What the Onefile conference taught me about learning

By Sydney Ball, PR Executive at Branagh PR, Apprentice and Onefile user 

Attending the Onefile Anniversary Conference in Manchester was a great experience and one I found genuinely eye-opening as an apprentice who uses the platform regularly. Not only was it interesting to see the company's journey from the city where it all began, but it also gave me a better understanding of how much thought and effort goes into shaping the experience for learners such as myself. 

Hearing from Susanna Lawson, one of the founders, was a real highlight. Her passion for making the education experience better came across so clearly, and it reminded me that the platform I've seen only at surface level in my training so far was created with a deeper purpose: to make learning more accessible and more effective. The fact Onefile has reached over 2 million users is impressive, but what stood out to me most was how learner-focused their whole philosophy is. It felt reassuring to know that people behind the scenes really care about our experience, our needs and our success.  

There were lots of honest discussions throughout the day - especially in the speaker panels - about how apprenticeships have been undervalued in the past. Jane Boothman, from the University of Central Lancashire, spoke really openly about the way apprenticeships used to be viewed in higher education, sometimes seen as "dumbing down" compared to traditional degrees. It made me reflect on how far things have come and how much more respected work-based learning is now. As someone who has completed a degree previously and is now experiencing both sides of learning, the value in both is definitely evident. For me, learning on the job has felt very engaging and relevant - everything I'm doing has a real-world application, and I can see the immediate impact of my work. It's built my confidence and helped me to understand the workplace in a way I never could have in a lecture hall. In saying this, I do also strongly believe in the benefit of a degree in building base skills such as writing clearly and planning content. I have found this particularly useful when articulating my knowledge and experience in the PR sector so far in my written reflections. Jane's point about appreciating how busy apprentices are also really stuck with me - this was a recurring theme across the speakers of the day, and it was encouraging to see that alongside the consideration of learner training experience, many providers also understand the pressures apprentices face whilst trying to balance working full time with studying. 

Matt Smith from Realise also gave some really good insight from a training provider's perspective. I was particularly interested in the Onefile "Engage" tool he mentioned, which flags if learners are falling behind. It was nice to hear that providers are keeping an eye out for us as learners and that support might be available before you even need it. He described this as Onefile making the training experience "proactive" instead of "reactive". From an apprentice's point of view, this was great to hear. There's often a fear that if you're struggling, you won't realise until it's too late or you won't feel confident enough to speak up. But hearing that training providers are being equipped to spot those signs early shows they're not just waiting for things to go wrong - they're actively trying to help you stay on track. That shift from reactive to proactive from the training provider's side is beneficial in being seen and supported as a learner without having to wave the red flag yourself when it feels too late. 

The apprentice panel later in the day was probably the part I connected with the most. Most notably, hearing other learners talk about the importance of good communication between employer and provider. I liked the analogy one learner used - a pyramid where all three sides (learner, provider, and employer) need to stay connected for the whole thing to work. It raised a good point about the experience of trying to join the dots between your workplace and your employer at times, and how a consistent flow of communication between all sides can help the workflow for the learner. 

It was also exciting as a user to hear about the upcoming updates to Onefile - especially the improvements to the journal and potential AI features to help with feedback and getting started on tasks.  Often, you don't know what you're missing until you get assessed - so having an AI tool that could flag missing KSBs or recommended ways to improve would save so much time in the process. Even just helping you get started with a task - which is sometimes the hardest part - would be incredibly helpful when you're juggling deadlines, client work, and study time. From my point of view, anything that makes the process quicker and less overwhelming is a huge win.  

Overall, I left the conference feeling much more connected to the platform I use so often. It's easy to forget there's a whole team working behind the scenes, constantly looking for ways to make things better for us. It was a reminder that we were not just numbers on a dashboard - we're learners being supported every step of the way. It was also really valuable to hear from all sides of the learning experience - from training providers to Onefile themselves - and to see how closely they work together to improve outcomes for apprentices like me.