Level 3 and 5 Management Apprenticeships
If you’re looking to build a skilled and motivated workforce, then an investment in talent at every level is essential. A leadership and management apprentice can support the advancement of team performance and enhance organisational goals by applying key leadership principles and techniques.
The leadership and management apprenticeships we offer are:
- Team leader apprenticeship (level 3): Apprentices can develop the skills to become highly effective first-line managers, undertaking operational, team, and/or project management responsibilities. As they take on increased responsibility, apprentices may progress to the operations manager apprenticeship.
- Operations manager apprenticeship (level 5): Apprentices will learn how to effectively manage teams and projects to achieve operational or departmental objectives. Key responsibilities may include creating and delivering operational plans, managing projects, leading and managing teams, managing change, and financial and resource management.
The positive impact of management and leadership apprenticeships
Investing in a management apprenticeship with Damar can be a transformative step for your organisation. By equipping your employees with essential leadership skills and effective management techniques, you’ll cultivate a more engaged, productive, and resilient workforce. For example, apprentices can:
- Get the best out of their teams: Apprentices can learn how to inspire, motivate, and support teams, fostering a collaborative work environment.
- Future-proof your organisation: By developing leaders from within, you’re creating a sustainable talent pipeline and ensuring that you have skilled individuals who can take on future opportunities.
- Improve decision-making: Apprentices can develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, leading to more informed and effective decision-making.
- Become role models: An apprentice can demonstrate your organisation’s key values, meaning that they are fully aligned with your future strategy.
The Damar Difference
Here at Damar, we work closely with you, our employee partner, to deliver impactful and powerful apprenticeships. Some of our stand-out approaches include:
Our coaching
We tailor our coaching visits and sessions to apprentices’ roles and organisations, ensuring that they can apply their learning and enhance workplace performance. We also provide expert-led workshops that deep dive into key management topics – underpinned by specialist input from Co-Creation, experts in leadership and management development.
Our people
We have an experienced team who will support you and your apprentice, ensuring that they achieve the qualification and have an impact on your organisation. A member of our team will always be on standby to answer any queries you may have.
Our processes
Our one-team approach offers a seamless enrolment and onboarding process, which leads to carefully planned, manageable chunks of learning.
Our systems
We provide accessible and engaging systems, including OneFile, Profiler, Damar OpenLearning, and our popular apprentice forums.
“Our team leader apprentice, Suzanne, is always looking for ways to make improvements, whether that’s with internal processes or council-wide changes The functioning of Suzanne’s team is so much better. We can really see things happening as a direct result of the apprenticeship.”
Julie Ainsworth
Senior Governor Support Officer
Wigan Council
Delivery of our leadership and management apprenticeships
We offer a clear and supportive learning journey, ensuring that both our employers and their apprentices understand what to expect every step of the way. At Damar, our updated management apprenticeships are delivered as follows:
- Pre-work: Apprentices will undertake prior learning activities, including reading or watching video content.
- Workshops: Most of our modules have a three-hour live workshop, delivered by one of our expert tutors. Apprentices can ask questions, discuss their learning, and prepare for their individual activity.
- Individual learning activity: The apprentice will work through an activity brief, building their evidence to support a portfolio and their end-point assessment. This activity allows the apprentice to embed and contextualise their learning.
- Main learning: Apprentices will undertake self-directed learning and engage with interactive content available on our online learning platform.
- 1:1 coaching visit: Every six weeks, the Damar coach will meet with the apprentice to review progress, discuss personal development, and sign off on their completed modules.
- Review meeting: Every 12 weeks, the Damar coach will meet with the apprentice and their line manager to review progress.
Team Leader
15 months (includes end-point assessment)
The programme is formed of ten carefully planned and sequenced 6-week modules that help apprentices learn and apply the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for each of the core occupational duties.
- Building a high-performing team: Personal and team development, performance management
- Building a high-performing team: Compliance, policies and EDI
- People and relationships
- Contributing to a project
- Problem analysis and conclusions
- Communication and implementing operational plans
- Managing change and continuous improvement
- Data collection, benchmarking and using technology
- Future plans and opportunities.
Employer partners and apprentices are supported throughout the apprenticeship. The apprentice has a dedicated coach who provides 1:1 support, alongside the group coaching sessions and apprentice forums where they can engage with other appentices on the same programme. Review meetings with the apprentice, line manager and coach are held every 12 weeks.
Apprentices with additional learning needs also have the opportunity to meet with our SEND Co-ordinator, who will put together a personalised support plan.
In addition, employer partners have a business development manager/executive they can contact at any time.
- A professional discussion supported by a portfolio of evidence that covers the criteria of the first five modules
- A presentation which covers the criteria of the final four modules, followed by questions and answers.
All management apprenticeships embed the functional use of maths and English as well as personal development topics in areas such as equality and diversity and British Values. Apprentices unable to evidence maths and English at GCSE grade 4 or above may need to take functional skills exams as part of the apprenticeship. Additional training is provided if necessary.
People of all ages and educational backgrounds can undertake management apprenticeships, but there are some restrictions, the most important of which are:
- The employer and the training provider must ascertain that the apprenticeship will allow the individual to gain substantive new skills. The training therefore needs to be materially different from any prior qualification or previous apprenticeship.
- The apprenticeship must align with the skills needs of the apprentice’s role.
