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Apprenticeships

Keeping Apprentices Switched On: Why Engagement Holds the Key

 

It is the same for learners in almost any setting, including apprenticeships: when they are more actively involved in the learning process, they are much more likely to pay attention, stay motivated, process information and retain knowledge. You could say that learner engagement is the cornerstone of effective learning, and this is certainly the case with apprentices.  The central importance to learning of engagement is why Onefile has been hard at work in recent months developing a piece of software that helps learners, tutors and employers engage. It's now with us and, yes, we have called it Onefile Engage. A good time, then, to focus on the benefits of better engagement in the management of apprenticeships.  The three aspects of learner engagement   In common with other areas of education and training, there are three aspects to learner engagement in apprenticeships: 
  • behavioural 
  • emotional 
  • cognitive 
These are interconnected. We know that apprentices who are behaviourally engaged are more likely to be cognitively engaged, and feeling good emotionally can motivate them to participate more actively.   The close relationship between these aspects of learner engagement is why effective training providers will always strive to create learning experiences that address all three, fostering a holistic and positive learning environment for every apprentice. Indeed, there are signs that a lack of learner engagement helps to explain the below-target completion rates in this country.  An urgent need for better apprenticeship engagement  Apprenticeships are precious opportunities, for the apprentice and the employer. Yet broadly speaking, for every one apprenticeship that reaches completion, another one falls short. Drop-outs are all too common in apprenticeships.   There are many, interlinking reasons for this. We know from our new report into apprenticeship completion rates 'Maximising Apprenticeship Success: The Case for Learner Engagement', that many learners struggle with a lack of time to finish their off-the-job (OTJ) training alongside their 'on-the-job' tasks. Some apprentices complain about a lack of supervision. Others want more interesting content. What is clear from our report and other surveys and insights on apprenticeships, is that the three-way relationship between employer, learner and training provider is absolutely critical to the success of apprenticeships. 'Maximising Apprenticeship Success: The Case for Learner Engagement'  reveals a call for more mentors in the workplace, who can use their own experiences as an apprentice to help guide the learner. This is a clear indication that, at times, the apprentice needs a helping hand on their journey. This is support from someone who understands completely the journey they are on.  The completion rates and the findings of research tell us something that is fundamental about the needs of every learner, at every level of education: to be successful in their studies, they need to be engaged.  We mention here the three aspects of learner engagement. Well, actually, the employer must be engaged with the apprentice, too, with a good understanding of the combined pressures of OTJ and on-the-job tasks. There is little in our report to suggest tutors are not engaged with their learners, but we can see from the findings that the frequency of meetings between tutors and learners varies widely.    We know from our years of experience talking to tutors and employers that a successful apprentice is usually an engaged apprentice. In this busy, ever-changing world of work, how do we then ensure our apprentices are engaged? How do we know when an apprentice is losing enthusiasm and motivation, and edging ever closer to dropping out?  We have the technology  Software powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and data science can enable us to do three critical things to ensure our apprentices are engaged with their tutors and employers. It can: 
  1. Flag the warning signs when our apprentice is at risk at dropping out.
  2. Keep the apprentice on track, with regular contact and opportunities to engage. 
  3. Tailor the learning experience to the apprentice's early needs. 
A programme such as Onefile Engage can gather, clean and analyse data gathered from both the outcomes of hundreds of thousands of other apprenticeships, and those of apprentices in your own business or organisation. We then take this data and use machine learning (a sub-field of AI) to essentially 'learn from experience'. We are learning from the experiences of apprentices in your organisation, and from those of learners across the country.  So, for example, this technology can flag up when a learner is falling behind with their studies. It can spot the warning signs, which then trigger a friendly notification to the learner, asking if they're ok. We blend these automated interventions, or 'micro-interactions', with proactive 'nudges' to you and your team based on what the data says.  This is the software as engagement toolkit. Risks are flagged and then addressed. The automated interventions do not replace the human-to-human engagement - they complement it. The micro-interventions are a gentle reminder, or an opportunity for the learner to reach out for help. They can serve as an early warning system when not responded to.   The careful application of technology such as Onefile Engage can play an important role in closing those gaps in engagement that naturally happen day-to-day when people are busy. This is education tech that will help you protect your investment, support your learners and cut the risk of loss of funding.   For more information about Onefile Engage, click here to speak to an expert.
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© 2025 Onefile Ltd is registered in England with company number 4404879. The registered office is: 6th Floor, Cornerblock, Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3HN. VAT Number 792825685 © Onefile Ltd, 2005-2024. All Rights Reserved.

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