Senior Leader Apprenticeship

Designed by employers, the SLA standard identifies the strategic leadership and management knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB’s) necessary for those responsible for the overall performance and long-term sustainability of their organisations, or their function within an organisation.

The Institute for Apprenticeships oversaw the development, approval and publication of the SLA standard and assessment plan. They worked with an employer group (trailblazers) to develop the standard and assessment plan for the Department for Education. This means that the SLA is focused on developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours that have been identified as important for today’s leaders.

Use the following link to download the SLA standards, assessment plan and information about the trailblazer group. . https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/senior-leader-v1-1 .

The SLA is made up of one standard which identifies the occupational duties required of a senior leader and the knowledge, skills, and behaviours (KSB’s) that underpin successful performance. These KSB’s are clustered into core themes or tiles. The Apprentice’s ability to meet the SLA standard is tested through an assessment at the end of the programme and this assessment is called the end-point-assessment

By the end of the apprenticeship:

• The Apprenticeship Organisation (employer) must be satisfied that the Apprentice is working successfully at a senior leader level and

• The Apprentice must be able to evidence how they have fulfilled the 12 duties in the workplace. The Apprentice demonstrates their ability at the end-point-assessment through a strategic business proposal and a portfolio of evidence which is developed during the apprenticeship and signed off by the employer.

Click here to access a full list of the duties.

The apprenticeship standard identifies 20 knowledge, 21 skills, and 5 behaviours required for the Apprentice to be able to successfully fulfil the duties. These are known as KSB’s and are clustered into core themes (referred to as tiles).

Tiles

1. Research

2. Methods & analysis

3. Communications

4. Organisational values

5. Finance, workforce, planning & procurement

6. Driving change and risk management

7. Team working and development

Click here to access the 46 KSB requirements in detail.

Throughout the apprenticeship the apprentice should be exposed to off and on the job learning activities that help them to develop the required KSB’s and to enable them to evidence how they have used them to good effect within the organisation.

The University SLA programme provides input into all the KSBs but there are additional requirements to ensure that they are further developed and evidenced within the organisation.

With the goal of enabling transformation in the workplace, our assessment process allows Apprentices to apply their learning into the workplace with the submission of a work-based assignment at the end of each module.

On successful completion of each module assignment the Apprentice will be awarded a module pass. Upon passing the apprenticeship end point assessment and all the taught module assignments the Apprentice will receive:

• Sheffield University Level 7 Post Graduate Diploma in Management.

• The Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship (Business Management)

The University works with the CMI as the end point assessment organisation (EPAO) and as such, providing that CMI is the EPAO apprentices may also achieve

• A CMI level 7 Award in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice

• Chartered Manager status on successful completion of the end point assessment

• CMI student membership status (programme duration plus 3 months) .

In the unlikely event that an apprentice does not pass all the taught module assignments but do pass the end point assessment the Apprentice will receive all the above except for the Sheffield University Level 7 Post Graduate Diploma in Management.