Pathways Highlights
Here at Blue Lion Training Academy, we provide apprenticeships in 3 different pathways: Management, Marketing, and Media. In this December issue, we’re focusing on the Media pathway.
Our Media pathway, which can be found in the ‘Creative and Design’ occupational map on the official iFATE website, contains 3 apprenticeships:
- Level 3 Content Creator
- Level 3 Broadcast Production Assistant
- Level 4 Assistant Recording Technician
Apprenticeships can be grouped into 3 distinct levels of qualifications, which are:
- Technical Occupations – Skilled occupations for entry-level apprentices, where learners will contribute towards the production and distribution of media content using communications, archive, and visual technology. Standards within these occupations are typically Level 3.
- Higher Technical Occupations – Occupations which require more knowledge and skills, acquired through workplace experience or further education. Apprentices on these courses will design, develop, and edit audio-visual and text content using technology to create broadcasting materials. They will also contribute towards its co-ordination & management, with these standards ranging between Level 4 and Level 5.
- Professional Occupations – These occupations have a clear career progression, with apprentices on these apprenticeships bringing leadership, management, skills to their developed creation, production, delivery of broadcast content, and artistic production skills. Courses within these occupations are often Level 6 and 7, where some degree-apprenticeships exist.
With the apprenticeships within these occupations, there is the possibility of progressing through the increasing levels of qualifications, starting on a ‘Technical Occupation’ working your way to a ‘Professional Occupation’. By doing so, you can get a great amount of knowledge, skills, and behaviours that will contribute one’s personal and professional development, helping you rise in the ranks.
Our Media pathway apprenticeships are designed to support you in becoming a skilled professional in your subject area, with our tutors bringing industry experience and application for your tasks and topics. Our programmes will allow you to directly implement your learning into your job role, preparing you for your EPA and future higher qualifications.
Hear what some existing Media apprentices have to say
“Over the past year, my apprenticeship has had a massive impact on my job role, with more tasks and responsibilities being pushed my way. This has helped set me up as a Sound Engineer and Music Producer. What I have really enjoyed about my apprenticeship is the range of tasks I have been given and how each one individually impacts & improves my skills. On top of that, because I also create music during my personal time, I am able to apply what I have learnt on my apprenticeship to what I do every day. I feel like I have gained enough knowledge to work in a professional manner and now feel confident to take on big projects in the future which has really helped my confidence, as well as my customer relations in the workplace.”
Harjan Dhanjal
Level 4 Assistant Recording Technician Apprenticeship
“My apprenticeship has contributed in various different ways towards my role, as over the past year I have been given a multitude of tasks that help set me up as a content producer. What I have enjoyed the most about my apprenticeship is how many different tasks I have been given and the freedom that comes with that. I have been given many design tasks to up my confidence and unleash my creativity and from this experience, have greatly improved my skills in the areas that I love about my role. Since I create and produce my own content outside of work, this apprenticeship has really given me a handful of skills that go into making that content much better and allows me to do things that I would never think of doing before. In terms of my day to day role, all the techniques I have learnt from my apprenticeship work has allowed me to use those skills in the workplace and helps shape my professional development.”
Finley Millican
Level 3 Junior Content Producer Apprenticeship
Who’s Joined the Academy
If you are interested in employing an apprentice, email us at info@bluelionta.com or call us on01332 738625.
What’s New
2022 Customer Satisfaction Survey – Now Live!
In our attempt to continuously improve our services and support, we would love to get your feedback via our online satisfaction survey. This should only take around 5 minutes to complete and would go a long way in helping us improve our offerings to benefit you and any new learners.
As a sign of our appreciation, anyone who completes this survey will be automatically entered into a raffle to win a £20 Amazon.co.uk Gift Voucher. The survey will be active for a limited time only, from now until the 21st of December 2022, and we appreciate all your time and effort!
Apprenticeships – Learning for all
A common misconception regarding apprenticeships is that they are only for “16-18 year old school leavers” but this couldn’t be less true!
Apprenticeships are for anyone of any age, in any industry of work, with any amount of experience. They are a great way to merge learning with working, allowing you to directly apply what you learn to your role and truly unlock your true potential.
Recently, one of our Level 5 Improvement Specialist apprentices, Pat Mullen, spoke about his experiences and reasons to onboard onto an apprenticeship at the age of 60. He says “I was surprised that the training programme would still be called an apprenticeship, because the word apprentice conjures up images of 16-17-year-olds. You can form the wrong assumptions of the word ‘apprentice’.”
He goes on to say: “I’m a real advocate for the Lean Sigma process and I was interested in undertaking this specialist improvement course. My human resources department said it could now be done through an apprenticeship. I was surprised that the training programme would still be called an apprenticeship, because the word apprentice conjures up images of 16-17-year-olds. You can form the wrong assumptions of the word ‘apprentice’.”
You can read more about Pat and his experiences in the UK News Group article here.
If you are interested in becoming an apprentice, or you are an employer thinking of employing an apprentice, or maybe you want to venture into a new industry of work, here at Blue Lion Training Academy, we are paving the way to ensuring apprenticeships are seen as an opportunity for everyone. You can discover all about our apprenticeships on our Pathways page.
Awards & Successes
A huge congratulations to all our apprentices who have reached the end of their apprenticeship course and completing their End Point Assessments with great results!!!
