Operational Manager Apprenticeship

Empower your career with strategic leadership skills — funded, flexible, and impactful.

About

What's Involved

Content

Perfect For

Entry Criteria

Assessments

Output

Learner Reviews

How Much Is it?

Operational Manager Apprenticeship

About

What's Involved

Content

Perfect For

Entry Criteria

Assessments

Output

Learner Reviews

How Much Is it?

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What is This Programme

Over 15 months, this comprehensive apprenticeship empowers learners with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours necessary to become effective leaders who drive team success and organisational growth.

Participants will develop a deep understanding of continuous development and learning needs, enabling them to guide their teams ethically, set clear goals, and resolve conflicts effectively.

The programme equips learners to apply organisational policies and legislation effectively, understand their impact on teams, and communicate these to stakeholders. It also builds practical skills in business continuity planning, ensuring critical functions operate smoothly.

Participants will gain proficiency in data analysis, problem-solving, and utilising IT tools to meet current and future needs. They will master project and financial management techniques to deliver within budget and resources. By the end, learners will emerge as confident leaders, ready to guide their teams with integrity and impact.

This Programme Aims To:

  • Equip Leaders with the skills to lead their team, including other managers
  • Apply organisational policies in a fair and effective way
  • Develop skills in data analysis, problem-solving and project management
  • Enhance their leadership styles to influence, persuade and inspire

What's Involved?

Coaching Support

Learners will meet with their personal coaches every month to ensure that they are putting their skills into practice in the workplace, developing them further and seeing the benefits of their hard work. It also allows learners to ask questions, trial things and review them with their coach to continually improve. Alongside this their coach will help them collect the right kind of evidence to provide at End-Point-Assessment.

Portfolio of Evidence

As part of the programme, learners will need to evidence that they are putting their learning to use in the workplace; through work-product, meeting notes, reflective and witness statements, project plans, proposals and other relevant working examples. This evidence will form the basis of the End-Point-Assessment discussions and activities.

Expert Training

Each module has its own group training session, most often delivered via a live virtual training session, by a leadership and management expert. The training is highly interactive, engaging and contextualised, so that learners can immediately put their learning to use in the workplace, with new models, skills and tools to help them.

What You'll Learn?

Module 1

Developing Yourself and Your Team

Align your role with organisational strategy and build emotional intelligence.

Module 2

Building High Performance Teams

Recruit, motivate, and develop high-performing teams.

Module 3

Building Stakeholder Relationships

Manage stakeholder relationships and enhance communication skills.

Module 4

Project Planning

Plan, execute, and manage projects effectively.

Module 5

Budget Management within Projects

Master project budgets and manage financial resources.

Who is it Perfect For?

Existing Managers

Experienced managers looking to advance their strategic leadership skills.

Department Managers

Leaders managing multiple teams or functions within a larger organisation.

Area or Regional Managers

Leaders responsible for overseeing operations across multiple sites or regions.

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Existing Managers

Department Managers

Area or Regional Managers

What is The Entry Criteria?

Learners need to:

  • Be in a relevant role
  • Be carrying out Operational Manager duties

If English is your second language...

You must be able to understand and articulate yourself to a level that will allow you to benefit from and ultimately pass the End-Point-Assessment of the qualification

Entry Criteria

How is The Programme Assessed?

End Point Assessment (EPA) will commence at the end of your apprenticeship where you will be assessed against the knowledge, skills and behaviours within the occupational standard.

The EPA period is typically 3 months and EPA requirements include:

A project report and presentation with questions

A comprehensive project report and presentation, demonstrating the application of key skills and knowledge, followed by a structured Q&A to assess understanding.

Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of workplace development evidence

An in-depth professional discussion, supported by a portfolio of real-world evidence, allowing for a deep dive into the learner's practical experience and achievements.

What Learners Get Out of It

Level 5 Operational Manager Apprenticeship Certificate

CMI Qualification

Learners gain a Level 5 Operational Manager Apprenticeship Certificate, equivalent to a foundation degree, which equips them with the practical skills and knowledge to lead teams and manage projects.

