Management and Illustrations Pearson Education Essay

This workbook will support you in achieving all aspects of your Apprenticeship framework. This section will help you prepare for the ? rst visit by your assessor, and forms part of the induction to your Apprenticeship. In this section you will ? nd an activity to help you prepare and gather evidence for your assessment related to this topic: 1. Preparing for a Level 3 Apprenticeship Some of the evidence you will be asked to provide will be assessed both through documents and tasks that you have completed in your work and by direct observation. You might be observed by your assessor when you are working. Your supervisor or other colleagues can also observe you at work and complete a witness statement to give to your assessor. These observations should be of real work activities and not simulated tasks. If you are recorded while you are working, you may have to get permission from any colleagues present during the recording. The tasks in this Workbook will provide further evidence for all aspects of your framework. You will also take part in professional discussions with your assessor during the visit. Your assessor may want to discuss your progress with your workplace supervisor, so your supervisor will need to know the planned date of the visit. Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 1 1 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration 1 1. PREPARING FOR A LEVEL 3 APPRENTICESHIP As a Business & Administration Level 3 apprentice, you will play an important support role at work. You will be handling day-to-day activities in an of? ce setting within a business organisation. You could, for example, be working in a public sector organisation, a charity, a newspaper or in an of?ce in a retail setting. The exact nature of your job will depend upon your employer. However, it is likely that you will be helping the business run smoothly by doing tasks such as typing up meeting documents, handling spreadsheets, and dealing with incoming and outgoing post for the organisation. Ef? cient admininstration helps a business run smoothly. The tasks in this section of the Workbook will help you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of your Apprenticeship. You will explore the components of the Apprenticeship, the strategies for assessment and the importance of the Apprenticeship agreement. This will help you to develop an individual learning plan (ILP), which will be reviewed on each assessor visit in a meeting you have with your tutor and your supervisor. 2 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING The tasks that follow will require you to study the Business Administration Level 3 Apprenticeship framework. You will look at the components of the framework and explain why they are important and how they will be assessed. You will also explore the purpose and usefulness of the Apprenticeship agreement. WorkSkills Unit 1: 1. 1, 1. 2 1 Task 1a Each Apprenticeship has its own framework. The Business Administration Level 3 Apprenticeship is made up of four elements. These are: †¢ employment rights and responsibilities †¢ competence-based element †¢ knowledge-based element †¢ Key or Functional Skills. Complete the table on page 4 to show the quali? cations that make up each element of your Apprenticeship. State the types of evidence you will need to gather. Entries for the ? rst element of the framework have been provided as an example. Once you have done this, develop strategies you could use to gather evidence for each element and suggest ways you could prepare for any tests in Functional Skills or Key Skills, and in the BTEC certi? cate. Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 3 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration 1 Element Employment rights and responsibilities Quali? cation Why it is important WorkSkills for It helps me to settle into my job Apprenticeships and the Apprenticeship and to understand important aspects of being employed. It helps me to assess my time management, learning and personal skills to ensure that I successfully complete my framework. It will help me to think creatively, enquire independently and solve problems. I will look at employment rights and responsibilities, current employment legislation and conditions of service. I’ll examine the role of the trades unions. I will also study con? ict situations and learn the steps to take where there is evidence of bullying or discrimination, and ? nd out about sources of support and advice both in and outside work. I will learn the skills needed to lead a team and the roles and responsibilities of a team leader. Types of evidence Completion of tasks and exercises in my Workbook. Performance evidence, such as observation record and witness testimonies from my supervisor and other colleagues. Work documents, such as contract, job description, payslip, and information about projects that I have worked on. Professional discussions with my assessor. Competencebased element NVQ It will enable me to provide a service level to internal and external customers whilst taking into consideration company expectations/standards and the company code of conduct. Witness statements from my line manager an other colleagues, Planning tools such as flow charts and work plans, Diary pages, Action plans and checklists, e-mails memos and letters. Knowledgebased element BTEC It will help me to understand how Completion of tasks in my to prioritize tasks and produce a workbook and Professional sufficient standard of work. Enable discussions with my assessor. me to understand the requirements of internal and external customers whilst maintaining budgetary requirements. Key or Functional Skills. Functional Skills are to ensure that you have a good level of job supporting skills in English maths and ICT. Assessment through examination. 4 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration WorkSkills Unit 1: 1. 3 Task 1b The Apprenticeship agreement is a contract entered into between an employer and an apprentice and the Apprenticeship training provider. When you started your Apprenticeship you would have signed an Apprenticeship agreement. The main points that must be covered in this agreement have been set out in legislation. Describe the purpose of the Apprenticeship agreement. Ensure that you cover all the main aspects of the agreement. 