships are one of the most cost-effective training options, giving your organisation the flexibility to train and up skill your existing staff or add capacity as the economy begins to recover. Covid-19 has…
Not going to Uni?
Friday 14th August 2020
Thomas Mesfin
We have a new interim marking system being implemented to determine A-Level and GCSE results for this year. Results will be based on teachers' predictions and statistical modelling. This has caused some controversy and will have a lasting impact on young people's study choices. Ofqual figures show 39.1% of 700,000 teacher assessments were lowered by at least one grade. The inverse shows, A-level entries awarded A or A* increased to an all-time high in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with 27.9% securing the top grades this year. Preliminary studies have also shown that the largest difference between students' final grades and those predicted by teachers were for pupils from the lowest socioeconomic backgrounds. Whilst the educational institutions are busy handling the appeals…
Life after Covid19 - The future is digital
Monday 3rd August 2020
Yahia Rezgui
"There's no doubt digital apprenticeships supported by Microsoft work. They offer sustainable, well rewarded careers in an industry that is crying out for talent." At Microsoft, we shifted from know-it-all to learn-it-all culture. We need to be on a permanent journey of learning, understanding, listening. That's exactly what apprenticeships are about" Hugh Milward, Director of Corporate, External and Legal Affairs at Microsoft UK IT apprenticeships-the ace up your sleeve While nobody can predict what the future holds, it is undisputed that the current Covid-19 crisis accelerated an already existing trend in all sectors of the economy: The transition to digital. This trend means it is now more important than ever for organisations to have teams with relevant data and digital skills. Upskilling employees in…
Extra incentives for businesses to hire apprentices
Wednesday 15th July 2020
Yahia Rezgui
The government will introduce a new payment of £2,000 to employers in England for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25, and a £1,500 payment for each new apprentice they hire aged 25 and over, from 1st August 2020 to 31st January 2021. These payments will be in addition to the existing £1,000 payment the government already provides for new 16-18 year old apprentices, and those aged under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan. The ESFA has set some guidelines regarding this:The apprentices must not have been employed by the employer within the six months prior to the apprenticeship start dateThere is no limit on the number of incentive paymentsThe payment will be made directly to employers in two…
Unlocking the Lockdown
Monday 6th July 2020
Yahia Rezgui
As lockdown continues to ease and we start our road to recovery, it is important to recognise the impact of the pandemic both positive and negative. During the pandemic we witnessed a huge change in the way in which organisations operate and as the economy begins to recover it's important that we continue to adopt and adapt new ways of working. Apprenticeships and Training Following recent Government updates there has been a keen focus on up-skilling and development especially within apprenticeships which have been described as key to restarting the economy and shaping your business for the future! Managing your current resources to help improve your business output by utilising training and development will reshape your structure and give your workforce the tools…
How to avoid the hidden costs of a Learning Management System (LMS)
Thursday 23rd April 2020
Yahia Rezgui
Thinking about buying or replacing an LMS? You are not alone. According to research by the Brandon Hall Group, 44% of organisations are not satisfied with their existing LMS and 48% are investigating different or new learning technology systems. The research also found that the cost of an LMS makes up 38% of the average learning technology budget. Considering that this is a large budget chunk, it is critical to have full visibility of not just the up front and "hard costs" but the often hidden, cumulative costs of many systems before making a decision. In addition to the up-front monetary cost of different systems, there are many other cost factors, often not immediately obvious. To illustrate, take as an example a 500 employee company…
Using an LMS to house association content and courses
Sunday 29th March 2020
Francis Greenwood
Members often go to associations for knowledge and insight into their industry, how an association is able to present this information with a Learning Management System (LMS) can often provide more benefits than traditional methods. An LMS can be used as a hub to store training documents. This can be more effective than housing information on a website because it provides a ready-made layout for document storage and a way for anyone at the association to quickly upload PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Video, and Audio files, which is easily accessible to members. This content can also be made into interactive short courses. These can be anything from converted PowerPoint slides, right the way through to interactive videos with assessments and certificates…
6 Benefits of an LMS for Education
Sunday 26th January 2020
Yahia Rezgui
Improving classroom and learning experiences is one of the top priorities for anyone running or managing an educational organisation. You might be using the same training methods that have worked for years, but achieving consistent results across all levels of your organisation can be difficult. You might have introduced more high-tech teaching and training solutions, but found that they require extensive and ongoing IT support and knowledge, which might not always be available or affordable. However, things have moved on and a well-designed Learning Management System like Trove could be transformative for your school or college! Technological developments, the increased use of digital materials in the classroom and changing needs and requirements of learners mean that the traditional teacher/classroom approach is becoming less and…
How can organisations save on their training budget by implementing an LMS
Thursday 2nd January 2020
Yahia Rezgui
A Learning Management System, or LMS, can completely change and drastically improve the way your business works. You can find out more about what an LMS is and its fundamental advantages in my blog below, but this post will outline how using an LMS can specifically help you and your company to save time and money, and increase your efficiency. CUTTING COSTS An LMS will cut your company's costs in a number of different ways: 1. There is no need for your workforce to travel in order to receive off-premise training with an LMS there are no travel or accommodation expenses. Hotels and transport are no longer necessary with this innovative software. 2. There is also no need to pay for training materials and trainers.…
5 things A Learning Management System Can Bring to Your Business
Sunday 24th November 2019
Yahia Rezgui
Discover the top 5 benefits of using an LMS here... You've mastered most of your digital alliances, from mobile apps to e-readers, and tablets to Bluetooth speakers. Still there are some concepts that elude you, like this LMS people keep mentioning in business discussions. You know it's a great piece of software, but what exactly does it do? Well, we're here to clear up any confusion LMS stands for Learning Management System... Learning - because you use it to deliver educational resources and training programs Management - because it helps you to organise your training and eLearning System - because LMS is a piece of computer software. In our recent article, we discuss in more detail, the benefits of introducing a LMS into your organisation. In this…