Here at Haddon Training, we are proud of the relationships we have with our employers and our ability to create partnerships with some amazing companies.
Last year our Business division began working with Bournemouth University delivering Customer Service Level 3 apprenticeships to their front line staff. This has been hugely successful and led to us partnering with the University to co-deliver Management Level 5 apprenticeships to their organisation.
We recently spoke to Susanne Clarke, Head of Service Excellence at Bournemouth University about Haddon Business’s relationship with the university.
How did the partnership begin and why did you choose Haddon Business?
They were actually recommended to us by another training provider who felt Haddon Business could deliver what we needed, due to the great reputation and excellent resources that Haddon Business can provide.
How have you found the partnership so far?
We are really impressed with Haddon Business and their approach to learning and development. They are really lovely to work with and have a very kind and caring attitude towards their learners.
Through our partnership with Haddon Business and the success of these apprenticeships, we have also been able to support our local area and offer other apprenticeships to our staff, such as the Improvement Practitioner apprenticeship with Bournemouth and Poole College. This is a reflection of the growth and development of our current apprentices and how much we value apprenticeships within our business.
What are the benefits of co-delivering the Management apprenticeship with us?
One is that it enables a balance. Haddon Business have the expertise of apprenticeships leaving us free to focus on the value-added delivery. They also bring in the external context of other working environments and examples of working in the business industry as a whole. We have such a good relationship with Haddon Business that it rounds out the whole experience for our staff.
Why do you think apprenticeships are so important in the current climate?
For our staff, they are really important because it gives them the opportunity to focus on skills relevant to their job. When we design and look at what we want our staff to do, we have some training that are very standard and some that are very specific dependant on each individual job role. We find that apprenticeships allow us to strike a balance between giving staff the broader skills they need and also being able to embed Bournemouth University behaviours.
Why choose an apprenticeship over another qualification?
People now have the choice and university isn’t for everybody. If someone wants to bypass the traditional route then an apprenticeship in what they choose to focus on gives them a great grounding for working towards their career goals. The option to undertake degree-level apprenticeships also allows people the best of both worlds – higher education and employment.
What personal or professional skills have you seen develop in your staff since they started the apprenticeship? Have there been any stand out changes?
At Bournemouth University we always look for feedback and one of the things we were hearing our staff say is how much they appreciated the chance to learn new skills and network with others across the university. Since the apprenticeships with Haddon Business have begun we have seen an increase in confidence from the learners on the programme. We have stand out team members who are thriving as a result of their apprenticeship; we have seen that our staff have really developed and grown.
It has been brilliant and with Haddon Business’s guidance, we have been able to mould the course as we have been going along. For instance, we weren’t using an online learning platform, but then after discussion with Haddon Business and apprentices we started using it and found this really works for our staff.
I think apprenticeships are another great opportunity for the higher education sector to work in partnership with colleges, schools and training providers. Our relationship with Haddon Business proves this – the delivery of the apprenticeships is focused on the employer needs in partnership with the employee’s development and it has been so adaptable to our requirements.