Whole Person Development (WPD) is not unique to TTE. It’s a well-established and documented concept that focuses on a person’s softer skills – the personal and the emotional, namely the ability for someone to know themselves, know how to improve themselves, know others, and know how to help others improve.
At TTE we have a particular approach, one that befits and is reflected in an Ofsted-recognised outstanding training provider. Our apprenticeship training is so much more than helping people land a qualification or two at the end of a number of years. While that is of crucial importance, we want to help our apprentices prepare for the world of work and, when there, to be able to enjoy it and progress for many years to come.
We aim to develop and instil into our trainees through accelerated and experiential learning, the key capabilities and supporting behaviours which will not only enable them to work, think and operate effectively in the workplace, but also make them ‘leaders in their field’.
And the key to that is our approach to WPD which is fully integrated and planned into our training programmes and which is a continuous on-going process embracing all areas of training and further education. It’s something that is not only appreciated by those who experience WPD, but also by all of our customers.
Expanding and Achieving Your Full Potential
For many years we have linked up with the Brathay Trust, a youth and family charity based in the Lake District whose mission is to improve the lives of children and young people based on the belief that everyone has the capacity to do extraordinary things that can inspire and benefit others.
We challenged them to help deliver more of the skills our apprentices needed to be truly effective employees and make our WPD programme impactful and long lasting.
Together we developed a unique three year personal development programme with the first two phases embedded into TTE’s training programme and phase 3 being optional.
Each of our apprentices spends a week each year at Brathay taking part in a variety of outdoor, creative and mental challenges enabling them to gain deeper personal understanding, to identify and practise new behaviours and to be challenged within a stretching and novel physical environment.
The first year visit focuses on developing personal awareness, increasing self-confidence and basic team working. The second year introduces team dynamics, personal accountability and continuous performance improvement. The final year covers influencing others, leading groups and networking.
Frank Rogers, TTE training officer and Brathay liaison, said: “Brathay is an important part of what we do. With Brathay’s input it helps us to bring out the best in our trainees, encouraging them to focus on themselves and what they can bring as a young person into an organisation.
“Sometimes they don’t realise themselves that they have those skills. So, we ask them to look at themselves; what they can contribute to a team when they go out into an organisation to make that team more effective; and what they have to lead other people and actually really have an impact on the organisation in which they are working, so that they are tuned in for what lies ahead after their training.”
The Foundation of Employability
TTE’s WPD programme has seen an improvement in the calibre of apprentices on completion of their training, with the vast majority being offered full time positions within their sponsoring companies, with many progressing to senior positions.
Brathay’s own website says: “Apprentices are recognised as effective, self-confident employees, able to communicate efficiently with a clear awareness of what an effective team is and how they contribute to its success. TTE and the sponsoring companies have also seen increased motivation and loyalty of apprentices.”
The bottom line is that the sum of the WPD programme is allowing our young people to become independent – as Brathay’s approach details: Awareness, Choice, Action.
Our apprentices’ wellbeing is the cornerstone of our training. The practical training we give them allows them to perform an engineering based role, but the additional focus on the person gives them that extra edge and helps them apply those practical skills to the best of their ability throughout their working lives.
As Brathay’s head of research, Lucy Maynard says: “Wellbeing is the foundation of employability, educational engagement and attainment.”
To find out more visit our Whole Personal Development page.