Apprenticeships: what line managers need to know

Sector-specific learning with tend

tend apprenticeships are designed with both the learner and the employer in mind. Each programme is carefully aligned to sector-specific roles in health, social care, and pharmaceutical services. Learners gain the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviours to thrive, while employers benefit from a motivated workforce ready to embrace challenges and deliver high-quality care.

Unlike traditional training, tend apprenticeships embed learning directly into the workplace. As a Line Manager, this is your assurance that the professional development of your team never feels removed from the realities of the job.

In fact, your role in the success of your upskilled staff is a key component of the process. Here’s a closer look at how much you matter to learning outcomes, and how much this training can strengthen your care teams.

The role of line managers

Line managers play a central role in apprenticeship success. Along with the support of their dedicated Development Coach, managers are encouraged to stay involved in the learner’s journey through regular progress reviews, constructive feedback, and workplace mentoring.

This shared commitment between employer, learner, and tend ensures that apprenticeships are not just completed. They are mastered.

Employers can also be confident in tend for our rigorous quality standards. Development Coaches are backed by a full quality assurance team, ensuring every learner is prepared for their End-Point Assessment (EPA). With pass rates consistently exceeding 99%, the results speak for themselves.

Building future leaders

Apprenticeships are not only about developing immediate skills. They create the next generation of leaders. Staff who are tend-trained are recognised as confident, resilient professionals who bring both technical expertise and a people-first mindset to their roles.

By supporting apprentices at every stage, from induction to assessment, tend helps organisations to grow their own talent pipelines, reducing reliance on external recruitment and boosting retention. It’s an investment in people that pays dividends for years to come.

Support beyond the classroom

With tend, employers and learners benefit from 24/7 access to Aptem, a state-of-the-art online portfolio system. Apprentices can track their progress, upload work, and stay in touch with their coach whenever needed. In turn, you can know at any point in the process how your learner is progressing.

For example, your learner or learners will need to log a total of 6 off-the-job hours each week. These are hours that enhance the learner journey, and are specific to the apprentice’s role. This might be time spent in essential meetings, shadowing colleagues, completing mandatory online training, and more. Off-the-job hours are logged via Aptem. You can go through the past week with your learner(s), helping them to identify time that could count towards their off-the-job hours, and ensuring they’re all accounted for on the platform.

Safeguarding is also a priority. tend provides confidential reporting channels to ensure every learner feels safe and supported, enabling them to focus on their learning and professional development.

The impact of being tend-trained

The numbers tell a compelling story. 95% learner satisfaction, 90% retention, and 99% End-Point Assessment success. Beyond statistics, there is a growing reputation. Across the UK, employers are recognising the value of having a workforce that is tend-trained.

For Line Managers like you in the critical care sectors, this isn’t just training for your team. It’s a statement of quality. It signals to service users, families, and regulators that your staff are trained to the highest standards, with skills and confidence that set them apart.

Ready to future-proof your workforce? Reach out to the tend team today on 01753 596 004 or email info@tendtraining.co.uk.