You are supported on every step of your apprenticeship journey, these are the people that will be available to you while you are a student with us:

Apprenticeship Advisor

You will be allocated an advisor whose job it is to ensure you as the apprentice are happy with the programme, employer and to help with any concerns throughout the course of the training.  Your advisor will carry out the enrolment paperwork, which confirms your apprenticeship has been agreed by yourself, your employer and the College.

They will also carry out progress reviews with you and your employer, the first of which will be 13 weeks after you first start and then on an ongoing basis as agreed with your employer and College Tutor

These review meetings will take place in the workplace and it is important that all parties attend, so that any issues raised can be resolved and / or actions taken accordingly.

Assessor/ Work Place Coach

They will guide you through your qualification and work with you to generate evidence for your qualification and provide you with information, knowledge and feedback to help you achieve. They will also ensure that you are fully prepared for the End Point Assessment if you are undertaking an Apprenticeship Standard. In order to achieve this, your Assessor/Coach will arrange to visit you within the work place on a regular basis.

Tutor

The role of the tutor is to provide you with teaching and learning in a one-to-one or a classroom setting on your college days. They will work with you to make sure that you have all of the underpinning knowledge you need to competently use equipment safely in the work place and to pass your assessments at college. Your Skills Coach and Tutor may be the same person.

Customer Services Team

At different times before, during or after the apprenticeship training, our Customer Services Team may contact you to offer other relevant training opportunities that may be of interest to you. The Customer Service Team can book you onto these additional training courses if required.

Apprenticeship Recruitment Team

The Apprenticeship Recruitment Team are dedicated to supporting applicants in finding an apprenticeship placement with an employer. They will work with you to find an employer, and provide CV and interview tips.

Student Services

Our team are on each campus to support you should you need advice on any of the following:

• Funding and bursaries
• Transport
• Care to Learn
• Childcare
• Accommodation
• Counselling

Supporting Disability

We want individuals to be successful.  Sometimes industries are more dangerous and complex than others, but this should not deter you. We have a wide range of support practitioners within the college to help you make the most of your apprenticeship and pursue the career you want. Any additional   support you may need will be identified and put in place as part of your college enrolment.

Learning Services

We have Learning Centres on our campuses that offer a range of resources, facilities and support for your studies, including:

• Books and e-books to support your studies
• Magazines and journals
• DVDs and Audio CDs
• Study spaces for individual study and group work
• Computers, laptops and tablet devices to use in the LC
• Wireless internet access for your own equipment.

The Learning Centre staff can help you with:

• Accessing and understating how to use the student e-learning platform Moodle
• Finding and using books, e-books and journals
• Support for developing your study and research skills, including using the Internet for research
• Help with using college computers and software including: using Office 365, Mind Genius for creating mind maps, Read & Write Gold for developing reading, writing and research skills
• Avoiding plagiarism and creating references.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Support

We are committed to supporting every learner, to ensure they are equipped with the tools and resilience required to successfully achieve their learning goals and aspirations. Please see our SEND Provision Statement for further information and details should you wish to talk to someone in person.

You are employed by your company. This means that you have a job, but your employer has asked us to support, organise and supervise your training programme.

Apprentices should be treated like any other employee within a business. The Terms and Conditions of your employment should be outlined in your Contract of Employment or Employment Statement.

There is a requirement for all apprentices to receive at least the national apprenticeship minimum wage. Apprentices who are under 18 years old can work a maximum of 40 hours per week (including their college day).

Frameworks and Standards – what are the differences?

There are two main types of Apprenticeships: Apprenticeship Frameworks and Apprenticeship Standards.

Frameworks have been around for a long time, they are qualifications developed by sector bodies, are used to assess apprenticeships. Each framework contains pathways which set out different roles.

Frameworks are primarily qualification-focused. The main aim at the end of a framework is to have achieved a competency-based qualification, such as an NVQ, and a technical qualification, such as a BTEC Diploma.

In a framework, apprentices are assessed throughout their apprenticeship. They have to obtain a number of qualifications during the apprenticeship but there is no overall end assessment.

Standards are a newly developed format for apprenticeships and contain a list of the skills, knowledge and behaviours an apprentice will need to have learnt by the end of their apprenticeship.

Standards are occupation-focused and written by groups of employers; they are not qualification-led. The learning happens throughout the apprenticeship but the apprentice is assessed at an End Point Assessment where they need to prove that they can carry out all aspects of their job.

Apprenticeship standards are graded and can include Pass, Merit and Distinction grades

It is important that you know which type of apprenticeship you are undertaking and your Apprenticeship Advisor, Tutor and Assessor/Coach will confirm this before your apprenticeship begins.

All Frameworks will be replaced by the new Apprenticeship Standards by July 2020

Disclosure and Authorisation (GDPR)

In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations, we will be passing on the personal details that you have provided to the Awarding Body for your qualification and the Government Funding Agency responsible for your apprenticeship. A copy of our full data protection policy is available on our website www.cornwall.ac.uk

What makes up your Apprenticeship?

There are different component parts that make up your apprenticeship:

English and maths

If you do not already hold GCSE level Maths and English at grade 4 you will be required to attend and pass English and maths Functional Skills. Without completing these qualifications, you cannot pass your apprenticeship and therefore good attendance and attitude towards these lessons are imperative.

