Improvement Practitioner Level 4

Duration: 14 – 18 Months

Delivery: Online, Face to Face or Both

Start Dates: Monthly

Overview

Improvement Practitioners use a blend of Lean and Six Sigma, project and change management principles and tools to identify and lead the delivery of change across organisational functions and processes. Improvement Practitioners can be found across all sectors and functions including automotive, banking, engineering, food products, IT, property, retail, telecoms etc.

Typically, Practitioners lead smaller projects and/or play a key supporting role in a larger programme – tackling issues that may require swift problem solving, or re-occurring challenges that require in-depth analysis and the implementation of a range of effective and sustainable countermeasures. They are the focal point for all stakeholders and responsible for communication throughout a project. Typical activities include:

Identifying potential opportunities, diagnosing issues, proposing solutions and implementing changes and controls
Coaching teams and sharing best practice
When leading projects they may manage small teams ensuring motivation and momentum, and be responsible for the successful

There are a variety of job titles associated with the occupation, these include, but are not limited to: Business Improvement Practitioner, Continuous Improvement Manager, Process Excellence Manager, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Quality Control Senior Analyst.

Details of the programme

This apprenticeship usually takes at least 14 months to complete during which you will participate in training, development and ongoing review activities. This apprenticeship covers the professional behaviours, knowledge and skills that are required of an Improvement Practitioner.

Improvement Practitioners typically lead project teams toward improvements in their own process areas. We give you the skills to get the best out of your project team.

You learn everything in our Level 4 apprenticeship, plus:

Effective leadership, and motivation
Using statistics to analyse process data
Project Planning and establishing objectives
Project deployment and management of a team
Measuring improvements to processes
Identifying and mapping processes
Using advanced modelling tools to predict future performance

The End Point Assessment Process

Assessment Gateway

After a minimum of 12 months on the programme, at the assessment gateway, your employer will make the decision that you are ready to undertake the endpoint assessment.
Before going forward for endpoint assessment, you must have:

Achieved Level 2 English, maths (if not held)
Met the set skills, knowledge and behaviours of the standard
Achieved 20% off the job requirement

End Point Assessment

Following successful completion of the Gateway, you will proceed to endpoint assessment (EPA).
The EPA is undertaken by an independent assessment organisation.
The End Point assessment components are:

Multiple Choice examination – to assess knowledge elements of the standard
Project report, presentation and questioning – to assess knowledge, skills and behaviours in the
standard
Professional discussion, underpinned by the log completed during the apprenticeship

All components of the endpoint assessment must be completed and an endpoint assessment grade will be determined by the endpoint assessor.