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This level 3 apprenticeship provides an opportunity to develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours to develop and progress your Higher Education (HE) career.
This standard covers two related occupations. Assistant Technician (HE) will work within higher education institutions such as Universities. They will typically work in one of the following academic settings: applied science, engineering, arts and humanities, environmental science, sports science, performing arts or healthcare science. A Simulation-based Education (SBE) technician may be employed and work within NHS Trusts, higher education institutions or within industry or in private facilities on a consultancy basis.
SBE technicians will typically work in a skills and simulation centres, clinical and non-clinical areas and conference or event venues.
Both occupations provide valuable technical support to academic or healthcare professional in learning, teaching or research.
What is it?
An apprenticeship is an opportunity to develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours and/or upskill yourself to meet the professional needs of the department whilst in full time employment. As a new employee to UCL as an apprentice you would join on the apprentice salary scale, as a current UCL staff member you remain on your current contract and salary scale.
UCL, has 11 facilities, with over 14,000 staff catering for over 45,000 students, Apprenticeships offer great opportunities to grow and develop the skill sets within the team in professional services, technical community, and academic roles.
The Education Technician (HE) apprenticeship standard is over 24 months period of learning and 3 months towards End Point assessment which will provide the opportunity to learn and practice the skills being developing to the standard required and to be met, to achieve the apprenticeship at the appropriate level. The training will by provided by the selected training provider through weekly session and hands on experience in the workplace.
The broad purpose of both occupations is to provide skilled technical support in teaching, learning and research environments across their respective sectors to personnel such as teachers, healthcare professionals, lecturers, educators, researchers and students. This is done by demonstrating and using techniques, materials, equipment, and machinery; collating and interpreting data or research outcomes and providing specific documentation and resources that support and enhance teaching, learning, or research activities, events or productions.
In their daily work, an employee in either of these occupations interacts with a wide range of internal and external colleagues, including their wider team and organisation (including business, finance and IT departments), students, manufacturers and suppliers. HE Assistant Technicians are typically based in either an academic led teaching space, laboratory, studio theatre or workshop, working with al level such as students, academics professional services staff, with SBE Technicians typically based in simulated clinical environments or clinical areas (to facilitate in-situ simulation) with all levels such a nurses, Health Care Support workers and Doctors Individuals in either occupation may need to travel to work across sites (e.g. other areas of a university or trust or to a shared laboratory or facility) or externally to attend conferences and training courses relating to using complex equipment and techniques.
Who is it for?
This apprenticeship standard is suitable for those who are currently working within a technical occupation with responsibilities where they will be responsible for: managing and undertaking routine maintenance of standard and bespoke equipment, stock control and housekeeping to ensure teaching, learning and research environments are, and remain, fit for purpose; contributing to the development of new and sometimes complex tools, techniques and teaching, learning and research innovations (such as developing a new piece of equipment, structure or process to support research experiments or creative practice); supporting academics, healthcare professionals and researchers by identifying problems with equipment, procedures, processes, experiments and offering design solutions; and preparing the teaching, learning and research environment by, for example, demonstrating the equipment and contributing to ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement.
The occupations also require input to budget setting in relation to the costs and required functionality of specific equipment, and some supervision of students and learners, for example when using of a new piece of equipment.
In addition to these common functions, each occupation has some unique responsibilities.
Depending on the setting they work in, HE assistant technicians also set up and assemble standard and bespoke equipment or resources for academic-led research, teaching experiments/investigations or artistic/creative technique; provide advice and guidance on the use of these resources, materials, equipment designed to enhance students or researchers understanding of their use in an academic setting; provide appropriate representations of information derived from academic-led experimental work or creative process, and manipulate them into appropriate formats, for publication or displays.
SBE technicians also support the delivery of training sessions using simulated learning for subjects such as life support, creating moulage/special effects make-up to apply to manikins and actors working as simulated patients to enhance the realism and the clinical accuracy of individual scenarios; undertaking the scenario coding (programming) and subsequent operation of human patient simulators, part task trainers and other modes of simulation to ensure the quality and realism of the simulation is achieved.
All of these responsibilities need to be undertaken within defined quality, health and safety and environmental regulations and requirements, with minimum supervision.
Funding for the training is through the apprenticeship levy and there are specific eligibility criteria, that applicants need to meet, which includes residency status in the UK.
We expect all applicants to have a minimum Level 4 (grade C, equivalency) or above in GCSE English and maths.
You will be fully supported throughout your apprenticeship by your line manager, a mentor, the HR apprenticeship team, and the training provider coaches.
The aim of the programme is to support you for a long-term career at UCL.
Career progression pathways and opportunities can be seen on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) occupational maps.
How do I apply?
As an early career apprentice (someone new to UCL)
All our early career vacancies are advertised on the ‘Find an apprentice’ website. Also, on our UCL job page as well as on local job boards and with the training provider. All applications are managed on behalf of us by the training provider.
Short-listed applicants will be invited to attend an interview in person.
We work closely with partners in Camden, Newham and neighbouring boroughs to provide opportunities to local residents and school/college leavers, who will also offer support for making an application.
As a mid-career development apprenticeship
It is important to have an initial discussion as part of your appraisal career conversation or directly with your line manager and agree the apprenticeship standard, and level meets the department, and your development needs as well as identifying the opportunity to meet the outcomes through the duration of the learning period. You must both have a good understanding of the content of the apprenticeship, the benefits and commitment required to successfully complete the apprenticeship.
For the level of apprenticeship, you would need to show that by completing the apprenticeship you will be gaining a significant level of knowledge and skills which will help qualify you to do the job.
Where there is pilot cohort, please complete submit the expression of interest for further information to be shared with you and your line manager.
For individuals interested in the apprenticeship or as a manager for their staff please contact me directly u.sadiq@ucl.ac.uk to arrange a meeting and next step.