Principal Standards Manager Review

In my current role I am accountable for upholding national standards in 20+ vocational qualifications and more than 20,000 learners. I have built a high performing, talented and stable exam/verification team and line manage five senior assessment associates, supporting a workforce of 150 associates working remotely, including managing their workload, retaining talent and succession planning. I am involved with multiple cross departmental projects for example, providing creative and strategic solutions for new qualification development and led on customer focused contingency planning linked to the pandemic. My role also involves analysing reports and evaluating data linked to sector trends.

I have learnt to be resourceful and solutions focused while working under pressure and in diverse situations. I have become a persuasive communicator and leader who is at their best when working collaboratively, converting creative ideas into a solutions-focused approach. I have developed my skills set further while building and fostering relationships and I invest time, energy, patience, and sensitivity into creating a safe space for my team to achieve KPIs/successful outcomes.

The programme has allowed me to apply knowledge from the lectures into my daily work. I now understand the different approaches to management and leadership and feel equipped to move on with the course successfully. I am sure the next module of tech and ops management will be very interesting, given the work I have on the horizon.

I found the face to face induction days really useful. I would have liked to have included a visit to the library and also some direction on useful workshops for academic writing. There are a lot of choices of academic study skills workshops online so it is hard to navigate which is best suited. Team of lecturers are approachable and the lectures are well organised, inclusive and interesting.

My employer is very supportive, I am able to manage my off the job time to suit my own workload and needs which is excellent. My manager is very supportive as are the Apprenticeships team. My mentor is widely available and approachable when I need to discuss/gain guidance.

Tutors are available outside of sessions with some more available than others. Email replies can be slow. There is a lot to take in considering I have been out of education for 20 years so some understanding of this would be helpful. I am enjoying the course and peer support group has been invaluable.

I am very early on in my course, just one module in and can already see the benefit of taking this course. I am able to practice what I am learning in my role and feel confident this will continue to be the case. I feel I know more about the management and leadership than I did 3 months ago and now understand how important inclusive leadership is.

Yes there are lots of extra curricular activities to get involved in, time2talk cafe being one of them, professional networking events are also available and regular blog posts and interactions are sent out. Apprenticeship ambassadors can also be contacted for support and will likely be useful contacts as the course goes on.

Yes

Pearson have allowed me to take ownership of my own learning. I was able to select the most appropriate degree apprenticeship to suit my needs including the location of the university. My manager and mentor are incredibly supportive and compared with my peers I seem to be getting plenty of time to support me on the course.

Go for it, you won't regret it and you will wish you had applied sooner! Check out the range of apprenticeships available, have a chat with the team and your manager and decide what suits you best. Pearson is willing to support with time, financials and workload so always aks the question.