Improvement Technician

On an improvement technician apprenticeship course, you’ll help support the resolution of problems and improvement of performance.

Improvement technicians, who are frequently associated with lean and Six Sigma business techniques, are in charge of delivering and coaching improvement initiatives within a particular area of responsibility.

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

As an apprentice technician, you’ll work as part of a team to resolve issues, prevent them from recurring, engage people in issues that affect them, and enhance performance.

Some job titles associated with the improvement technician apprenticeship include business improvement coordinator, continuous improvement executive, and process technician.

What you’ll learn

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

• Work following the company’s policies and legal obligations.
• Recognise and help with risk management. Create and implement a business case for improvement initiatives.
• Make eye contact with your audience. Positive and negative reinforcement are mutually reinforcing. Effectively coach your peers.
• Use a methodical strategy and appropriate improvement tools to deliver business benefits while engaging with subject matter experts.
• Set clear, measurable objectives and identify and organise improvement activities.
• Make a statement about the problem/opportunity that is supported by data that has been validated.
• Discover customers and their requirements through techniques, then turn them into measures.
• Identify and eliminate eight wastes, the 5S (Sort, Shine, Set, Standardise, Sustain) system, standard work, kaizen, visual displays and controls, error proofing, and preventive maintenance.
• Develop a data collection plan and validated measurement techniques to understand performance better.
• Identify patterns and trends in data across time using tally, pie, run/trend, and pareto charts.
• Determine the most common and distinct sources of variation.
• Utilise high-quality data to assess the success of your product or operation.
• Use cause and effect diagrams, the 5 Whys technique, and graphical analysis to understand and verify basic causes.
• Identify and prioritise improvement possibilities.
• Recognise the importance of sharing best practices.
• Create control and reaction plans, including detection measures, and seek opportunities to integrate company-beneficial changes.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

• Depending on the employer, likely GCSEs or equivalent qualifications or relevant experience for an advanced 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 3 Improvement Technician 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.