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  • Professional Manager (Apprenticeship) CertHE

Professional Manager (Apprenticeship) CertHE

    • How to apply

    Note: Prospective apprentices must consult with their employers to initiate the application.

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    Overview

    This apprenticeship course has been designed for aspiring or newly appointed managers. Operations managers perform leadership and management duties with teams and/ or projects to ensure the successful completion of organisational goals. Typically, they are accountable for developing team members, managing projects, planning and reviewing workloads and resources, delivering operational plans, resolving problems, and building relationships both internally and externally. They are accountable to a more senior manager or business owner.

    To develop your skills in these areas you will study three modules which are:

    • Managing Organisations
    • Managing People
    • Managing Operations and Projects

    You will also complete a work-related project agreed between you and your line manager which allows you to demonstrate a wide range of knowledge and skills.

    In line with the apprenticeship model, the course is designed to support a training in practice approach. You will already be employed by an organisation who will sponsor you throughout the course and enable you to transfer your learning to your job role.

    The professional manager apprenticeship is a 19 months L5 course based on a blended model of classroom-based teaching, remote online learning, and work-based task completion.

    Throughout the course you will be supported by a dedicated course leader and subject experts with current occupational competence gained in a variety of industries. Your work-based learning coach will support you to link theory to practice and build a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates your competency against the apprenticeship standards.

    The University of Huddersfield has the highest Apprenticeship Qualification Achievement Rate (QAR) among Higher Education Institutions in England.*

    Our 2023/24 QAR was 87.6% and coupled with our Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ rating displays the excellent learning experience for apprentices and their employers at the University of Huddersfield.

    *Excludes providers with fewer than 100 apprentices.

    Key Information

    Entry requirements

    • You must have GCSE English Language or English Literature and Maths at grade 4 or above, or grade C or above if awarded under the previous GCSE grading scheme, or Ofqual regulated Level 2 Functional Skills in English and Maths. Equivalent international qualifications may also be considered.
    • Where proof of English and Maths cannot be provided, the employer must confirm they are confident the applicant is proficient enough (in English and Maths) in their job role to be considered competent.
    • The employer must confirm that the learner is in an appropriate role, and working at a sufficient level, to enable them to develop and demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours specified within the standard.

    If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

    Start dates

    22 September 2025

    18 May 2026

    Duration

    19 months part-time

    Course Detail

    Core modules:

    Managing Organisations

    This module will help you understand how organisations work at a macro level. You will learn about the legislative framework that affects the sector your organisation works in as well as the internal policy frameworks that govern how you work. You will consider the current and future needs of the sector and how these impact your organisation. Being a responsible organisation is essential today to ensure sustainable people and environmental ways of working. You will consider what this means to your organisation and how the policies align with this. You will also consider who the stakeholders are and what their role is in helping your organisation to be successful.

    Managing People

    This module will help you understand how to manage people. You will learn about talent management from recruitment through to coaching, mentoring and performance management. You will understand how to use data relationships to identify development needs of other people. You will learn about communication, influencing and negotiation which will help you to motivate people but also manage conflict when it arises. You will do all of this within an inclusive culture based on equity, diversity and are for the well-being of the team. This module will help you deliver performance with and through other people.

    Managing Operations and Projects

    This module will help you understand the business environment and what it takes to successfully plan and execute operations. You will learn about strategic planning and how to create plans in line with organisational objectives but also how to monitor plans against the strategic objectives. You will learn how to set up and manage projects whilst taking account of resources, risks, and financial considerations. You will learn to work with data and make decisions based on analysis of this data to solve problems or suggest future improvements.

    Work-based project

    This module will allow you to complete the work-based project which is a mandatory aspect of your apprenticeship. The project must be a significant and defined piece of work that has real business application and benefit. It must be completed on-programme and is a mandatory requirement for Gateway. The project will be comparable in terms of content and complexity for all learners but the context within which the knowledge and skills must be demonstrated will vary. The project must be signed off by your employer prior to commencement and must be completed before the end of the module.

