Launching a Trailblazing Community Safety Apprenticeship: How Resolve ASB Used Aptem to Build a Programme with Purpose 

For more than 25 years, Resolve ASB has operated as a Centre of Excellence in community safety and anti-social behaviour (ASB), supporting local authorities, housing providers, police forces and community-sector organisations across England. Its work is driven by a clear and deeply rooted mission: to prevent harm, reduce anti-social behaviour and make communities safer places to live. 

That mission took on new urgency when Resolve ASB helped lead the development of the UK’s first Community Safety Officer Level 4 apprenticeship standard – a trailblazing programme designed to professionalise and raise standards across the sector. 

But creating a new apprenticeship standard is only the beginning. As a first-time apprenticeship provider, Resolve ASB faced the challenge of launching a complex, regulated programme from scratch – while ensuring quality, compliance and scalability from day one. 

This article explores how Resolve ASB partnered with Aptem to successfully launch its Community Safety apprenticeship, widen participation, and lay the foundations for future growth. 

The context: From CPD excellence to apprenticeship delivery 

Resolve ASB is a membership organisation with a national footprint. Its patron, Dr Baroness Helen Newlove – former Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales – brings lived experience and public leadership to an organisation rooted in preventing tragedy at community level. 

Training has long been central to Resolve ASB’s work. The organisation delivers CPD-accredited programmes and consultancy services, and five years ago expanded its offer through the acquisition of a BTEC Community Safety provision. 

However, members increasingly expressed frustration at the lack of an accredited apprenticeship route into community safety roles. 

As Jacky Ellison, Head of Learning and Development, explains: 

“Our members were frustrated that they couldn’t offer apprenticeships in Community Safety because there wasn’t an accredited programme. So we supported a trailblazer group to create the first apprenticeship standard in our sector.” 

In 2021, the ASB Community Safety Officer Level 4 standard was approved, alongside Resolve ASB’s application to the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP). Resolve ASB became – and remains – the only provider in the UK able to deliver this standard. 

The challenge: Launching an apprenticeship as a new provider 

Delivering apprenticeships is complex even for experienced providers. For Resolve ASB, the pressure was amplified by the fact that apprenticeships were entirely new to the organisation. 

Key challenges included: 

• Establishing compliant processes from the ground up 

• Designing a two-year learning plan aligned to a brand-new standard 

• Selecting a system that could support a small internal team 

• Delivering flexible, blended learning to a national cohort 

• Ensuring reporting and management information met regulatory expectations 

As Anne Gronan, Project and Partnerships Lead, notes: 

“Delivering an apprenticeship programme – especially a new standard – is challenging for the most experienced providers. When you’re new to apprenticeships and setting everything up for the first time, the pressure is much higher.” 

Resolve ASB knew that technology alone would not be enough. They needed both a robust system and an experienced partner to guide them through implementation and early delivery. 

Why Aptem: Flexibility, compliance and partnership 

When procuring an apprenticeship management system, Resolve ASB undertook in-depth research, supported by an external consultant. Their requirements were clear. 

They needed: 

• An end-to-end system covering onboarding to completion 

• The ability to customise and adapt learning plans as programmes evolved 

• In-built, easy-to-digest reporting for compliance and quality assurance 

• Dashboards suitable for board-level oversight 

• A professional learner experience that reflected the organisation’s brand 

Aptem stood out for its balance of flexibility and structure. Embedded Power BI dashboards focusing on Quality, Ofsted, Compliance and Funding were described as “indispensable” for governance and assurance. 

Equally important was confidence in Aptem’s experience delivering complex public-sector programmes, including policing-related apprenticeships. 

As Jacky explains: 

“In the end we selected the system we felt could support a small team, do a lot of the admin heavy lifting for us through process automation, and deliver an excellent user experience for our learners and their employers.” 

Implementation: Taking time to get it right 

Implementation began in mid-January 2022 and was completed over three months. Resolve ASB deliberately chose not to rush the process. 

With apprenticeships new to the organisation – and staff absences due to Covid still impacting capacity – the team focused on careful preparation and sustainable design. 

Training sessions were recorded to ensure continuity, and close collaboration with Aptem’s Implementation Consultant helped translate requirements into practical system configuration. 

One key recommendation was to build the first three months of the programme into Aptem before launch, giving learners early visibility of what lay ahead. 

This approach aligned perfectly with Resolve ASB’s delivery philosophy. Aptem’s flexibility allowed the team to: 

• Provide clear structure without over-prescribing content 

• Adapt modules as learner needs emerged 

• Accommodate different working patterns, experience levels and availability 

• Deliver a blended model combining online learning with monthly classroom sessions 

Widening participation through flexible delivery 

Resolve ASB’s learner cohorts include professionals working across local authorities, housing associations, police forces and community support organisations. 

The programme is delivered nationally, with learners from Bolton to Bradford enrolled in early cohorts. Most delivery takes place online through Aptem, supported by assignments, assessments, discussion groups and targeted face-to-face teaching. 

The intuitive user interface has been a critical enabler of this model, making it easier to deliver high-quality learning at scale while maintaining flexibility. 

As Jacky notes: 

“Aptem’s user interface is really intuitive and easy to use. This enables us to widen participation and deliver the programme in a flexible way.” 

A standout onboarding experience 

One area where Resolve ASB has seen particular benefit is onboarding. 

Aptem allows the organisation to brand onboarding journeys, control messaging and tailor content – all while meeting strict compliance requirements. 

Access to early data, including learner demographics, geographical spread, prior experience and qualifications, enables Resolve ASB to individualise learner journeys from the outset. 

This early personalisation: 

• Improves learner experience 

• Supports engagement and retention 

• Increases the likelihood of successful completion 

Looking ahead: Apprenticeships and beyond 

Demand for the Community Safety apprenticeship has grown rapidly, even with a deliberately soft-marketing launch focused on quality over volume. 

Resolve ASB selected Aptem with long-term growth firmly in mind. The organisation plans to: 

• Scale apprenticeship delivery to meet national demand 

• Use Aptem to deliver BTEC and CPD programmes 

• Support learners undertaking multiple programmes with a consistent experience 

As Jacky summarises: 

“When we procured Aptem we were looking for a system that could grow with us, supporting high-demand programmes and a small internal team. The expert partnership was really important.” 

Advice for new apprenticeship providers 

Reflecting on their journey, Resolve ASB highlights several key lessons for organisations entering apprenticeships: 

• Do not underestimate the time required to design a two-year learning plan 

• Be clear upfront about who needs to be involved in implementation and training 

• Invest in experienced apprenticeship expertise early 

• Prioritise reporting and compliance visibility from day one 

Having access to real-time dashboards and structured management information has helped Resolve ASB maintain quality assurance while focusing on learner impact. 

Conclusion: Technology in service of social impact 

For Resolve ASB, Aptem has enabled more than compliant apprenticeship delivery. It has provided the infrastructure needed to translate a powerful social mission into a sustainable, scalable training programme. 

By combining flexible learning design, strong governance and an expert implementation partnership, Resolve ASB has successfully launched a first-of-its-kind apprenticeship that is already widening participation and strengthening community safety practice across the UK.