Enhancing Anglia Ruskin University Apprenticeship Management

• ARU, named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023, is a global university known for innovative, inclusive, and entrepreneurial education and research.
• Ranked among the world’s top 350 institutions, ARU is the largest provider of Nursing, Midwifery, Health, and Social Care students in England. It collaborates with employers like Barclays, Vinci, and GlaxoSmithKline.
• ARU excels in skills and enterprise, ranking in the top 10% among English Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) according to the 2021 Knowledge Excellence Framework (KEF).
• ARU were also rated in the top 15% of universities in the country for graduate employment, and received the University of the Year title at the prestigious UK Social Mobility Awards 2023. 

• Quality Apprenticeships - Providers should focus on essential steps for effective provision and use self-assessment tools to identify areas for improvement.
• ESFA Funding Rules - Employers must allocate a minimum of 6 hours per week to the apprentice's 'Off the Job’ Learning. This learning should emphasize Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours (KSB). 
• Progress Monitoring - Providers need to monitor apprentices’ progress to ensure successful completion of their End Point Assessment (EPA).
• Challenges at ARU - ARU had developed processes in-house, and as a result faced difficulties managing apprentice progress due to distributed files and manual data processes. Generating reports was also problematic. 
• Software Solution - ARU sought an end-to-end Apprenticeship Management System (AMS). The AMS needed to integrate with their Student Information System (Astra / Tribal SITS) and support employer engagement, assessment, training, gateway, end point assessment, and funding returns.

• ARU enlisted PS EdTech’s support for procuring an end-to-end system.
• PS EdTech assembled a team of apprenticeship experts to review existing practices and systems, aligning them with local needs.
• Co-creation workshops applying a service design methodology mapped the learner journey, identifying issues and bottlenecks and defining a target operating model.
• Detailed user requirements were derived, leading to the procurement of the Aptem Apprenticeship Management System.

• ARU secured a best-fit Apprenticeship Management System within budget, aligned with local requirements.
• Comprehensive evaluation and scoring ensured value over a three-year contract.
• Implementation of the AMS is on track for a successful rollout across all ARU apprenticeship programmes.
• PS EdTech continues to provide ongoing support and expertise with system and process implementation and rollout.

“We have been working with Phil and his expert team for the last several months. We have developed a great partnership with Phil and his colleagues. Their attention to detail and expert knowledge has proved invaluable in the development of our Apprenticeship Management System specification. They have really helped to support and drive forward a complex project and their contributions have significantly increased stakeholder confidence in the project and directly lead to us hitting project milestones.”
Tom Taylor: Head of Degrees at Work, Anglia Ruskin University