Section 2

People involved in your apprenticeship

We’re thrilled to have received a ‘Good’ rating from Ofsted in their recent inspection of our apprenticeship provision. Some of the feedback was that ‘apprentices gain high levels of confidence, resilience and empowerment’, ‘the UCEM programme prepares apprentices for future success’, and that ‘apprentices are well supported by apprenticeship outcomes officers’.

Apprenticeship Outcomes Officer (AOO)

Your apprenticeship outcomes officer (AOO) will be the main point of contact for both you and your employer. Your AOO will work with you on a one-to-one basis, and they’ll be in touch after the first few weeks of term to introduce themselves and to invite you to an initial review without your line manager.

The AOO role is all-encompassing and includes providing both you and your line manager with regular formal reviews every 12 weeks to track your progress, focusing on your acquisition of the knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) needed to complete the apprenticeship. Your AOO will also ensure that you are supported pastorally.

You can approach your AOO to discuss matters such as how your job is going, your wellbeing and your understanding of the apprenticeship, including the KSBs and responsibilities you will need to develop. You can contact your AOO by email or by raising a query on Student Central via the VLE.

You can find out more in role of the AOO at UCEM infographic.

Your employer/line manager

As most of your time will be spent learning in the workplace, employers/line managers have a critical role to play in the success of an apprenticeship. Your line manager’s responsibilities towards you include ensuring exposure to the experiences needed to absorb the KSBs of your chosen apprenticeship. This could take the form of client interaction, peer learning, industry processes et cetera.

Your employer/line manager will help us track your progress by proactively participating in your formal reviews and providing regular feedback about how you’re progressing and meeting your course objectives. The Line Manager Responsibilities infographic illustrates what you can expect from us, from your line manager, and also what’s expected of you as the apprentice.

Your employer/line manager will also ensure that you are employed for at least the duration required to complete your apprenticeship, including the end-point assessment, and that you have everything you need to complete your work safely and effectively. They may also appoint a workplace mentor or, for Chartered Surveyor apprenticeships only, a RICS-qualified Counsellor to support you.

APC Counsellor

An APC Counsellor must be an RICS Chartered professional, i.e., a Chartered Member or Fellow. The counsellor is accountable and responsible for signing the apprentice off as being ready to proceed to the end-point assessment, and that the apprentice has met all the competency requirements as stipulated in the pathway guide.  If you wish to learn more about this role please refer to the Role of the RICS Counsellor document.

Support teams

While studying with us, you’ll be fully supported on your degree programme by our friendly and informative academic and support teams, who will be there to guide you from the moment you enrol until the day you graduate. They’ll assist you with your online learning experience, provide you with academic support, and be there for you if you have any disability or welfare needs.

Disability and welfare support

We offer tailored support to students with physical and sensory impairments, specific learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorders, mental health conditions, and long-term health conditions. Anything you tell us regarding your disability or health condition will be dealt with in strict confidence. We also have a team of fully trained Mental Health First Aiders. They are all trained to listen respectfully and non-judgementally. They can listen to your concerns and help find the right support if, and when, needed.

You can book an appointment with our disability and welfare team via the VLE, or by using the appointment section on their webpage. Alternatively, you can contact them via email on disabilitysupport@ucem.ac.uk.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is our responsibility to protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of our students, particularly our most vulnerable adults at risk, enabling them to live safely from abuse and neglect.  The helpful video below explains our commitment to you, and how we can help.

View the Safeguarding and Prevent video transcript.

You can find out more in our Safeguarding Guide infographic.

If you want to talk to a member of the team, please email safeguarding@ucem.ac.uk, giving your name and contact telephone number.