Improvement Practitioner
- Type: Apprenticeship
- Level: 4
- Location: Stoke-on-Trent & Online
- Sector: Business, Management & Professional Services
Course Overview
This apprenticeship will involve college attendance and off the job training.
You will also develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours.
You need to have an employer to support your apprenticeship and be employed in a relevant job role
The course develops a portfolio of Improvement Projects which may be used as source material for submission to the End Point Assessment (EPA).
Apprentices will develop the core knowledge and skills required of an Improvement Technician to include:
- Compliance: Legislative and customer compliance requirements including health and safety
- Team formation & leadership: Decision-making techniques e.g. consensus, authority rule, majority rule
- Project management: Business case, risk analysis and management, toll-gate reviews, work breakdown structure, lessons learned, pilot studies, project review, process management and measures, benefits tracking
- Presentation & reporting: Reporting templates, message mapping, case for change
- Change management: Stakeholder identification, analysis and management (RACI). Change curve, resistance characteristics, change sponsorship, compelling point of view
- Principles & methods: Business value of Lean and Six Sigma improvement methods - 8D, practical problem solving, Define Measure Analyse Improve Control, Design for Six Sigma
- Project selection & scope: Y=f(x) equation (outputs are the result of inputs), business scorecard cascade
- Problem definition: Cost of Poor Quality, problem analysis models such as Is/Is Not
- Process mapping & analysis: Swim lane, value stream map, performance metrics - continuous, Parameter diagram, Takt time, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, theory of constraints principles, Kanban
- Data analysis - basic tools: Spreadsheets and pivot table analysis, statistical analysis software
- Measurement systems: Repeatability and Reproducibility principles
- Basic statistics & measures: Control charts - attribute data, principles of normality
- Data analysis - statistical methods: Measures of central tendency and spread
- Process capability & performance: Capability analysis - continuous data for normal distribution
- Root cause analysis: Key principles including symptoms, failure-mode, potential/verified cause, critical inputs, escape point. Graphical representation of data with dot, scatter and box plots
- Experimentation: Active versus passive analytics, design of experiments, experiment plan
- Identification & prioritisation: Selection and prioritisation matrix, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis.
Improvement Practitioners use a blend of Lean and Six Sigma, project and change management principles and tools to identify and lead the delivery of change across organisational functions and processes. Improvement Practitioners can be found across all sectors and functions including automotive, banking, engineering, food products, IT, property, retail, telecoms, Local and County Councils, NHS, Voluntary / Charity, Utilities, Pharmaceuticals, Insurance, Hospitality etc.
Typically, Practitioners lead smaller projects and/or play a key supporting role in a larger programme – tackling issues that may require swift problem solving, or re-occurring challenges that require in-depth analysis and the implementation of a range of effective and sustainable countermeasures. They are the focal point for all stakeholders and responsible for communication throughout a project. Typical activities include:
- Identifying potential opportunities, diagnosing issues, proposing solutions and implementing changes and controls.
- Coaching teams and sharing best practice.
- When leading projects they may manage small teams ensuring motivation and momentum, and be responsible for the successful completion of the project.
There are a variety of job titles associated with the occupation, these include, but are not limited to: Business Improvement Practitioner, Continuous Improvement Manager, Process Excellence Manager, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Quality Control Senior Analyst, Environmental Compliance Manager, Engineer (Environmental, Mechanical, Geotechnical, Civil, Chemical, etc), Environmental Construction Management, Environmental Data Analyst, Environmental Health and Safety Officer, and Transportation Engineer.
Upon successful completion of the Apprenticeship you will be a competent Improvement Practitioner, this apprenticeship provides a potential progression into Business Improvement Practitioner, Continuous Improvement Manager, Process Excellence Manager, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Quality Control Senior Analyst.
Individual employers will set the selection criteria for their apprentices though most will be expected to hold their maths & English GCSEs at grade 4/C or above. Prior experience will also be considered. Apprentices will also be considered if they have maths OR English at grade 4/C or above, where this is the case, apprentices must achieve a Level 2 in Functional Skills by the end of the Apprenticeship. It is also recommended that the apprentice is supported to become digitally literate where this is important to their role.
Unsure if this is for you? Please contact our team on info@sotsiot.ac.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.
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