Bradford College – four years into the partnership with Aptem

Bradford College is one of the region’s most extensive education and training providers, with around 20,000 students studying a combination of vocational qualifications, apprenticeships, A-levels, community courses, degrees and master’s programmes. 

The College implemented the system in 2020 to address the need for a comprehensive solution to manage all aspects of apprenticeship delivery, eliminating the reliance on multiple systems. We met with Dominic Scott, Bradford College’s CRM/LMS Officer, to discuss their experience using Aptem over the past few years. 

The impact of implementing an end-to-end apprenticeship delivery system 

Prior to implementing Aptem in 2020, Bradford College had several challenges to overcome, including: 

• Removing dependency on multiple systems, particularly for completion, tracking and storing compliance documentation. 

• Managing manual data tasks such as data uploading and preventing data correlation issues. 

• Being able to effectively track and report on learner progress. 

“Aptem has removed these challenges for us, and we’ve benefited from other things that we weren’t even aware would be valuable to us when we were thinking of procuring an end-to-end system.” 

Transitioning from paper-based to fully digital 

Bradford College has successfully navigated from a mix of paper-based and digital systems to a fully digital setup. This shift facilitated more efficient and standardised operations, enhancing overall productivity across the institution by reducing manual errors and saving valuable time. 

“From a compliance perspective, having an audit trail has been so useful, knowing we have everything, including signatures, logged and not lost in paper-based processes. Our compliance team has massively benefitted from improved processes and much shorter turnarounds. It’s easy for employers to log in and see everything now.”

Efficiency and time savings 

The team was experiencing significant administrative strain created by the manual handling of compliance documentation and tasks such as managing learning breaks, withdrawals, and changes in student circumstances. Aptem’s automation and use of trackers have dramatically reduced this admin burden. 

Dominic explains, “When we first started using Aptem, we were not using trackers and realised people sometimes forgot to do certain things like closing down aims, creating inconsistencies in data correlation. Since we started utilising automation trackers, it has been a massive help. It saves a lot of time and ensures everything is done correctly and that we haven’t missed anything. The data we report on is now accurate and as it should be.” 

Data centralisation and reporting 

Centralising the data has improved Bradford College’s audit readiness and compliance tracking. With all new learners on Aptem, reporting accuracy has significantly improved, allowing any past discrepancies to be addressed swiftly. 

“Tools like Power BI reporting and User Generated Reports (UGR) have been invaluable. They allow staff and department heads to access real-time dashboards and performance metrics, streamlining operations and decision-making processes. Just having the dashboards to monitor areas such as caseloads saves us a chunk of time.” 

Enhanced user experience 

“Across the College, ensuring that our programmes are learner-centric is really important.”, said Dominic. “Having a user-friendly system that engages our students and employers is important to help meet this objective. The system has received positive feedback from our students and the employers we work with. Aptem provides a more streamlined and user-friendly experience than our previous systems. This ease of use has contributed to higher satisfaction levels and better engagement with the platform they use daily to manage and track the effectiveness of the learning experience.”

Integrating with epaPRO 

Integrating Aptem with epaPRO, the College’s end-point assessment (EPA) system, has allowed the learner journey to be genuinely end-to-end, from initial enrolment through to final EPA assessment. Before implementing Aptem and integrating with epaPRO, teams had to work across various fragmented systems to manage end-point assessments, resulting in time-consuming manual transfers and additional administrative load. 

The result: significant time savings and simplified workflows, allowing staff to focus more on high-quality programme delivery and learner experience, which improves retention and learner outcomes. 

The ability of the systems to communicate with each other seamlessly has also reduced data silos and ensured consistent and accessible information, particularly for handling end-point assessments. The decision to integrate epaPRO was a strategic move to enhance operations by improving efficiency, ensuring data integrity, simplifying compliance, and ultimately providing a better experience for both staff and students. 

Aptem and Bradford College – a strategically aligned partnership 

Bradford College is optimistic about the future, with forward-thinking, strategic plans around using the Aptem system to enhance its apprenticeship provision. Dominic and the team are confident in Aptem’s ability to adapt to the evolving needs of apprenticeship delivery. Here’s how they explain the strategic alignment of the partnership: 

Continued process streamlining 

Bradford College continues to streamline administrative tasks and processes, with Aptem handling more of the low-value administrative tasks. “With features like process automation and trackers, Aptem takes care of the heavy lifting, allowing our tutors and support staff to concentrate on what truly matters–supporting our learners and enhancing their educational experience.” 

