Program Overview
This public sector-oriented apprenticeship equips individuals with systems thinking and problem-solving skills to navigate complex challenges. Participants collaborate with peers from diverse backgrounds, apply practical learning through work-based modules, and culminate in an End Point Assessment to demonstrate their proficiency. The program enhances participants' ability to drive improvements, promote collaboration, and create lasting value within their organizations.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
This course is designed for individuals working in the public sector who are facing complex challenges and are eager to collaborate with peers from other services and organizations. It is also beneficial for employers seeking internal improvements within their organizations, as the course was developed in collaboration with key public sector organizations. The program caters to individuals seeking professional development and open to learning new ways of thinking and doing. It is targeted towards mid to senior-level staff, but inclusive of various job roles and levels of seniority.
Objectives:
The program aims to equip individuals with the skills and tools to explore multiple perspectives, structures, power balances, and interrelationships that make up public sector systems.
Description:
The program provides theoretical and practical foundations in systems thinking, instruction in cross-disciplinary problem-solving, delivering services under complexity, risk, and uncertainty, and equality, diversity, and inclusive leadership in the public sector. It complements taught modules with two work-based practice modules, allowing apprentices to apply their skills and learning in practice. The program enhances understanding of problems and explores potential improvements within the organization, providing practical experience in using applied systemic approaches.
Assessment:
The program culminates in an End Point Assessment (EPA) consisting of a written component (a work-based report) and an oral component (a professional discussion). The University supports apprentices in completing their portfolio in partnership with their workplace.
Teaching:
The blended learning format incorporates:
- Approximately 12 engaging online master classes days over 24 months.
- Online learning activities.
- Two major work-based practice modules - applying learning to real challenges. Apprentices are assigned a workplace mentor within their organization and an academic mentor to ensure successful program completion.
Careers:
The Systems Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship focuses on meeting the needs of public employers for addressing complex systems challenges in the 21st Century. Upon completion, apprentices will have developed knowledge and skills in various key areas, including organizational design and improvement, collaborative approaches to problem structuring, systems modeling, stakeholder engagement, intervention design, and management. Equipped with the tools of systems thinking, apprentices will be better equipped to tackle complex contemporary challenges and add lasting value to their organization.
Other:
The public sphere is an increasingly complex and entangled space: departments and laboratories face challenges that transcend traditional organizational boundaries, which can only be met by staff working across departments and intellectual disciplines.
