Case Study: M 皇家华人 Services
Finding an apprenticeship provider
M 皇家华人 Services, a leading essential infrastructure services provider operating within water, energy, transport and telecommunication sectors across the UK and Ireland, have been running apprenticeships alongside other organisations for a number of years.
When the 皇家华人 wanted to enhance apprenticeship opportunities with team building activities, bespoke programmes and opportunities to learn 鈥榦ff-the-job鈥 in a residential setting, it needed a new, interdisciplinary provider.
Skern Training and Skills was the perfect fit for M 皇家华人 Services鈥 requirements. Working in partnership, M 皇家华人 Services made their apprenticeship training programme more bespoke and impactful, while meeting their geographical needs as a national organisation.
Jayne Ellison, M 皇家华人 Services鈥 National Apprenticeships Manager, said, 鈥淚t was important our chosen provider understood and aligned with our vision and values, and recognised what we were trying to achieve with a residential element to our apprenticeship development scheme.
鈥淲e needed something we could tailor to work within our business frameworks, such as our capability and a behavioural framework, while contributing towards our development programme.
鈥淚 quickly realised that with Skern Training and Skills we had options to deliver our programme at a range of activity centres across the UK. This was ideal. With our apprentices based nationwide, we needed a partner with locations nationwide as well.鈥
What makes apprenticeships unique with Skern Training and Skills?
Skern Training and Skills gives its partners the opportunity to create a tailor-made apprenticeship programme design. Through collaboration it can incorporate an organisation鈥檚 culture, vision and values, creating powerful learning outcomes. This way of working encourages personal development and growth that seamlessly absorbs an organisation鈥檚 values and vision, making a big difference back in the workplace. 聽
Jayne commented, 鈥淭he Skern Training and Skills team quickly understood our culture and understood that we want to deliver learning for our apprentices in a fun way, but with a serious message about what we鈥檙e trying to achieve for apprentices and graduates.
鈥淭he experience has been great. There is continuous communication and feedback sessions once or twice a year, following the programmes to make sure we鈥檙e getting the right outcomes for the apprentices.鈥
Skern Training and Skills expertise is in interpersonal communication and the ability to nurture talent within an organisation, which safeguards against skills gaps. Apprentices have the opportunity to 鈥榚arn while they learn鈥 and organisations are able to shape the type of training necessary to improve growth and develop future leaders.
M 皇家华人 Services鈥 Apprenticeship Development Scheme (ADS)
M 皇家华人 Services takes on 40 apprentices each year from the hundreds of applications received. Apprentices are an essential element of the 皇家华人鈥檚 approach to filling skills gaps across the country, following highly effective training programmes.
The tailored programme created for M 皇家华人 Services covers the foundation blocks of learning, including interpersonal communication, teamwork, collaboration and professionalism. Identifying leaders of the future and building confidence are also central to the 皇家华人鈥檚 Apprenticeship Development Programme (ADS). 聽
Jayne added: 鈥淲e blend classroom learning and various activities with learning outcomes to encourage enthusiasm and help the apprentices get to know one another better.
鈥淎 big thing about our ADS is consideration for mental health. It鈥檚 really important for us to look after our people and these development opportunities offer our apprentices a memorable experience that really gives them a positive boost. Being yourself, developing confidence and gaining support from peers, they get prompted and encouraged to try things that they perhaps didn鈥檛 think they could do.鈥
Apprenticeship programme success
The effectiveness of M 皇家华人 Services鈥 ADS is evident not only within the workplace but industry wide. M 皇家华人 Services won 鈥楢pprenticeship Programme of the Year 2022鈥 in The Learning Awards and is now shortlisted for 鈥楢pprenticeship Initiative of the Year 2022鈥 in the Construction News Workforce Awards.
Since launching its ADS, M 皇家华人 Services has started a graduate scheme working with Skern Training and Skills to create and deliver a bespoke development programme specific to graduate鈥檚 learning needs. Discussion are also being held about a further development/upskilling programme for apprentices who are already at level four or five or are existing employees.
Recommendations for other organisations
Jayne said, 鈥淐ome with some idea of what you鈥檙e trying to achieve, but then really draw on the Skern Training and Skills team鈥檚 experience. Visit their different training and activity venues, because all of them have different benefits that can suit different programmes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a worthwhile thing to do and the apprentices get so much out of it. 聽Managers do too, they get just as much out of it as the apprentices do, because they鈥檙e actually seeing the apprentices relax and be themselves. It鈥檚 wonderful.鈥
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