Apprenticeship Improvement with Andy Hillerby
Strong, Predictable Apprenticeship Performance
Starts with Strong Conditions
Achievement rates can reassure - but also mislead
Achievement rates can reassure - but also mislead
Achievement rates can reassure - but also mislead
A strong headline rate can hide risk.
Achievement shows the ending, not the journey - it does not reveal consistency, workplace application, evidence strength or the late push to meet planned end dates.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Achievement rates can reassure - but also mislead
Achievement rates can reassure - but also mislead
Many leaders take confidence from their results - understandably. But results do not expose hidden risk or the end‑date scramble that happens when oversight comes too late.
If you want performance that is strong, stable and predictable, build the conditions beneath it.
Predictability comes from the structure, alignment and routines that make delivery healthy from the start - not from analysing results at the end.
If you do not know how strong those conditions are, or you find yourself guessing, that is the signal something important is hiding underneath.
So the real question is: how strong are your conditions?
Evaluate your provision against the Five Conditions
Robust training plans that drive competence
Robust training plans that drive competence
Robust training plans that drive competence
Training plans are precise. Every step intentional, with BSBs building progressively.
Application points are pre‑planned so new KSBs are practised and reinforced in the job - with time for reflection, evidence, feedback and improvement.
Score yourself: 0 1 2 3 4 5
Strong workplace application
Robust training plans that drive competence
Robust training plans that drive competence
KSBs only become competence when applied fluently in real work.
Line managers and mentors know when, where and how each new KSB will be used - creating a seamless link between off‑the‑job learning and on‑the‑job performance.
Score yourself: 0 1 2 3 4 5
Frequent and authentic progress measures
Robust training plans that drive competence
Reviews that drive progress and timely action
Healthy delivery makes progress clear.
Measures are frequent, robust and aligned to the standard - revealing where apprentices are strengthening or slowing.
Early gaps trigger early support.
Score yourself: 0 1 2 3 4 5
Reviews that drive progress and timely action
Reviews that drive progress and timely action
Reviews that drive progress and timely action
Reviews are genuinely tripartite.
They confirm what has been applied, what evidence exists, what gaps remain and what must happen next.
Clear, specific actions - owned by the right people - prevent inconsistency and accelerate progress.
Score yourself: 0 1 2 3 4 5
Assessment readiness built from day one
Reviews that drive progress and timely action
Assessment readiness built from day one
Readiness develops throughout, not just at the end.
Apprentices rehearse tasks, decisions and behaviours their assessment requires at the right stage and in workplace contexts.
Confidence and evidence build naturally, not in a last‑minute rush.
Score yourself: 0 1 2 3 4 5
Your total score: ____ out of 25
21 - 25: Strong, well‑embedded delivery conditions
16 - 20: Mixed picture - strengths present but predictability not guaranteed
16 - 20: Mixed picture - strengths present but predictability not guaranteed
Your system is stable, predictable and intentionally designed to prevent risk.
16 - 20: Mixed picture - strengths present but predictability not guaranteed
16 - 20: Mixed picture - strengths present but predictability not guaranteed
16 - 20: Mixed picture - strengths present but predictability not guaranteed
Some conditions are embedded; others are partial or inconsistently applied.
0 - 15: Under‑developed conditions - risk and inconsistency likely
16 - 20: Mixed picture - strengths present but predictability not guaranteed
0 - 15: Under‑developed conditions - risk and inconsistency likely
Foundational conditions are weak or missing.
If your score exposed uncertainty or risk, now is the moment
Independent, evidence‑based diagnosis
A clear assessment against the Five Conditions.
Not opinions. Not anecdotes.
Root‑cause clarity
Why application varies, why progress slows, what causes slippage - and what will prevent it.
Priority actions you can use immediately
Board‑ready actions that lift straight into your QIP.
Support that fits your reality
Proven tools used by strong providers - applied selectively. No boilerplate.
Implementation and momentum
Help to embed improvements; light check‑ins keep progress visible and end dates on track.