Creating a sustainable wellbeing support journey for apprenticeship students

Creating a sustainable wellbeing support journey for apprenticeship students

By michaelkilmister Comment Closed

 

By: Dr Andrea Tresidder and Dr Alicia Pena Bizama, Henley Business School, a.tresidder3@reading.ac.uk and m.a.penabizama@reading.ac.uk
floating green leaf on a person's hand
Photo by name_ gravity on Unsplash

Overview

We designed, piloted and evaluated a series of wellbeing resources specifically for apprentices to better support their wellbeing. These resources were created with learners’ and employers’ feedback and demonstrate Henley’s commitment to improve and protect wellbeing for our apprentices.

Objectives

The project aimed to

  1. Create wellbeing resources for learners focused on challenges of studying while working

2. Embed and integrate these resources consistently in degree apprenticeship programmes.

Context

Like all employees and students, learners on apprenticeship programmes need ongoing support to maintain their wellbeing. Henley is committed to creating a wellbeing-focused culture, yet current wellbeing resources fail to address the unique challenges experienced by this type of learner who are both employee and student. Embedding tailored resources into professional practice modules ensures learners receive consistent, relevant wellbeing support.

Implementation

The steps taken to carry out the activity were:

  1. Conducted a needs analysis by conducting surveys and informal discussion with apprenticeship learners to identify specific wellbeing challenges related to balancing work and study.
  2. Audited existing wellbeing materials to assess relevance and identify gaps specific to the dual role of apprentice learners.
  3. Worked collaboratively with an occupational psychologist to co-create new resources addressing motivation, procrastination, fear of failure, understanding perfectionism, stress and managing work and study.
  4. Mapped key wellbeing themes to the stages of the programme. For example, a video and talk on ‘Managing the transition to HE: Balancing work and studies’ at the beginning of stage 1 (see Figure 1).
  5. Introduced wellbeing resources in the Professional Practice Module and reinforced content through ‘live’ talks, reflective activities and follow up tasks.
  6. Collected learner feedback and reviewed module evaluations to assess the impact and make iterative improvements to the resources.
A screenshot from a video. It features a woman at a laptop and the text 'Adopting a growth mindset helps you view obstacles as opportunities to develop through practice and effort.'
Figure 1. Screenshot from a video embedded in stage 1.

Impact

The integration of tailored wellbeing resources into the programme had a positive and measurable impact on apprenticeship learners. Students reported feeling more supported in managing the dual demands of work and study, with increased confidence in applying wellbeing strategies such as stress reduction and maintaining motivation. We observed greater engagement and openness during reflective activities, indicating improved awareness and prioritisation of personal wellbeing. Employers also noted improvements in apprentices’ self-management, resilience, and motivation. Feedback highlighted the value of consistent, embedded support rather than one-off interventions, contributing to improved retention, progression, and alignment with Henley’s wellbeing-focused culture.

Reflections

The process of embedding tailored wellbeing resources into the programme was both rewarding and instructive. What worked particularly well was the collaborative, learner-informed approach. Engaging apprentices and employers in the development phase ensured the resources were relevant, practical, and sensitive to their dual roles. Embedding the materials within core modules rather than offering them as optional extras normalised wellbeing as an integral part of professional development.

However, some challenges emerged. Creating resources that were not only informative but also engaging proved challenging, given the authors inexperience with creating digital content. Interactive formats and the use of software helped but required significant time and creativity to develop effectively.

Overall, this ongoing initiative demonstrated the value of consistent, embedded wellbeing support. It fostered stronger connections between learners, tutors, and employers, and highlighted the importance of continued dialogue, flexibility, and cross-team collaboration in embedding a wellbeing-focused culture.

Whose getting the development here? Utlising SoTL frameworks to reflect on personal development modules for senior level apprentices

Whose getting the development here? Utlising SoTL frameworks to reflect on personal development modules for senior level apprentices

By michaelkilmister Comment Closed

 

By: Dr Elizabeth Houldsworth, Associate Professor of Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour at Henley Business School, liz.houldsworth@henley.ac.uk
Group of people sitting around a table looking at paper and a laptop
Photograph from a staff development workshop at Whiteknights Campus, July 2023 © Liz Houldsworth

Overview

This entry offers an overview of a collaborative study by Dr Elizabeth Houldsworth (Henley Business School) and Emma Watton (Lancaster University Management School)

The researchers met at both their institutions to review personal development (PD) materials and to hear reports from learners on the impact of PD modules on their development as reflective practitioners. An exploratory empirical study was designed using Henley Business School students to consider the relative degree of reflective thinking displayed by learners in their PD assignments.

The approach was informed by scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) frameworks designed by Boyer (1990) and Kern et al. (2015) and, in particular, the need to ‘go public’ about the study. The collaborators reflected that the study had an unexpected positive impact on their own personal development as reflective practitioners.

Selfie photograph of Liz Houldsworth and Emma Watton.
Liz Houldsworth (left) and Emma Watton (right) © Liz Houldsworth

The project has had the following outputs, which are available for download by selecting the links:

    1. A peer reviewed presentation to the Research in Management Learning and Education Conference in Banff June 2022 (abstract)
    2. A peer reviewed conference presentation to Advance HE on the SoTL aspects of the collaboration (abstract)
    3. Staff development workshops at Henley Business School and Lancaster University Management School. Materials from the final one, held at Whiteknights Campus in July 2023, is available for download here (PDF of PowerPoint slides)

References

  • Boyer, E.L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton University Press.
  • Kern, B. Mettetal G, Dixson M, et al. (2015). The role of SoTL in the academy: Upon the 25th anniversary of Boyer’s Scholarship Reconsidered. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(3): 1-14.

This entry is a first for the T&L Exchange. Liberated from the constraints of the usual case study, contributors are encouraged to present their writing in a style and format of their choosing. This format offers colleagues an opportunity to quickly share their research, practice and ideas in a way that is authentic to their research or project. These entries might be intended to inspire interest, stimulate debate, foster collaboration, propose new ideas or even entertain. If you would like to submit an entry like this, please email CQSDTandL@reading.ac.uk.