Meet the UVAC AWD Delivery Team

The UVAC team responsible for the development and delivery of the AWD programme alongside AWD programme delivery partners, AoC, AELP and SDN colleagues include: 

Tammie Harwin

UVAC Associate, Tammie Harwin has over 17 years’ experience delivering in Apprenticeship and Skills – with a varied background working in public and private sector roles. This includes 8 years for the Civil Service (LSC/SFA) where her last role was as a Senior Relationship Manager implementing the apprenticeship reforms and facilitating trailblazers to develop the new apprenticeships standards from their inception. Prior to that she worked as an employer account manager working for the Government’s National Employer Service, providing support, contract and account management to a portfolio of some of the UK’s largest businesses. The role entailed working at a strategic level to engage on the Government’s skills agenda, and working closely with those businesses to develop large employer/provider apprenticeship and work based learning programmes to deliver their workforce needs.

Tammie took voluntary redundancy from Government in 2016 in order to set up her own specialist apprenticeship consultancy. This work has seen her deliver to a wide variety of clients spanning employers, providers (HE and FE), and professional bodies across multiple sectors.  Her varied clients and projects has provided Tammie with extensive strategic and operational leadership experience at both Institutional and Faulty/School level across all aspects of apprenticeship provision and development. Recently this has included 12+ months as Interim Head of Apprenticeships for a University client (consulting role), which included support leading up to and through their Ofsted inspection – with the University going from an ‘insufficient progress’ result to ‘good’ at their full inspection. 

For the past 3 years Tammie has also been a Non-Executive Director for an independent Apprenticeship Training Provider.  Here she has provided advice, guidance and challenge to its leadership team to drive success and quality, this included supporting the provider to a ‘good’ Ofsted outcome.

Tammie’s other consultancy projects have included co-delivery of the Local Government Association’s Apprenticeship Support Service (2018-24) to Local Authorities to develop and grow their apprenticeship delivery; facilitation of a number of trailblazer groups to develop new apprenticeship standards; and several sector-based apprenticeship research projects for professional and sector bodies;

Tammie is an experienced trainer and facilitator, designing and delivering various specialist apprenticeship CPD programmes and workshop to provider and employer audiences – for example employer engagement and commercialisation, Ofsted readiness, workforce planning using apprenticeships, integration of on- and-off-the job training and Action Learning Set (ALS) delivery.

Dr Stan Lester

 UVAC Associate Stan has worked since 1993 as a consultant, researcher and systems developer in professional and work-related education and development.  His work spans four principal areas: professionalisation and self-regulation, professional competence, work-based higher education including degree apprenticeships and practitioner doctorates, and more recently digital learning.  He has been described as a leading expert on professional competence as well as one of the world’s most important thought-leaders and most cited authors on (university-level) work-based learning.  

Stan was the lead author for the 2019-20 Edge Foundation-commissioned study by Middlesex University on the sustainability of degree apprenticeships.  This short research project examined practices and issues in degree apprenticeship provision in digital industries, engineering and nursing, and made 18 recommendations relating to policy, institutional and operational matters.  It was received favourably by IfATE and DfE among others and informed several changes in their recommendations.

 

Lester, S. & Bravenboer, D. (2020) Sustainable Degree Apprenticeships.  London: Centre for Degree Apprenticeships/Edge Foundation.

Lester, S. (2020) “Creating conditions for sustainable Degree Apprenticeships in England”, Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, 10 (5), 701-714.

From 2017 to 2022 Stan was engaged as a consultant by the Architects’ Registration Board to propose changes to the criteria and processes for qualifying as an architect.  His recommendations were for a more radical overhaul of entry-routes, an approach now being consulted on by ARB.  

 

Lester, S. (2022) “Architecture in the UK: a study in professional entry-routes and entry-gates”, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning 12 (1), 1-12.

Rebecca Rhodes

UVAC Associate Director, Rebecca is UVAC’s long standing associate and supports delivery of our extensive web-based technical support programme, described and appreciated by members as ‘terrific sessions – they are beacons in the darkness’. She works extensively with employers of all sizes in the public and private sector on their apprenticeship and skills programmes and also with employers and universities to set up or expand their apprenticeship delivery. She is one of the most authoritative voices in England on all operational aspects of higher and degree apprenticeships.

Jane Welbourn

UVAC Associate, Jane Welbourn, has 20 years’ experience working, as an academic, across varied strategic and operational roles within Higher Education. She is associated with the design and development of a variety of work-based learning programmes in university contexts. 

She has extensive strategic and operational leadership experience at both Institutional and School level across all aspects of apprenticeship provision and development, including working with employers to ensure meaningful and inclusive curriculum is designed and delivered. Apprentice recruitment, onboarding, initial needs assessments (INA), skill scans, training plans, coaching, and mentoring tutors to enhance the quality of education. She has been instrumental in the development and validation of apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship programmes including those with PSRB requirements and has led on the development of a variety of new programmes working closely with programme teams and wider University, employers, and local Authorities. 

