Millennium Support specialise in supporting adults with learning disabilities, autism, and complex needs navigate their lives in the community. Their comprehensive range of services are tailored to the individual they’re supporting.
The same can be said the of the support offered to staff. Emma Knights is working on her level 5 Leader in Adult Care apprenticeship, we caught up with her to hear how it’s going and how Millennium Support is helping her complete the programme.
Jarvis Training Management (JTM): How have you found the apprenticeship so far? Is it what you thought it would be?
Emma Knights (EK): It’s about two years since I signed up for my apprenticeship, I had a break for adoption leave which has impacted how long it’s taking me. The support I’ve had since coming back has really helped me get back into the swing of it. I was initially a bit ‘do I? don’t I?’ but I really appreciated that support get back into the programme.
JTM: Your employer is really good at giving you the 20% off-the-job time, which is really important given that you’re working a full-time job as well. Does that make a big difference?
EK: Yes it really does. Tuesday is my set day for my apprenticeship where I can do my assignments. Or if I need to do observations with my team to complete an assignment, I’ve got that protected time from Millennium Support to do it. I have blocked out my time so that the team know I’m not contactable unless it’s an absolute emergency.
JTM: You’ve gone through a couple of different ways of completing your tutor sessions, when you first started we did group face-to-face teaching in a classroom, for the last six months we’ve doing one-to-one sessions. How have you found the different teaching styles?
EK: I like the one-to-one sessions because they help me focus a bit more. When I was in the group sessions I didn’t always feel confident in getting my opinions across, by being just me and Kirsten I can put my thoughts over properly. Kirsten has been so adaptable in the way she teaches, it shows JTM’s ability to be individual while still working on the bigger picture.
JTM: That’s great that you’ve felt the teaching methods have worked for you. What about the end-point assessment?
EK: I was starting to worry about the end-point assessment as I was doing so much written work, but being able to practise the professional discussion using voice recordings is really giving me more confidence. It’s making me realise I do know what I’m talking about.
JTM: What about the observation element? How has that been?
EK: I feel like Kirsten is part of the team now! She comes and does observations for our level 3 apprentices that are part of our service too and for me its helped it not feel intrusive. It doesn’t feel like someone is breathing down my neck, Kirsten feels like part of our little community and because she comes in and is observing things regularly she takes an interest in the people we support too. Our adults actually know and recognise Kirsten now and I think that makes a difference as people aren’t doing what Kirsten needs to see, they continue as normal and Kirsten is is just part of the group.
JTM: That’s so lovely to hear. If someone was thinking about signing up for the level 5 apprenticeship, what would you say are the pros of completing it?
EK: I think the pros are that you’re improving your knowledge, your understanding on the more logistical side of things. I’ve been a team leader for many different services, and like I tell my team, even though I’ve worked in care settings since I was 18, a lot of things have changed. I think being able to do the apprenticeship and understanding the changes and how they impact us has been really helpful and allowed me to put it into practise straightaway. Even while I’m working on the apprenticeship things like the KLOEs have changed, the safeguarding procedures and terminology have been updated. From a learning perspective being willing to say ‘I’ve been doing this a long time but I don’t know everything and things do change.’
JTM: What do you think people need to be aware of before the sign up for the level 5 leader in adult care?
EK: The amount of time that it does require to do it, making sure that both the learner understands that and that their employer can give them that time to complete it. When I came back from leave, I was the only team leader so I was struggling to allocate time to it, but I put together a proposal for another team leader and getting her onboard has made a difference. Knowing that today she’s dealing with everything and I can concentrate but I can appreciate not everyone has that luxury. Making sure you communicate with your own line manager to say that I need that time and you need to make sure its allocated.
JTM: Having a supportive manager that understands it definitely makes a big difference. How about the reviews that take place to understand where you are? Do you think it’s been beneficial having your line manager involved?
EK: For me they have been. When I first came back I had a lot of things to get my head around, not just for the apprenticeship but I’d also come back as a team leader but in a different service. I initially thought I was doing well but then during the review realised that I was further behind than I realised and that gave me the motivation to speak to my line manager for more time to get to where I need to be.
JTM: That’s great that you were able to do that. How do you think the level 5 is going to help you in your future career development?
EK: My line manager wants me to become a service manager. I think for me I want to use my skills and knowledge to help other people develop. Especially if they’re doing a level 3 and being able to say to them once they’ve done that, this is what’s next, and this is how you get there. If I don’t have the skills and knowledge from the level 5 then I can’t help them.
JTM: We did an observation this morning with a level 3 and you’re their line manager, you were really able to help during the observation and support that learner in navigating the situation they were in. That positive role modelling really sparked a lot of interest in the level 3 apprenticeship because people have seen your success.
EK: It’s great to see the interest and that people want to progress, using apprenticeships in the sector. Millennium Support are so supportive of apprenticeships, they understand the benefit of them and the work that goes into completing one. They really understand that we need our off-the-job hours, and sometimes more, to make sure we complete the work properly.
Are you a team leader in the care sector? Find out about the level 5 leader in adult care and how it can support your career development.
If you’re a care setting and want to find out how apprenticeships can support your team leaders and managers become more effective, contact the team now.