- The apprentice must be employed, usually for 30+ hours a week, and work more than 50% of their time in England.
- All apprenticeships must take at least 12 months with apprentices spending a minimum of 6 hours per week in off-the-job training. All Damar apprenticeships plan for more than the legal minimum. There is more on how we maximise the benefits of off-the-job training here: https://damartraining.com/news/2023/so-what-is-off-the-job-training/.
If your annual UK wage bill is over £3 million, the cost of training can be funded via the Apprenticeship Levy. We can help you navigate your Apprenticeship Service account to access this funding.
If your annual UK wage bill is below £3 million, the government covers 95-100% of the training costs.
For apprentices aged up to 21, the apprenticeship is fully government-funded*. For apprentices aged 22 and over, the apprenticeship is 95% government-funded*. These new funding rules are applicable to apprentices starting from 1 April 2024.
*Please note: Some apprenticeships have accreditation costs which are not eligible for government funding
There is a wide range of progression routes from Damar’s management apprenticeships. The most common are career progression – with successful former apprentices taking on more responsibility – and progression from the team leader or supervisor apprenticeship to the operations or departmental manager apprenticeship. Further academic and apprenticeship progression is possible, including to degrees in business and management, to the level 6 chartered manager (degree) apprenticeship and the level 7 senior leader apprenticeship.
We have regular start dates throughout the year for our apprenticeships. Please get in touch for more information.
Operations or Departmental Manager
21 months (including end-point assessment).
People of all ages and educational backgrounds can undertake management apprenticeships, but there are some restrictions, the most important of which are:
- The employer and the training provider must ascertain that the apprenticeship will allow the individual to gain substantive new skills. The training therefore needs to be materially different from any prior qualification or previous apprenticeship.
- The apprenticeship must align with the skills needs of the apprentice’s role.
- The apprentice must be employed, usually for 30+ hours a week, and work more than 50% of their time in England.
- All apprenticeships must take at least 12 months with apprentices spending a minimum of 6 hours per week in off-the-job training. All Damar apprenticeships plan for more than the legal minimum. There is more on how we maximise the benefits of off-the-job training here: https://damartraining.com/news/2023/so-what-is-off-the-job-training/.
These management apprenticeships are formed of carefully planned and sequenced 6-week modules that help apprentices learn and apply the knowledge, skills and behaviours required for each of the core occupational duties.
- Self-awareness
- Leading people
- Managing people
- Project management: Planning and approval
- Building relationships
- Communication
- Problem-solving and decision-making
- Strategic management
- Operational management
- Finance
- Organisational governance
- Project management
Employer partners and apprentices are supported throughout the apprenticeship. The apprentice has a dedicated coach who provides 1:1 support, alongside the group coaching sessions and apprentice forums where they can engage with other appentices on the same programme. Review meetings with the apprentice, line manager and coach are held every 12 weeks.
Apprentices with additional learning needs also have the opportunity to meet with our SEND Co-ordinator, who will put together a personalised support plan.
In addition, employer partners have a business development manager/executive they can contact at any time.
All management apprenticeships embed the functional use of maths and English as well as personal development topics in areas such as equality and diversity and British Values. Apprentices unable to evidence maths and English at GCSE grade 4 or above may need to take functional skills exams as part of the apprenticeship. Additional training is provided if necessary.
- Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence
- Written project report with presentation and questions.
There is a wide range of progression routes from Damar’s management apprenticeships. The most common are career progression – with successful former apprentices taking on more responsibility – and progression from the team leader or supervisor apprenticeship to the operations or departmental manager apprenticeship. Further academic and apprenticeship progression is possible, including to degrees in business and management, to the level 6 chartered manager (degree) apprenticeship and the level 7 senior leader apprenticeship.
If your annual UK wage bill is over £3 million, the cost of training can be funded via the Apprenticeship Levy. We can help you navigate your Apprenticeship Service account to access this funding.
If your annual UK wage bill is below £3 million, the government covers 95-100% of the training costs.
For apprentices aged up to 21, the apprenticeship is fully government-funded*. For apprentices aged 22 and over, the apprenticeship is 95% government-funded*. These new funding rules are applicable to apprentices starting from 1 April 2024.
*Please note: Some apprenticeships have accreditation costs which are not eligible for government funding
We have regular start dates throughout the year for our apprenticeships. Please get in touch for more information.
Invest in your organisation’s future with Damar Training
Leadership and management apprenticeships by Damar provide the practical skills and strategic thinking needed to elevate your organisation’s performance. With over 40 years of experience and having worked with thousands of apprentices, we’re the perfect partner to support you on your transformative journey.
Take the next step and invest in the future of your workforce by making an enquiry with us today.
Management apprenticeship FAQs
Investing in a manager apprentice will help you cultivate talent from within, build a leadership pipeline, and improve performance and productivity. Developing your workforce also shows your commitment to your staff, which increases retention and morale.
For both the team leader apprenticeship and the operations manager apprenticeship, the apprentice will need to spend at least 6 hours on average per week on their apprenticeship work. This off-the-job study time can usually be undertaken at days and times to suit the apprentice and organisation.
At Damar, we’ve had great success with apprentices building their confidence to apply for, and gain, internal promotions. Successful apprentices can also apply to become a member of the Chartered Management Institute or the Institute of Leadership.
If we haven’t answered your question above, have a read of our employer FAQs for more information.
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