A compelling Aptem product development roadmap 

There is a sense of excitement around the proposed updates and features on Aptem’s product roadmap. Dominic commented, “The regular updates and new features keep pace with our ambitions. The roadmap has promising features that align well with our needs and goals. It’s exciting to see how these enhancements will further improve our processes and user experience.” 

“The reason we will stay with Aptem is because they have demonstrated their ability to keep pace with our ambitions. They are committed to maintaining a best-in-class product, delivering regular updates, and they continue to develop new products and enhancements that support us more broadly than just apprenticeships.” 

Outlook on Aptem Enhance – fast, high-quality solutions that replace admin tasks 

Aptem introduced Aptem Enhance in early 2024, a set of value-multiplying features that deploy the latest AI, Machine Learning and Large Language Model (LLM) technology. These features are designed to free up valuable teaching time, allowing apprenticeship providers to focus their time and resources on providing the best possible learning experience. This advancement will make the journey more engaging, more tailored, and less resource-heavy. 

Dominic expressed enthusiasm for Aptem Enhance, stating, “Aptem Enhance is about constantly reducing unnecessary admin loads and making systems more intuitive and user-friendly. This aligns perfectly with our vision of giving tutors and learners the best possible experience. Every update or new feature released seems to be a step towards making our jobs easier and our education delivery more effective.” 

Broadening the Bradford College and Aptem relationship: Cognitive Assessment and T-Levels 

Bradford College has recently adopted one of Aptem’s newest features, Aptem Assess. 

Aptem Assess is an integrated cognitive assessment tool that enables Bradford College to assess all learners for neurodivergent needs prior to them starting an apprenticeship programme or, if needed, assessing learners mid-programme. “It’s a constructive way for us to identify learners with needs without relying on the learner to disclose this. We’ve found in the past that some learners feel uncomfortable sharing this information, particularly at the application stage. With Aptem Assess integrated into our onboarding process, we assess everyone as part of the onboarding journey, and we can support those who need help from the start, which leads to much better learner outcomes,” Dominic explains. 

He notes, “Aptem Assess enables us to tailor our support and gives tutors a clear picture of each student’s needs right at the start of their programme. This feature is one of many examples of Aptem keeping pace with changing requirements in our sector, a change to the funding rules in this case, and providing a proactive solution.” 

Dominic and the Bradford College team are also considering Aptem to deliver T-Levels. “None of the systems we currently use are suitable for T-Levels, so our Vice Principal asked me to demonstrate Aptem. Apprenticeships and T-Levels aren’t that dissimilar in terms of delivery requirements. Our senior leadership team was very impressed with Aptem. We loaded a qualification into Aptem and built a test programme to demonstrate the delivery. Feedback was extremely positive, and we’re waiting on the next steps.” 

Advice for other institutions 

When planning to implement an integrated system like Aptem, Bradford College highlights the importance of strategic preparation. Key challenges they faced included transitioning to a fully digital platform and managing the change effectively across the institution. 

Selecting the right people 

The Bradford College team took the time to build the right team for the job. They ensured the key team players were knowledgeable and had a positive mindset about this important change initiative. The project team understood and valued their role of championing change and creating energy and enthusiasm among all stakeholders. 

Preparation and setup 

Dominic advises to plan for an intensive setup and planning period. This plan includes system configuration to meet specific needs, customising learning plans, and conducting a comprehensive data cleansing exercise to ensure the new system is accurate and up-to-date. 

Managing change 

Bradford College recognised that some staff may resist change, particularly those accustomed to older systems and paper-based processes. Addressing their concerns and demonstrating the system’s benefits was essential to gain their buy-in. 

“Again, having the right people in the right positions to really drive that positive change and getting other people on board is key, and it’s about having continuous communication about the advantages of a new system and its benefits for staff and learners.” This approach has helped the team promote a cultural shift towards embracing digital transformation and managing change. 

“Automation and process tracking have streamlined many aspects of our work. It made a big difference once we fully started utilising Aptem’s capabilities and features. Our processes are much smoother now. The key takeaway is to fully leverage the system’s vast capabilities and take the time to understand how to utilise them effectively.” 

Dominic summarises, “one of the key reasons we selected Aptem was that it is an end-to-end system. Having all our information and data in one place rather than scattered everywhere has been instrumental for our reporting and compliance capabilities. We now have greater accuracy and depth of reporting whilst simplifying the process. As a result, we have far more time to focus on the things that really matter: learner engagement, learner outcomes, and supporting employers and tutors.” 

If you want to transform the way you deliver apprenticeships in a cost-effective, efficient and compliant way, get in touch or book a demo.