1 Agreeing the programme – Business Administration Level 3. Setting out the aims of the programme – to acquire a nationally recognized qualification in a structured programme of work based training. Defining the Training Process – Initial assessment, Individual learning log, Assessment carried out by qualified training and assessment co-ordinators and standards verified by internal and external verifiers/moderators. Monitoring progress, At any time requested plus a formal review, Progress file continually kept up to date. Terms and conditions. Types of training including mentors. Agreed workplace training course. Employment contract and terms and conditions in like with the company policies and employment legislation. Health & Safety – Company or college? Disciplinary principles and procedures – Company or college? Assessment appeals procedure. Preston College will provide me with a competent trainer who is able to offer me the learning, teaching support the relevant work based training, assessment, monitoring and reviews required to enable me to gain the level 3 qualification also offer me an individual work plan and programme which will be validated by the awarding body. I will comply with the terms and conditions set by both my employer and Preston College including attending work and set training sessions with my teacher, whilst working through all the units set in my own time, I will present my portfolio and work assignments for verification as requested. This agreement is to protect all parties involved, the signing of the learning agreement is to show that all parties understand what is required of them throughout the duration of the NVQ training process. WorkSkills Unit 1: 2. 1, 2. 2, 2. 3; Unit 7: 1. 1, 1. 2, 1. 4, 1. 6 PLTS SM: 1, 2, 3 Task 1c You will be required to develop an individual learning plan (ILP) as part of the induction visit. To be prepared for this, you will need to understand progression routes that are available to you and be able to set goals for completion of your framework. It is important to negotiate realistic targets to be included in your ILP. Good targets are ones that meet the SMART test. SMART targets are: †¢ Speci? c – they say exactly what you intend to do †¢ Measurable – you can prove you have reached them †¢ Achievable – they are not beyond your reach †¢ Realistic – you will have access to all the resources you will need to achieve them †¢ Time-related – you have set a deadline for completion. Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 5. BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration 1 Prepare notes on: †¢ the importance of meeting deadlines at work and in learning †¢ the importance of being organised. Being organised is key to meeting targets and deadlines, if you are not organised things can easily be missed resulting in deadlines being missed, when carrying out duties that have a deadline if a person is prepared and well organised the actual task will run a lot smoother resulting in the deadline being more likely to be made if not achieved before the deadline arrives. Organisation within the workplace is key for a healthy running business if a workload is organised it is a lot clearer what the objectives of the task are and how far they have been completed. It is important to have deadlines for tasks to keep business’s running, if no one had a deadline people are more likely to have a more relaxed attitude to completing tasks and workloads thus slowing down the productivity of the business. Then review your development needs and prepare some notes setting out: †¢ your skills and learning requirements †¢ your learning goals. I have been employed by various companies over a 12 year period mainly in administrative rolls but each business has had a variety of different administration needs, there have been customer based, reception based, retail based, admin for a single department and admin for several departments within the business, whilst I do find it beneficial to have a broad knowledge of administration skills most of my abilities are either a basic knowledge or abilities I have developed myself, I would like this course to improve the skills I have already acquired and improve my ability and standard of what I am currently capable of as well as learning new skills to develop my current profession to a very high standard. My goals are to complete the level 3 to a high standard, gain further knowledge of administration & business skills to broaden my capabilities and to be able to give a better work based performance on a day to day basis. 6 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration Finally, produce targets that you can discuss with your assessor when you meet to ? nalise your individual learning plan. These should be SMART targets, with each having clear deadlines for when they should be achieved. They should relate to: †¢ learning to be undertaken for the completion of the Apprenticeship framework †¢ managing commitments at work and in personal life while on the Apprenticeship †¢ contingency planning for learning not being completed on time. 1 I plan to complete the NVQ with a 17 month period giving myself a month per section, so I can take my time to fully absorb all information required to complete my NVQ to a high standard, to achieve this I plan to spend four hours a week of my personal time, 2 hours on research and planning and 2 hours on practical, written and presentation work, I plan to use any other free time I have in my own time to make sure I am progressing forward at a timely manor which fits in with my out of work commitments, I also plan to use any spare time I may have during working hours to achieve this. As the course must be completed in 24 months I feel that my plan for completion within 17 months gives enough time for any difficulties or unforeseen circumstances I may come across. When you have agreed your plan with your assessor, you should use your targets to check your progress. Remember to ask your assessor on each visit to sign off any targets that you have achieved and completed on time in your individual learning plan (ILP). Do this on every visit. WorkSkills Unit 1: 3. 