Operations Management Level 5 Funded programme

The Operations or Departmental Manager programme is an 18-month course designed to refine your advanced leadership skills, equipping you with the high-level managerial capabilities essential for senior positions. By the end of the programme, participants will have gained the following outcomes and benefits:

• Enhanced Strategic Leadership: Develop an in-depth understanding of advanced leadership theories and their practical application in managing multiple teams and departments. You'll learn to lead with a strategic vision, influence organisational culture, and drive long-term goals.
• Expert Project Management: Gain comprehensive skills in project management, including advanced methodologies for planning, executing, and controlling large-scale projects. You will learn to handle complex project portfolios, mitigate risks effectively, and deliver results that align with organisational strategies.
• High-Level Communication and Negotiation: Enhance your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively to senior stakeholders and team members. Develop advanced negotiation and influencing skills to manage conflicts, build strong partnerships, and drive organisational change.
• Strategic Team Building and Performance Management: Understand and apply advanced concepts in team dynamics and performance management. You will be capable of developing high-performing teams, implementing robust performance management systems, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Financial Strategic Planning: Develop expertise in strategic financial management, including advanced budgeting, financial forecasting, and investment analysis. You'll be able to interpret complex financial data, make informed financial decisions, and align financial planning with organisational goals.
• Operational and Strategic Planning: Acquire skills in designing and implementing comprehensive operational strategies. You will learn to develop detailed business plans, set and monitor strategic KPIs, and lead large-scale change initiatives to drive organisational growth and innovation.
• Critical Thinking and Decision-Making: Enhance your ability to think critically and make high-stakes decisions. You will be skilled in data-driven decision-making, strategic problem-solving, and evaluating the impact of decisions on the organisation’s long-term success.

During the 18-month delivery all learners will have monthly mentor calls, this is to monitor their progress completing reflective journals; monitoring how the course has impacted on their behaviour and day to day practise; ensuring all learners are able to evidence the learning ahead of their EPA (End point Assessment).

During this programme learners will attend an online workshop and have a one-to-one session with their Management Mentor every six weeks. After each session the learners will need to complete a reflective account looking at what they have taken from the workshop, and how this new knowledge has or could be used within their job role. This will be done using work-based examples and supporting product evidence, which will help build their portfolio and show the candidates’ understanding of the criteria covered in the workshop.

An Operations or departmental manager is someone who manages teams and/or projects, and achieving operational or departmental goals and objectives, as part of the delivery of the organisations strategy. They are accountable to a more senior manager or business owner. Working in the private, public or third sector and in all sizes of organisation, specific responsibilities and job titles will vary, but the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed will be the same. Key responsibilities may include creating and delivering operational plans, managing projects, leading and managing teams, managing change, financial and resource management, talent management, coaching and mentoring. Roles may include: Operations manager, Regional manager, Divisional manager, Department manager and Specialist managers.

The entry requirement for this apprenticeship will be Maths and English GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grade C or higher. Functional skills tests may be required to be taken in Maths and/or English, as part of the programme, if no qualification or evidence available.

Progression

On completion, apprentices can register as full members with the Chartered management institute and/or the Institute of leadership and management, and those with 3 years’ of management experience can apply for Chartered manager status through the CMI.