On-the-job training

It is your employer’s responsibility to train you in the workplace in the job role that has been agreed with the college. This needs to be directly related to the apprenticeship that you are undertaking.

Off-the-job training

All apprentices are expected to complete off-the-job training which equates to 20% of an apprenticeship programme and is defined as learning which is undertaken outside of the normal day-to-day working environment and leads towards the achievement of an apprenticeship. This will include any college days and will include training that is delivered at your normal place of work.

The off-the-job training must be directly relevant to the apprenticeship framework or standard and could include the following:

• The teaching of theory, for example: lectures, role playing, simulation exercises, online learning or manufacturer training
• Practical training: shadowing, observing, mentoring, industry visits and attendance at competitions.
• Learning support and time spent writing assessments/assignments

It is your employer’s responsibility to allow you the time to carry out your off-the-job training during your normal contracted hours of work. If you need any further information on off-the-job training requirement please speak to your Assessor / Coach or Tutor.

Assessment

If you are studying an apprenticeship framework you will be assessed throughout the duration of your apprenticeship by your Assessor / Coach

If you are studying an apprenticeship standard you will be assessed at an End Point Assessment (EPA) which is carried out by an external End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO). The details of this will be outlined to you at the start of your programme.

We will make every effort to ensure that the training and learning process is as enjoyable and effectives as possible for everyone. However, this is a two way process. By enrolling on any of our training courses all parties agree to respect each other:

• By actively listening
• By actively exploring each other’s ideas
• By contributing our ideas
• By challenging issues not people
• By taking confidentiality seriously
• By respecting our time keeping
• By being supportive of each other
• By using inclusive language

We recognise that we are all unique. There is nobody like you in the world and there will be nobody like you ever again. You have a wealth of skills, experiences, resources and strengths at your disposal. You have a contribution to make to the training and learning programme that no one else can make.

British Values

British values are an important part of your programme.  We will promote the basic core principles that will help to support you in the development of your social and moral responsibilities.    These values are things like: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs.

Exclusion from training

We reserve the right to exclude you from any training and learning programme for any of the following reasons:

• Your attendance is poor
• Your assignments are not adequately completed
• Your behaviour is not considered to be acceptable – particularly if it adversely affects the learning experience of other learners.
• Your work has been found to have plagiarised content

Note: If you are being considered for exclusion, we will have adhered to the College’s learner disciplinary policy and procedure – a copy of this policy can be requested directly from your Tutor or Assessor/ Coach or found here [hyperlink].

Anti-bullying and Harassment Policy

All staff, learners and employers have a responsibility to recognise bullying and harassment and take the appropriate action in accordance with this policy immediately they become aware of any such behaviour. A list of examples and definitions of what may be considered bullying and harassment are listed below for guidance and practical purposes. We will conduct an investigation into any claim of unfair treatment reported by staff members or learners.

Recognising Bullying and Harassment

Bullying may appear as:

• Offensive, intimidating, malicious or offensive behaviour.
• Abuse, or misuse of power which is meant to humiliate, undermine, degrade or injure the victim.

Harassment may appear as:

• Unwanted conduct, affecting the dignity of anyone in the workplace in relation to: Race, age, sex, disability, religion, nationality or personal characteristics.

The person on the receiving end of such actions or comments may report them as degrading or unacceptable.

The college regards the following behaviours as totally unacceptable:

• Spreading malicious rumours or insulting staff/learners
• Sending / copying memos or any other form of communication that are critical of a person
• Ridiculing or demeaning someone
• Picking on an individual or setting them up to fail
• Excluding an individual / group
• Treating an individual less favourably than another
• Overbearing supervision or misuse of power
• Unwelcome advances of a sexual nature – touching, standing too close
• Deliberately overloading competent workers and constantly criticising them
• Blocking promotion and training opportunities
• Online bullying via social media sites

Reporting Bullying and Harassment

Any incident of bullying and harassment that is reported by a member of staff or learner will be treated with the strictest confidence. Staff dealing with these matters will show empathy and respect and not be judgmental.

We will take the necessary measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the victim. Witnesses will also be treated fairly and respectfully and protected from victimisation. If you feel that you are being bullied or harassed in your workplace please report it immediately to your Apprenticeship Advisor or Assessor/Coach.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all learners including young people and vulnerable adults, in line with ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ guidance (2017).   We also recognise that we have a duty to help employers, staff and learners to identify their responsibilities.  We do this by offering guidance, support and training.

If you’re having trouble at work, at home, during your time training with us, or anywhere else, don’t hesitate to get in touch, in confidence with our safeguarding specialist by emailing safe@cornwall.ac.uk or calling 01209 617888.

Prevent Duty

The Prevent strategy, published by the Government in 2011, is part of the overall counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. The aim of the Prevent strategy is to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. In the Act this has simply been expressed as the need to “prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”.  This became law in 2015.

We consider Prevent to be one of the foremost important challenges we experience in training and education.  We expect our learners to engage fully and actively with this strategy and in return we will provide training to help them to develop the skills and knowledge they need.

Health & Safety

We adhere to the Health and Safety at Work legislation.

You are required to:

• Take reasonable care of your own health and safety and that of other people who may be affected by your actions.
• Co-operate with us on all health, safety and welfare.
• Complete an accident report if you sustain and injury or have an accident at any time whilst you are on your training programme.

A copy of the full of our Health and Safety policy is available on request from your Skills Coach / Tutor or by contacting 0330 123 2523.