This apprenticeship focuses on strategic leadership, financial management, and data-driven decision-making. Learners will develop the skills to guide teams effectively, deliver projects within budget, and drive organisational success.

Benefits

  • Develops essential leadership and management skills, including effective decision-making, delegation, and team motivation.
  • Builds confidence in managing people, projects, and tasks, improving overall team performance.
  • Provides practical skills for resolving conflicts, coaching team members, and setting clear objectives.
  • Enhances communication abilities, including active listening, giving feedback, and managing difficult conversations.
  • Offers practical tools for planning and managing workloads, setting priorities, and meeting deadlines.
  • Increases self-awareness and emotional intelligence, helping leaders adapt to different situations and team dynamics.
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The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is the only organisation that can award Chartered Manager status, the highest accolade for managers and leaders.

For 75 years, they have inspired modern managers to become successful, confident leaders.

As part of this programme, learners can choose to do an additional 2 x 2500-word assignments to gain the prestigious CMI Level 3 Certificate in Leadership and Management.

This additional element to the programme comes at no extra cost and is discussed 6 months in to the programme to ensure that it is manageable and to allow learners to make an informed decision.

Benefits

  • CMI Membership included
  • Gain access to ManagementDirect (digital learning resources)
  • 80% of managers said that a CMI qualification is a key part of becoming a professional manager
  • CMI qualifications open a professional pathway to Chartered Manager Status
  • 81% of individuals were able to share their new skills with their team
  • 79% confirmed their new skills has increased overall team performance
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What Learners Say

Average Learner Score: 4.62 / 5

703 Learners, 27,966 Feedback Questions Answered

Displaying Some Latest Reviews from Workshops in the Programme

Caroline B

Rother District Council

(4.74 / 5)

Laurie was energetic and engaging and involved everyone in the session.

Thursday 15th May 25

Claire B

Safer Places

(4.95 / 5)

Laurie was an excellent trainer and I hope we get to see him again on the course!

Thursday 15th May 25

Thomas P

Oak Refrigeration And Mechanical

(4.92 / 5)

Really informative session. Lots of new learning and most of which i can instantly start utilising within my work place such as the "5 Whys", "Decision tree" & "Ishikawa"

Friday 9th May 25

Kerry C

Thyssenkrupp

(4.98 / 5)

As always, Bev was knowledgeable and engaging, and the content was relatable and interesting

Tuesday 6th May 25

James O

Malloy Aeronautics

(4.95 / 5)

The format worked well, with a mix of different learning types and group discussions

Friday 2nd May 25

Vinod B

Invenio Business Solutions

(4.80 / 5)

The session was very interactive with engaging discussions in the breakout room. The trainer showcased useful tools that I can apply in my role at the workplace.

Thursday 1st May 25

Ryan D

Straaltechniek UK Ltd

(4.90 / 5)

Learning about different learning styles and how I can use this to help m team with their own learning styles.

Thursday 1st May 25

Jack W

Whitecroft Lighting

(4.00 / 5)

Trainer input

Thursday 1st May 25

Xin Ian C

Monodraught

(4.60 / 5)

It was good. Very interesting discussions with fellow attendees.

Thursday 1st May 25

Gianluca R

Caridon

(5.00 / 5)

Was a great session!

Monday 28th April 25

Juan G

Malloy Aeronautics

(5.00 / 5)

It was very engaging

Friday 25th April 25

Valerie B

Gratte Brothers

(4.60 / 5)

great session lots of lively discussion

Friday 25th April 25

How Much is it?

For SMEs

95% Funded

Organisations with an annual wage bill under £3 million can access the Co-investment Scheme to fund 95% of the cost of this programme.

£450 per person

For Larger Organisations

Levy Funded

Organisations with an annual wage bill over £3 million can fund the full cost of this programme through their Levy Funds.

£9,000 per person

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Sounds Good?

Our short management courses are focused, practical, and designed to deliver impact fast. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you take the next step with confidence.

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