Apprenticeships Checklist

To ensure a smooth applicant journey we recommend that you begin your application no later than two weeks before the application deadlines.

Our Apprenticeship starts in October, the last date on which we guarantee to consider applications submitted is usually the first Monday of September – For the 2024/2025 Academic year, this would be 2nd September 2024.

The documents required to support your application are as follows:

1. A copy of your undergraduate degree certificate
2. An academic transcript showing the modules studied and marks attained for your undergraduate degree
3. A personal statement which should briefly explain your motivation for studying this programme (this may have been captured during the internal selection process at your organisation).
4. A copy of your current passport
5. An employer reference on letter-headed paper and if possible one from your former education establishment (if this is not possible please do let us know)
6. Relevant certificates for your Level 2 English Language and Mathematics qualifications (usually GCSE or equivalent)
   If you do not have evidence of your GCSE English Language and/or Mathematics but have an equivalent level of qualification, they may be accepted and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
   If you do not have any evidence available or cannot request them from an awarding body, you will be required to undertake functional skills assessment(s) within the first year of the apprenticeship.

Please start your application as soon as possible to allow sufficient time to complete the application requirements.

To apply you will need to register and create an online account via the application portal. Once registered, you will be able to save, review and track your progress. The application process consists of 11 sections and will take approximately 25 minutes to complete.

You should specify that you are wishing to apply for a taught master’s programme and ensure that you have selected the Systems Engineering (Apprenticeship applications only) (Part Time) from the available programmes list.

Once we have received the required documentation your application will be considered by the University, and you will be notified of the outcome.

You will receive an email with an offer to study, which may be conditional or unconditional. If your offer is conditional, you will be required to provide further information or documentation to fulfil the application requirements and receive an unconditional offer.

You should respond to any offer as soon as possible by logging into your Online Application Portal Account. On the left-hand side of this window there will be a link which reads “Reply to Offer Details”.

Once your offer has been accepted the University will generate you a Student Number, which will be sent to you via the email stated on your application – you will then be able move onto Step 3.

You will need to complete a number of documents prior to commencing the Apprenticeship. These documents include:

1. The Apprenticeship Agreement
   This is a basic form that identifies your occupation, the standard you will be meeting, the duration of your apprenticeship and Off The Job (OTJ) training hours you will receive. Currently under review for 2022, therefore do not complete yet.
2. Apprentice Checklist and Declaration
   This form captures vital information about you that we may not obtain from anywhere else in the admissions process. The University needs this when reporting to the government to enable us to draw fees from the levy to support your apprenticeship.
3. Initial Assessment
   This document requires you to self-evaluate your knowledge and skills against the apprenticeship standard (skills scan) and disclose any relevant prior learning or learning support requirements. This form will be shared with the Programme Director who will evaluate your current levels of knowledge and skills to ensure you are not undertaking or duplicating learning which you have already attained.

These documents are required as soon as possible, particularly document 3, the Individual Assessment. This document must be reviewed ahead of you starting your programme in a joint discussion with your Workplace Mentor / Line Manager or similarly appointed Organisational contact and the Programme Director, Professor Michael Henshaw.

The Programme Administrator will send a Microsoft Teams meeting invite for the purposes of this meeting to take place before the Induction – if you and your Workplace Mentor / Line Manager cannot meet with the Programme Director on the date specified we will try to accommodate another date in advance of the date, but this meeting must take place.

The assessment the Programme Director makes could confirm any exemptions or adjustments to your learning which would also alter the contractual and financial obligations to your employer. Our Programme Director must assess each apprentice in turn and liaise with your employer on any such exemption, so your early submission will be greatly appreciated.

If you could send these completed documents to wsspprenticeships@lboro.ac.uk titled “L7 Systems Engineering Apprenticeship Documents” as soon as possible we would be most appreciative.

Once all these documents are returned, we will be able to produce and send to you a prepopulated Training Plan which you and your Workplace Mentor should review and sign as soon as possible and send back to us by 25th September 2024.

You can review a Systems Engineering Apprenticeship 3 Year Study Plan to help understand the usual configuration of modules.

A list of modules and their respective dates can be found on our Programme Structure, ‌please note this timetable is only for the Academic Year 2022/23, whilst we aim to keep module timetables the same year on year, modules may change dates or semesters in subsequent Academic Years. You are required to have a full plan in place at the outset, but please be reassured that this individual learning plan is subject to change, and we are flexible and accommodating to learner needs.

Please note you will automatically be enrolled onto the module “WSP762 - Applied Systems Thinking” as this will be your first compulsory module and will start in week 1 of Semester 2 for February Starters and week 2 of Semester 1 for October Starters.

The Apprenticeships Team will send you a communication outlining the details of the induction including date time and location.

You will be expected to attend the programme induction in person, held at the Loughborough University campus – attendance is compulsory and should you not be able to attend you may need to defer your Application until the next Academic Year.

We ask that you forward the details of your induction to your Workplace Mentor so that they can attend if they are able to. If they already mentor another Loughborough University apprentice, they will not be required to attend. If this is their first foray into a Loughborough University Apprenticeship Programme and/or mentoring, it would be beneficial for them to attend as there will be specific information and training relevant to their understanding of the programme.

Where possible, inductions are scheduled on a Friday or Monday to be least disruptive to the working week of you and your Workplace Mentor. There are accommodation options available on campus should you wish to stay overnight instead of travelling on the day.

The Induction for October 2023/24 starters will be held on Monday 16^th September 2024. More details will be made available closer to the time.

Find out more about the Accommodation Options.

Please ensure that all communications sent to you via the University are reviewed as soon as possible in the lead up to the start of your programme. You will be emailed your IT credentials which will allow you to log into the University’s Virtual Learning environment – LEARN, your student email and more.

You will also be required to complete your registration to confirm your student enrolment on the programme – this will include uploading a photograph for your ID card, which you will be able to collect in your first week of teaching if you complete the registration in enough time.

Please ensure you have your Commitment Statement available on the day, either on a personal device or in hardcopy.