1, 3. 2 Unit 2: 3. 1, 3. 2, 3. 3 Task 1d When deciding on progression routes, you can look at moving vertically – by going up your career path step by step – or you can move laterally – by looking to see what other careers are open to you at the same level. Administrators develop transferable skills and can ? nd jobs in many different organisations and sectors. You could also go on to further learning in full-time education. Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 7 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration 1 To complete the ? nal section of your individual learning plan, you will need to look at possible progression routes following successful completion of your Apprenticeship. In advance of your assessor’s visit, ? rst research useful sources of information on progression routes. These should cover information on further training and education as well as jobs and careers. List the most useful sources of information here. EducationCollege, adult learning – Various college websites Open University – www. open. ac.uk Full time Education through college or university – Various college and university websites TrainingIn house company training – Line Manager /HR Department Outsourced training such as day / week courses with companies such as Hemsley Fraser or GBS Corporate Training – www. hemsleyfraser. co. uk/ & www. gbscorporate. com/. CareerIn house job shadowing – Line Manager /HR Department Applying for in house promotion Applying for a similar role with better progression opportunities – www. gov. uk/jobsearch Use these sources to identify the occupational opportunities in administration and related sectors that particularly appeal to you. Compare the progression routes that you could take to access these opportunities. Administration can relate to many sectors of a business, personally I like that my current role involves admin for most of our departments as it offers a day to day variation, it also gives a broad knowledge of skills required for each department as the duties are not all the same, the variation offers the opportunity to undergo many different day / week courses to gain more knowledge of a particular department which could lead to a preferred area of the business, you could therefore concentrate on gaining knowledge for that department by job shadowing and taking more intense courses such as adult learning and further education to develop the skills to progress to a higher level in your chosen area of business. 8 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration Finally, make a note of your preferred career pathway. You should be prepared to discuss your choice when you meet with your assessor. To help you prepare for this meeting, use the space below to set out the steps required to achieve your career ambitions. 1. I personally would like to continue with my career as I feel full time education is not right for me, I would like to continue in my current role for the next approximately 2 years to acquire all the skills I feel I would need to progress, I would then like to look at team leader / junior management positions within the office / administration environment looking after a small team as I feel this would be a natural progression route, once secure in a junior management role I would like to take a further education course such as NVQ level 4 and also job shadowing to gain the skill required for a higher management position. BTEC Unit 9: 1. 1, 1. 2, 1. 3, 1. 4, 1. 5, 1. 6, 2. 1, 2. 2 WorkSkills Unit 4: 1. 1, 1. 2, 1. 3, 1. 4, 2. 1, 2. 2, 2. 3, 2. 4, 3. 1, 3. 2, 3. 3, 3. 4. PROFESSIONAL DISCUSSION Your assessor will conduct a professional discussion with you that will capture evidence necessary to prove your level of knowledge and understanding of relevant topics. Some topic areas you will need to consider when preparing for the professional discussion include: †¢ employment rights †¢ the responsibilities of the employer and the employees †¢ agreed ways of working in your organisation †¢ health, safety and security in the business environment. Your assessor will plan the content of your professional discussion and will offer advice to help you to prepare beforehand. The professional discussion may cover more than the topics considered in this section of your Workbook. Original text and illustrations  ©. Pearson Education Limited, 2011 9 BTEC Apprenticeship Assessment Workbook Level 3 Business & Administration 1 Discussion process The questioning process will offer you the opportunity to show your knowledge and understanding of employment rights and responsibilities and to assess your own performance at work. To prepare for this discussion, you should think about how you could answer the type of questions that might be asked. †¢ What is the purpose of a contract of employment? †¢ What terms and conditions are included on your own contract? †¢ What are the main areas of legislation that affect employees and employers? †¢ What are the main employer and employee responsibilities in relation to equality, diversity and discrimination? †¢ Why is it important to ensure that equality and diversity procedures are followed? †¢ What are your employer’s responsibilities for ensuring health, safety and security where you work? †¢ What are your health and safety responsibilities? Why must you comply with health, safety and security procedures? †¢ Where would you ? nd out about employment rights and responsibilities? What are the main sources of information at work, and what are the useful sources of information outside your organisation? †¢ What are the purpose, function and responsibilities of representative bodies that support employees? †¢ What procedures would you follow in the event of a grievance? †¢ What personal information must you keep up to date with your employer? †¢ What are your agreed ways of working? †¢ What information is contained in your pay statement? †¢ What are the main areas of public concern relevant to the sector in which your organisation operates? †¢ How have these concerns altered public views about the sector? 10 Original text and illustrations  © Pearson Education Limited, 2011.