Kevin is the School Business Manager for a primary school in Cirencester and is currently working through our Level 4 School Business Professional Apprenticeship to further his knowledge and skills in his current role.

Being the primary contact for all things Finance, HR and Health and Safety, it was important for Kevin to choose a course that he feels would benefit his own desire for personal development and one that will aid in the development of the school.  Kevin was pointed in the direction of the School Business Professional Apprenticeship by his Local Authority and was informed that it is fundable through the schools’ Apprenticeship Levy.

The School Business Professional Apprenticeship typically takes 21 months to complete and includes the units Leading Support Services, Finance, Procurement, HR, Marketing and Infrastructure.  Kevin says “After completing two units so far, I can already say that I’ve learned a lot and I’m not even halfway through. I am excited about what’s still to come…Every topic is related to a practical area of the job role of an SBM and is closely aligned with the Institute of School Business Leaders (ISBL) Standards. This is then strengthened by knowing that I will be learning about areas of my work that are relevant to my day job which allows me to think about school and assessment objectives and how I can improve current processes, while also meeting the requirements of the apprenticeship”

Here at Serco Education, we pride ourselves on the high-quality delivery that we provide through our coaches and facilitators.  All our apprentices are invited to a face-to-face workshop for each of the units where they are given the opportunity to learn from those who have experience of working closely with school business management and to meet the other apprentices who are working through the apprentices on the course, but they also get 1-2-1 support from a dedicated job coach who will assist them with identifying how their current learning and development meets the apprenticeship standards in preparation for their End Point Assessment. Kevin continues “They [facilitators] have been incredible.  They are highly experienced yet are able to tailor what they are saying to your level.  They are certainly people that I respect and know that if I have any questions, they will be able to answer them for me”.

Reflecting on whether Kevin feels that this would benefit others in similar roles to his, he says “Do it! … It is to their [school] benefit as well, as you will make improvement to how you work, how efficient and effective you are with your team, suggestions to improve processes and over knowledge around the role and sector.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The School Business Professional Apprenticeship runs termly cohorts so for further information, or to apply, please visit our website here.