- Anna Siera-skoniezna – Level 4 Improvement Practitioner
- Jessica Harvey – Level 3 Digital Marketer
- Luke Stevenson – Level 3 Improvement Technician
- Jordan Reynolds – Level 3 Improvement Technician
- David Laflin – Level 4 Improvement Practitioner
- Sean Bunting – Level 3 Improvement Technician
- Martyn Jones – Level 4 Improvement Practitioner
- Xueming Wang – Level 4 Improvement Practitioner
- Stuart Groves – Level 4 Improvement Practitioner
- Jasmine Randell – Level 4 Improvement Practitioner
We would also like to say ‘good luck’ to all our apprentices who are currently in or about to start their EPAs. Also, thank you to all our tutors Dave Jones and Sarah Threapleton for preparing our apprentices for their End Point assessments.
What is an End Point Assessment (EPA)? Download the PDF to find out more.
Tips & Tricks
Bud Tips & Tricks
Did you know Bud has a mobile app? Well, they do! Available on both the Google Play and Apple App Store, their app allows you to communicate and study on the move. Bringing performance and usability, the Bud app will allow you to have flexible study patterns and keep on top of tasks & submissions.
You can learn more about using Bud as a learner with their dedicated guides which outline all the features you may come across. Whether it be your submissions, or simply how to access your Progress Review history, the Bud guide has it all. Visit the bud website to find out how you can optimise your use of the platform.
Eat healthy, be healthy
As a lot of us prepare for the festive period, some may already be starting to think about new year’s resolutions. One of the most common resolutions is ‘to be healthier’. A lot of the time, people will decide to join a gym, or start running but one of the best ways to improve your health, physically and mentally, is to eat healthier.
Obviously, eating healthy will benefit you physically, such as boosting immunity, strengthening bones, improving the digestive system, and decreasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. But eating healthy can also contribute towards improving your mental health. When you integrate a balanced and healthy diet, you are setting yourself up for fewer mood fluctuations, allowing you to maintain a more positive outlook and focus. Studies have shown that eating healthy can also help with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Want to know how to stay healthy during the festive period? Visit the BBC Good Food website here to find out.
Cost of Living
With the current climate, many of us are trying to save as much money as we can. The cost of living crisis has seen a massive jump in the cost of everyday items, which has caused a lot of people to be concerned and notice the effect its having on their finances. So, to help alleviate the current price rise, we’ve listed a few tips & tricks:
- Many people have become concerned about the rise of food prices, and many have already begun to change their behaviour in shopping, with many now opting for ‘budget supermarkets’. A great way to look at your grocery shopping is to look at planning out your meals in advance, cutting down on your food expenses, preventing waste, and stretch the food further.
- A great way to prevent overspending is to write down a shopping list before going out. This can in turn remind you not to spend on non-essential items and help you save a bit more.
- In today’s modern world, streaming services are now the new ‘tv’, with a lot of us having multiple subscriptions. What many people are now doing is rotating subscriptions to avoid constantly paying for a service they may not use that often. Simply ‘pause’ the subscriptions you may not use, leaving one or two that you will be using for that month. Then, next month ‘pause’ a different set of streaming services.
- Energy tariffs are exponentially higher than before, with cheap offers being virtually impossible to find at the moment, so to save money on energy means using less energy. Replacing your bulbs with dimmable LEDs may cost you a bit more at first, but will save money much better. Also, a study shows that lowering your thermostat by just 1 degree will cut your bill by approximately 4% a year.
- If you are spending most of your day in one room, it is probably better to heat just the one room rather than the entire house.
Remember, if you are struggling with your bills, contact your energy provider. British Gas have created an Energy Trust, which is an independent charity that can help with your energy bills no matter who your energy supplier is. Read more on their dedicated webpage here.
Welfare Topics
What is Safeguarding & PREVENT?
Safeguarding refers to the process, practice and culture embedded within an organisation to create a safe environment where children, young people and adults at risk are free from all form of harm, abuse or neglect.
Prevent is about safeguarding people and communities from the threat of terrorism. Prevent is part of CONTEST, the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy. It aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism and violent extremism.
Blue Lion Training Academy has a statutory and moral duty to ensure that it functions with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people and vulnerable adults receiving education and training, this includes apprenticeships, full cost courses and bespoke courses for employers and individuals.
Report a Safeguarding Issue
If you have any concerns about your safeguarding, wellbeing or have any concerns about someone’s safety or involvement in extremism or terrorist actions then please contact us immediately by:
- Contacting your tutor/assessor
- OR geeta.dhanjal@bluelionta.com, our Designated Safeguarding and Prevent Lead, on 07527179522
There are many external organisations working to provide support and strategies for coping; you can access our Mental Health & Wellbeing Booklet for lots of contacts and ideas.
Some useful internet sources of information:
We wanted to inform all our employers and apprentices that our office will be closed from
5pm on Friday 24th December 2022 re-opening on Tuesday the 4th January 2023.
During this time, our ‘out of office & emergency number will be available for all learners & employers.
Our ‘Out of Office’ and Emergency contact details are:
Harj Dhanjal
Mobile: 07970 748019
Email: info@bluelionta.com
INVOLVE, IMPROVE & INSPIRE IN MANAGEMENT, MARKETING & MEDIA
Our mission is to Involve, Improve & Inspire adult learners to unlock their true potential in a way that benefits their organisation and helps bridge the gap between left and right brain thinking through learning pathways in Management, Marketing, and Media as an alternative to university & corporate training. Click the button to learn more.
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT WE DO? READ THROUGH OUR HANDBOOKS, AVAILABLE ON WEBSITE.
Got an idea or topic you want mentioned? Email us at info@bluelionta.com and you may just see it in next month’s letter.
