Update on Government and Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education news

On 11 January 2021, the minister, finally approved the revised funding band for the new level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeship standard. With all stages of the review process completed, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education has announced that the standard will come into place on 29 March 2021. There will be no further enrols on the existing bearing standard after this date.

A funding band of £14,000 has been confirmed for the new standard, which is lower than the £18,000 funding band assigned to the existing Senior Leader standard but above the level of several other level 7 standards. At Henley, work has been underway for some time to prepare for the change in the standard and we look forward to sharing with you in due course the details of this new programme.

As a result of the change to the standard, Henley has designed The Henley Executive Diploma in Advanced Strategic Management and Leadership – Senior Leader Apprenticeship. Suitable for your employees (with a minimum of 3 years management experience) who need to develop their leadership and general management.

On completion learners receive a Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship and an Executive Diploma from Henley Business School, University of Reading. The programme has been designed in such a way that learners will receive academic recognition for their Apprenticeship which will allow them the opportunity to complete the Flexible Executive MBA in the future by purchasing a bridging programme.

The existing MSc Management for Future Leaders and MA Leadership – Senior Leader Master's Degree Apprenticeships are also going through a similar transition.

An internal review of policy governing degree qualifications within apprenticeship standards by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) is likely to result in the retention and possible expansion of the number of degree apprenticeship standards.

Ministers are understood to be keen to grow the number of degree apprentices, especially among young people and those without extensive prior qualifications. If this move is confirmed, it will make the decision to remove the degree from the level 7 Senior Leader an exception, rather than the shape of things to come.

The IfATE is also working on proposals that would integrate end point assessment and the award of a degree for all degree apprenticeships, removing the need for they describe as a ‘double event’ at the end of a learner’s course. We expect the review will conclude in the next few months with implementation to start from September 2021. We will share more details when available.