Apprentice Voice Supporting learners to make change

So who am I and where am I from? Ben Kinross Learner Representatives Project Officer Learner Voice Practitioner, Youth worker and occasional Trombone player working for National Union of Students to develop the National Society of Apprentices.

Activity Identify a situation you’ve experienced where you could see something could be improved: Did you know who could change it? Could you tell them? Did they change it? how did that feel?

Where’s it from & what does it do Natural – we learn through conversation Education: Freire, Hooks, Jeffs, Coffield If you are part of the process you have part of the solution Identifying what works and what doesn’t Finding solutions together - coproduction

What does else it do? Supports quality improvement in teaching and learning by highlighting best practice Promotes vonlunteering and civic education Develops leadership skills – organisations aren’t fossils, learning how to support organisational change is a key work skill

Where’s this Learner Voice thing going? Learning Advocates – Castleford UnionLearn Roving reporter - ACT Learner Voice Forum – Doncaster GTA Apprentice Committees - Siemens Time to talk learner voice cafes – First4skills

Values in Learner Voice Democracy Equality Collectivism 1.Where have you seen this value in action? 2.How is this relevant to apprentices at your training provider? 3.How could expressing these values look at your training provider?

Where there’s more help? How do you learn new stuff? Read – books and content Talk – peer networks Do – try it out Watch – visit someone else LVP Network – join it, learn from it, contribute to it – Tony Payne

Speaking and Listening - Dialogue Congratulations – the gig fairy has arrived and handed you 2 tickets to your favourite musical event but you can only have them if your partner can guess who you’re going to see – you can only answer yes or no…

Words words words Using any words you like please describe your journey to work today? What kind of things are easy to talk about, what do apprentices already have a “language of”, what topics might they need support to express about.

What might learners want to talk about? Relationships with peers Assignments Feedback Training needs English and Maths Money Managers Teaching and Learning Facilities Completion dates Job responsibilities

Whole group participation Some groups of people within society have less of a voice than others. In a group of learners who might be the most vocal? Who might speak up less often? Within apprentice voice our role is often to facilitate the participation of quieter learners.

Responding When apprentices tell us what they think where does this information go? How do we keep learners informed? Apprentice voice depends on communicating what has changed to: Apprentices Employers Colleagues

The end, or rather, the beginning Please ask questions, make comments and get in touch.