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Army apprenticeships praised by OFSTED

The British Army provides ‘Good’ apprenticeships – that is the overall verdict of a government inspection into quality and standards. The Army was rated as ‘Outstanding’ for its approaches to personal development and behaviour and attitudes. Its quality of education, leadership and management and overall effectiveness were all rated as ‘good.’ A team of 20 inspectors from…

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The British Army provides ‘Good’ apprenticeships – that is the overall verdict of a government inspection into quality and standards.

The Army was rated as ‘Outstanding’ for its approaches to personal development and behaviour and attitudes. Its quality of education, leadership and management and overall effectiveness were all rated as ‘good.’

A team of 20 inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (OFSTED) spent a week observing and assessing the training delivered on all 39 apprenticeship programmes across multiple locations.

It also assessed the coaching and mentoring and the achievements and skills of the apprentices.

The Army provides four levels of apprenticeship – including degree level – in over 130 locations across the United Kingdom and abroad.

The OFSTED team said the apprentices make good progress in gaining and consolidating the knowledge, skills, and behaviours that they need to be successful in their chosen trade. 

A soldier adjusts a satellite dish. Satellite communications provide a rear link between overseas deployments and the United Kingdom.

The respectful and inclusive behaviour among apprentices who speak passionately about its importance drew recognition from the inspectors.

The report emphasised that apprentices are taught a challenging curriculum that is highly relevant to their chosen career and future aspirations in the Army. Also, that trainers have extensive experience of their job role or trade, and this is used to skilfully plan and teach the different topics in each apprenticeship. 

The Army delivered apprenticeship programmes range from level two (the equivalent of five GCSE passes) to level four, the equivalent of the first-year undergraduate degree or a Higher National Certificate. The programmes include Chefs and Health Care Assistants through to Engineering and Digital apprenticeships, animal, and munitions apprenticeships.  

Pictured: Able Seaman Caterer on board the Amphibious Assault Ship, HMS Albion, in preparation preps to continue feeding up to 500 personnel on board whilst on Exercise Cold Response in North Norway. A catering career in the Royal Navy is like no other. The range of opportunities open to RN chefs simply can’t be replicated at home. From high volume catering for a unit of Royal Marines on operations, to fine dining excellence for politically influential VIPs, chefs are trained in running a supremely efficient operation. This includes taking responsibility of ordering, receiving, and accounting for provisions to sustain the menus they write. And when there’s a good chance they could be at sea for months at a time, the role of Chef becomes about a lot more than food. They can be at the centre of keeping morale high and health at its optimum.

Signaller Johnson from 16 Signal Regiment is working towards completing his Network Engineer Level Four Apprenticeship, an equivalent of which is a Higher National Certificate. He said: “It will take me two years to gain my Level Four qualification. When I finally leave the Army, I will have some good qualifications behind me that I can use to market myself in the civilian job market.”

A female Army Signaller works in a Falcon detachment during Ex Flying Falcon 16. Ex Flying Falcon 16 (Ex FF16) is an 11 Signal & West Midland Brigade field exercise run to ensure the competence in the provision of a fully integrated and managed network to enable Command and Control. In addition it is an opportunity to undertake further capability development activity. Falcon is a fully deployable, tactical military communications system that provides users the capability to interface seamlessly with a wide range of other systems. This capability means that voice, data and video information can be shared securely across all elements of the battlespace through the use of one common platform.

“I’ve always had an interest in computers, so I decided if I was joining the Army I may as well do something I am passionate about. I like it because it takes you out of your comfort zone and pushes you to try new experiences.”

Lance Bombardier Southin from 32 Regiment Royal Artillery said:  ‘The fact that I can do my job in the military and get a really useful civilian qualification at the same time is excellent. Whilst some of the apprenticeship was hard, the support I got both from my Boss [Line Manager] and apprenticeship staff [Service Provider] was brilliant and was what got me through it all.”

“I am more employable when I leave the Army with a Level Two Aviation Apprenticeship and until then, I am actually better at my day-to-day military job too.”

Pictured is a female Lance Corporal Electronics Technician in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) using her skills to help in the construction of a mobile laboratory. The British Army was instrumental in the build and design of the fleet of rapidly deployable mobile processing laboratory that were used across the UK to help increase its daily coronavirus testing capacity. A team of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, spread across four projects designed, built or supported a range of mobile laboratories which provide the next level of processing capabilities to support the Governments Mass Testing Programme. A team of tradesmen from 5 Force Support Battalion REME were working with an industry partner to build a large processing capability which could be easily integrated with existing local and regional Mobile Testing Units (MTUs). The large laboratories, capable of facilitating a workforce of up to eight laboratory technicians, were capable out LamPORE testing to support outbr

The Army has been delivering Modern Apprenticeship Programmes for the past century. It is the largest and most complex employer provider in the UK.

The Army has also engaged with an external provider to deliver a degree opportunity for 100 soldiers a year on the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (Level Six) and will shortly trial a Level Seven apprenticeship that is equivalent to a Master’s Degree.

Lieutenant Colonel Ruth Littlejohns, SO1 Apprenticeships Personnel Policy (Army) said: “We are very proud to have been graded ‘Good’, but the work does not stop here. We will continue to progress and are committed to providing outstanding education programmes to help all our personnel succeed in their chosen career.”

“Our people are our best asset and supporting and developing our apprentices is key.”

The British Army is recruiting right now to fill 10,000 jobs across the UK with more than 200 roles to choose from, covering everything from frontline combat and cyber security to helicopter pilots, chefs and support roles. If you’re aged 16 to 50, and if you want to find out more about a career in the Army, click here.

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