Improvement Practitioner

On an improvement practitioner apprenticeship course, you’ll help identify and lead change delivery across organisational functions and processes.

Improvement practitioners utilise a mix of lean and Six Sigma project and change management ideas and methods to identify and drive change delivery across organisational departments and processes.

Banking, engineering, food products, information and communication technology, property, retail, and telecommunications are just a few of the sectors and activities where they may be found.

In an improvement practitioner job, you’ll usually be in charge of smaller projects or play a key supporting role in a larger programme.

You’ll work on problems that need immediate attention or recurrent issues that require in-depth investigation and implement a range of effective and long-lasting solutions.

You’ll be in charge of project communication and the point of contact for all stakeholders.

Some job titles associated with the field are business improvement practitioner, continuous improvement manager, and process excellence manager.

What you’ll learn

On an improvement practitioner apprenticeship course, you’ll learn to:

• Work in accordance with the company’s policies and legal obligations.
• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Ask questions and use your influence to persuade others. Plan and run meetings in which you offer engaging information to your audience.
• Observe, listen, question, provide criticism, and seek learning opportunities.
• Define, sequence, plan, and schedule activities using stages and milestones. Calculate the amount of time and effort that will be needed. Make a project charter and update it regularly. Keep track of your progress.
• Select and execute a well-structured strategy and the appropriate instruments for improvement. working with subject matter experts to achieve business objectives
• Assist with project scoping and identification of improvement possibilities.
• Encourage problem/opportunity statements to be written.
• Support the use of techniques for identifying and prioritising customers’ requirements, as well as maintaining a balance with the company’s stated and unspoken needs (Voice of the Business)
• Create a process map to track and analyse flow and value. It is necessary to identify interfaces, functional roles, and ownership. Use insight to anticipate potential outcomes and chart a path for the future.
• Determine the data types that will be analysed and the methods and equipment that will be utilised to do so. Examine and analyse the consistency of time series data to get valuable information.
• Choose and apply the proper graphical tool depending on the data type to identify patterns, trends, and signals to build a hypothesis.
• Prepare a well-thought-out experiment with clear objectives and appropriate measuring methods. Experiment data should be analysed, analysed, and optimised.
• Recognise failure modes and use what you’ve learnt as you progress.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• Depending on the employer, but likely A-levels or equivalent qualifications or relevant experience for a higher apprenticeship.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this before taking the end-point assessment.

Assessment methods

The End Point Assessment comprises three distinct assessment methods:- 

• Multiple choice examination  
• Project report, presentation & questioning  
• Professional discussion underpinned by log 

Duration, level, subjects and potential salary upon completion

Apprenticeship standard

More information about the Level 4 Improvement Practitioner Apprenticeship standard can be found here.

Apprenticeship end point assessment

For more information about the End Point Assessment Process, please read the Institute of Apprenticeships’ information page.