Supervising your apprentice or trainee guide - Module 4

The training plan is your learners road map to success

The Training Plan is an essential part of the apprenticeship or traineeship and is a requirement under the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act 2001 (NSW).

It describes the formal and workplace training and assessment your learner must complete to receive their qualification and be issued with their Certificate of Proficiency. Like building blocks, each unit in the Training Plan sets out practical tasks and structured milestones that progressively increase your learner's skills.

The Training Plan outlines how and when training and assessment will occur, and what the training will cover. This is linked to units of competency in a training package which are assessed by the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) assessor.

The competencies listed in the Training Plan are from National Training Packages. Once assessed and deemed competent in all the competencies with employer's endorsement, the apprentice or trainee will receive a nationally recognised qualification issued by the RTO.

All national training packages and the units of competency can be found here at traininq.gov.au.

Developing the Training Plan

You must develop the Training Plan with your RTO and learner within 12 weeks (about 3 months) of the apprenticeship or traineeship being approved.

The RTO will discuss the units of competency to be undertaken and the sequence in which they'll be delivered.

You can negotiate how, when, where, and by whom training, and assessment will be delivered. The RTO will also identify any additional learning needs (such as literacy and numeracy) and if your learner can apply for recognition of prior learning.

The RTO will ensure you all receive a copy of the signed Training Plan.

The Training Plan in action

The Training Plan is a living document that should be frequently referred to, regularly discussed and routinely updated to reflect the current status of training.

Your learner must perform duties that map to the units of study they're undertaking in their formal training. You'll need to create opportunities in your workplace for your learner to master these skills under your supervision.

You should discuss progress with your RTO at least every six months. If there are performance issues, this should be scheduled more regularly.

1. Under user choice arrangements, the employer and apprentice or trainee have the right to decide which RTO will deliver their training, and how, when, where and by whom the training and assessment will be delivered.
2. The Training Plan must be developed by the nominated RTO in consultation with the employer and the apprentice or trainee to reflect the workplace environment and nature of the on-the- job training  to be undertaken by the apprentice or trainee.
3. The Training Plan must allow for close engagement between the parties and the RTO in the delivery of training and assessment of competencies.
4. The Training Plan is a working document to be used for the duration of the Training Contract and must be updated at least every 6 months by the RTO to reflect the current status of training.
5. The Training Plan must clearly define the respective roles employer and RTO will play in training and assessment of apprentice or trainee and the support RTO will provide to employer to assist with training.
6. The Training Plan must support competency-based progression and competency-based completion of apprenticeship or traineeship.
7. A copy of the current Training Plan, including any updates, must be kept by the RTO, employer and apprentice or trainee, with a copy always accessible in the workplace. A blank Training Plan and Sample Training Plan are available in the Resources section.
    

A critical responsibility in your role as a supervisor is your ongoing and progressive review and sign-off of your apprentice or trainee's competence in individual units of competency.

As the apprentice or trainee's workplace supervisor, it is important to be aware of what units they are completing in their formal study, so you can provide them with opportunities to apply their learning in the workplace under your observation and supervision.

By doing this, you are more able to provide them with feedback, additional opportunities to practice their new skills, and one-on-one coaching to build their skills and share your knowledge of the work.

When supervising them in this way, and understanding what they are learning in formal study, and when they are learning it, you will be able to better assess their skills and application progressively.

To enable you to do this effectively you will need to have regular access to their Training Plan, as well as regular conversations with your apprentice or trainee about what they are working on and have regular discussions with their RTO or trainer to ensure you are up to date with their current competencies being studied.

In any apprenticeship or traineeship, and indeed any workplace relationship, feedback is essential.

To improve your work performance, you need to know what you are doing well and what needs to be done better.

Many supervisors, managers and employers are uncomfortable with providing performance feedback to the workers they are responsible for.

However, if you are responsible for an apprentice or trainee it is critical that they continually improve and grow in their competence and confidence.

This can only be achieved through a combination of both positive and constructive feedback.

The Happy Sad Happy Technique is a popular three-step process that helps supervisors who are uncomfortable or struggle to provide constructive or performance-correcting feedback.

The three-step process consists of praise followed by corrective feedback and completed with more praise.

Corrective performance feedback is sandwiched between two layers of praise. You may also hear this technique referred to as the Sandwich or Hamburger Technique.

Happy sad happy feedback

Happy: “Pat, I am very impressed with the way you have progressed through your formal training and the results you have achieved in your Work, Health and Safety unit. Well done!”

Sad: “I have noticed though that you have been leaving your tool-box in a high traffic area. This is potentially dangerous to you and to other people. I would appreciate it if from now on, you work from it in the designated area. It’s really important to keep everyone safe.”

Happy: “I know you will do this from now on, as you have demonstrated that you understand the safety risks through your great assessment results. I appreciate your hard work and it’s really making a difference to me and the business.”

• Apprenticeships and traineeships are a combination of paid work and structured training.
• Structured training comprises formal training and on-the-job training.
• A Training Plan is developed between the RTO, the employer and the apprentice or trainee. It maps out how the apprentice or trainee will achieve the qualification through the combination of formal training and on-the-job training.
• An employer is obligated, as part of the Training Contract, to provide a minimum of three hours per week with pay for their apprentice or trainee to attend formal training. This formal training time must be within normal work hours and can be averaged over a four-week period in accordance with the needs of a business, but the time must be spent away from regular work duties.
• Competencies need to be signed off progressively when the apprentice or trainee has appropriate skills and practical application of these skills in the workplace.
• Apprentices and trainees need to learn the skills and knowledge of their trade or profession. It is your role to create an environment where they feel motivated, teach them about the work and provide them with constructive and positive feedback.
• It is important that you understand your own learning style as this impacts the way you train and coach others. It is also useful for you to know and understand your apprentice or trainee's preferred learning style so you can tailor your style to suit their needs for more successful outcomes.
• Providing constructive feedback on a regular basis to your apprentice or trainee is a very important part of your role as a supervisor.
• Using the Happy Sad Happy Technique (otherwise known as the Sandwich or Hamburger Technique) will have your apprentice or trainee feeling motivated in their job and focused on what they still need to learn.