Through the development of a strategic plan, she led the university’s apprenticeship provision through a successful Ofsted inspection. As a member of the apprenticeship strategy group informs executives and governors of risk, against progression and completion of apprentices. She has implemented robust mechanisms to monitor and enhance compliance and quality assurance across apprenticeship provision to include development of data dashboards, RAG rated data and risk register. She has led on the development and delivery of CPD for all staff aligned to apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship provision, peer review and observation processes, 

Jane has experience and proven track record of developing and maintaining successful partnerships with external stakeholders such as the Education Skills funding agency (ESFA), Department for Education (DfE), Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), Ofsted, Office for Students (OfS), Universities UK, Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), NHS England and other Professional and Awarding Bodies. 

As a consultant she supports the delivery of the Apprenticeship Workforce Development Programme (AWD), DfE approved CPD for all involved in the development and delivery of apprenticeship provision. AWD is funded by the DfE and delivered by the Education Training Foundation (ETF) and Consortium Partners which include UVAC. This programme aims to focus on the withdrawals of apprenticeships increasing the achievement rate of all apprenticeships to the DfE target of 67% by 2025. It is intended to support all providers focusing on areas of intervention, prevention, action planning and wider professional development.

She was published in 2019. 

Welbourn, J. Devins, D. and Reynolds, M. (2019) ‘Degree apprenticeships: Reflecting on university-employer partnership practice to improve workforce development in the United Kingdom’, Industry and Higher Education, 1 -11

Dr Nicky Westwood

UVAC Associate Nicky Westwood, has 19 years’ experience across varied strategic and operational roles within the HE sector and a previous Nursing/Nurse Education background. As an independent consultant and UVAC Associate she supports the development, facilitation and delivery of UVAC Degree Apprenticeship Knowledge Networks (DAKN) across different apprenticeship standards and subject specialisms. To support this development, she works collaboratively with external stakeholders such as Office for Students, Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), NHS England and Department of Education, Ofsted and other Professional and Awarding Bodies. The DAKNs facilitate a collaborative network for HE practitioners, staff and academics to engage with each other and other stakeholders. The aims of the DAKN includes disseminating best practice, learning and teaching pedagogy, problem solve challenges, barriers and opportunities develop an engaging forum updating on policy changes and landscape collaborative work and research development. Further to this she currently supports the delivery of the Apprenticeship Workforce Development Programme (AWD), DfE approved CPD for all involved in the development and delivery of apprenticeship provision. AWD is funded by the DfE and delivered by the Education Training Foundation (ETF) and Consortium Partners which include UVAC. This programme aims to focus on the withdrawals of apprenticeships increasing the achievement rate of all apprenticeships to the DfE target of 67% by 2025. It is intended to support all providers focusing on areas of intervention, prevention, action planning and wider professional development.

She has extensive strategic and operational leadership experience at both Institutional and Faculty/School level across all aspects of apprenticeship provision and development, recruitment, employer engagement, inclusive curriculum design, programme validations (including Professional, Statutory, Regulatory Body requirements- PSRB), quality monitoring (continuous monitoring) and enhancement, quality assurance, inclusive learning and teaching pedagogy, inclusive assessment and interprofessional education. She has been instrumental in the development and validation of apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship programmes including those with PSRB requirements and has led on the development of a variety of new programmes working closely with programme teams and wider University, employers and local Authorities. This has focused from the development of business case approval through to delivery ensuring that apprenticeship programme curriculums are fit for purpose meeting all apprenticeship requirements and providing flexible inclusive routes into HE and meeting employers workforce development needs. Further to this she has worked collaboratively to strategically lead apprenticeship restructures, apprenticeship lifecycle development, Governance and the development, embedding and review of processes, policy and guidance aligned to HE programmes and apprenticeship provision. She has led on the implementation of robust mechanisms to monitor and enhance compliance and quality enhancement across apprenticeship provision for both IFATE, ESFA and Ofsted and PSRB requirements. This has included the development of robust institutional action plans to address areas of risk, development of data dashboards, RAG rated data and risk register.

Nicky has led on the development of CPD for all staff aligned to apprenticeship and non-apprenticeship provision, peer review /observation processes, chaired University level committees and has been strategic lead and nominee for Ofsted inspections and all external monitoring, audit requirements for apprenticeship provision and contract and bid management. 

She remains a NMC registrant, and her Doctoral Thesis focused on: Student nurses’ experiences of mentors’ judgements of their clinical competence: An Interpretative Phenomenological Study.

Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee

Having worked extensively with government departments, providers in further education, higher education institutions, awarding organisations, professional bodies and public and private sector employers, Mandy has developed effective business and commercial partnerships. Mandy specialises in research, leadership of strategic projects and in skills policy advice, development & implementation including advocacy and lobbying. Higher and degree apprenticeships and higher technical, professional education and skills are her fields of interest. Her Doctoral Thesis focused on discursive shifts in apprenticeship reform in England. She is one of the most authoritative voices in England on all strategic and operational aspects of higher and degree apprenticeships.