    This course has modules making up 120 credits over the 19* months, with each credit being 10 hours of study (1200 hours in total).

    An average of approximately** 100% (1200 hours) of your employment time will be spent engaging in off-the-job learning which comprises a combination of activities including lectures, tutorials, practicals, workshops, and self-directed study etc.

    The remainder of your time will be spent in employment applying your learning to your job. You’ll be supported throughout your studies by your module tutors and personal academic tutors who will also liaise with your employer at regular, pre-agreed intervals in line with current apprenticeship funding rules and guidance. Assessments take place through a variety of exams, coursework, etc.*

    You will also complete an end-point assessment at the end of your apprenticeship. The end-point assessment will comprise of a professional discussion, a project, an exam, course assessment board etc.

    *Subject to mode of study.

    **Based on current core modules.

    Calculated using data from the academic year 2024/25, as of November 2024.

    Further information

    The teaching year for most courses normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Teaching on other courses including professional courses, postgraduate taught, research, distance learning and apprenticeship may have other start dates including January and May. All start dates can be found on each course page and term dates are also available. Students on a full-time course may have to attend every day of the week. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

    Our courses are taught at our University campus and you can expect that your lectures and seminars will be held face to face, except in cases of emergency or if specifically stated otherwise in the module description.

    Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on exam performance/final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

    You may progress to the next stage of your course or research degree, subject to meeting University assessment criteria and professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

    1. The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.

    2. Our teaching staff rank first in England for the proportion with higher degrees and teaching qualifications, as well as being top five for those holding doctorates (HESA 2025). So you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

    3. We are joint first in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 23 since 2008 (2024 data).

    4. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

    Discover more about the course

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    Important information

    Apprenticeship Disclaimer

    When you enrol as an apprentice learner of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by a framework of regulations, policies and procedures, which form the basis of your agreement with us. These include regulations regarding the assessment of your course, academic integrity, your conduct (including attendance) and our disciplinary procedure. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as an apprentice. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan, where you will also find links to the full text of each of the regulations, policies and procedures referred to.

    Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:

    Changes to a course you have applied for but not yet started If we propose to make a major change to an apprenticeship course that you have applied for, then we will tell you and your employer as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. Although we always try and run all the courses we offer, we may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or delay your course start date if we consider this reasonably necessary, for example if there are not enough applicants to ensure you have a good learning experience. Where this is the case we will notify you and your employer as soon as reasonably possible. In such instances, we will work with you and your employer to agree a deferred start date, or cancel your application and, if appropriate, provide information regarding other local apprenticeship providers.

    Changes to your course after you enrol as an apprentice We will only make major changes to the core curriculum of a course or to our services if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that materially changes the services available to you, or the outcomes, or a significant part, of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days, classes, type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators; to meet the requirements of an updated version of the apprenticeship standard relevant to your course; to meet the latest requirements of a commissioning or accrediting body; to improve the quality of educational provision; in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback; and/or to reflect academic or professional changes within subject areas. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment. In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed and we will notify you and your employer as soon as possible about what your options are, which may include being provided with individual teaching to complete the award for which you were registered or claiming an interim award and exiting the University. If a major change affects your course, we will notify you and your employer as soon as possible and will carry out suitable consultation with affected apprentices. If you and your employer reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment we will work with both of you to try to find an appropriate solution. Where one cannot be found we will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring your remaining apprenticeship learning to another training provider if you and your employer wish to do so.

    Termination of employment As your employer is funding your apprenticeship course, you must remain in relevant employment for the duration of the course until you have completed your end point assessment. Under the apprenticeship rules, if you are made redundant and you have completed 75% of the practical period or have less than 6 months left, then you may complete the course. Otherwise, unless you find alternative relevant employment within 12 weeks of the date you are made redundant, then you will be withdrawn from the course.

    The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University. The ESFA is the principal regulator for your apprenticeship course.

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