Tracey Sloan

Henley was delighted to be invited by Tech Industry Gold to nominate apprentices for the TechSkills National Apprenticeship Awards 2023. Tracey, a Service Delivery Manager at Reading Borough Council and Level 7 Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist apprentice, was one of those nominees.

In January 2022, Tracey was asked to lead an ‘Independent Living’ project as part of her apprenticeship. This was a project led by the Digital Technology and Change Team working with colleagues from across the organisation, including Adult Social Care, Housing, Sheltered Housing and Brighter Futures for Children.

The aim of the project is to research whether the use of disruptive technology such as IoT sensors, Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing can support vulnerable people to live independently in Reading. Sensors will be installed in around 60 service users’ homes. Over a two-week period, the sensors establish standard patterns of behaviour for the resident: what time they go to bed, how many times they get up in the night to visit the bathroom, when they typically have breakfast, etc.  Once standard patterns of behaviour have been established the system is then able to detect and alert unusual patterns. These alerts can go to the resident’s family members or to members of staff in the organisation.

Tracey and the team are working with a range of participants, including people recently discharged from the hospital who require additional support, those in Sheltered Housing buildings, those awaiting assessment for support packages and those who may be suffering from dementia.  The aim of the research is to establish whether IoT technology can detect a small change in behaviour that could lead to a significant event. For example, has bathroom activity increased but fluid consumption decreased? Could this be a sign of a medical condition, such as a UTI, that is known to increase the likelihood of a fall?

Taking a design science approach, significant work was undertaken with staff, including workshops, interviews, surveys, ideation sessions, empathy maps and case studies.  A high-level design and specification were produced, and Tracey managed a procurement process under a Crown Commercial Service framework to appoint a delivery partner.  Currently, the project is in the pre-pilot stage with sensors deployed in some Council owned properties. The wider roll-out will commence in January 2023.

Tracey and the project team have been asked to talk about the project outside the organisation, most recently to the Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group and colleagues from Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

"The tools and techniques gained from all the Digital and Technology Solutions modules gave me the confidence both to manage and deliver the project and talk about it to senior stakeholders," Tracey said. "In June 2022, Professor Sharm Manwani asked me to present my approach to the assignment for Managing Strategic Alignment of Business and IT to Year 2 DTS students.  This involved working with Sharm to understand the brief, preparing my presentation, getting this signed off, and then delivering it to the students at Henley.  I delivered a one-hour presentation which I tried to make as engaging as possible, stressing the importance of strategic alignment and validating this through stakeholder engagement.   I received good feedback both from Sharm and the students.  I personally got a lot from this session, it was nice to be able to support the students on their journey, it was also lovely to get the ‘Henley experience’ as the majority of our course was delivered virtually due to the pandemic."

As one of three nominated apprentices from Henley Business School, Tracey came with us to TechSkills' National Apprenticeship Awards 2023, held during National Apprenticeship Week. While Tracey wasn't one of the winners, she was able to reflect on the incredible achievements she has made for both herself and Reading Borough Council.

Tracey said: "At the end of National Apprenticeship Week, I have been reflecting on my own experience as an apprentice and how they really are open to all.

"I started the week working with a group of 14–16 year-old work experience students, some of whom were interested in taking up an apprenticeship when they left school. They spent time with many different departments in the Council and hopefully will be inspired to consider a career in Local Government in the future.

"Then on Tuesday I attended the Tech Skills Apprenticeship Awards in London, lots of inspiring stories from young people who had chosen to do degree apprenticeships rather than full-time degrees; the benefit for them was that they got real-world job experience, a degree, and no student debt at the end of it, for the employers it was an opportunity to grow their own and attract young and vibrant talent.

"Then there is me and my cohort of DTS Level 7 students who have recently completed our apprenticeships; for many of us, this was a return to study after a break of thirty-odd years and probably felt as daunting to us as the 14-year-old student walking through the Civic Centre doors for the first time. For me, this was a personal challenge as I hit fifty to stretch myself and get rid of that slight niggling feeling that I was becoming completely invisible; for my employer, it was a chance to introduce new skills and perspective into the service.

"For anyone, of any age, who is thinking about an apprenticeship my advice would be, it is challenging, it is exhausting, it is rewarding, it is also good fun, and it may also open doors to opportunities that you could never imagine."