Off the job training

What is off the job (OTJ) training?

This is a statutory requirement set out in the apprentice funding rules for all apprentices, designed to help ap- prentices learn and reflect on their development. It typically includes the following activities:

OTJ relating to university study:

• Lectures
• Tutorials and seminars
• Writing assignments and projects
• Independent research   

OTJ facilitated by the workplace:

• In-house training/CPD
• Coaching or mentoring sessions
•  Work shadowing
•  Industry visits

What is the OTJ requirement?

All apprentices need to spend at least an equivalent of 6 hours per week in OTJ training activities, which equates to 278 hours per year. OTJ must take place during contracted working hours and we would encourage employers to agree a higher number of hours so apprentices have sufficient time to successfully complete their studies.

We must also be able to illustrate this requirement over the duration of the degree apprenticeship and that learning takes place each month. To keep these records, we use the APTEM platform which is why we all need to engage with the APTEM software.

How does this OTJ requirement fit into the degree at Harper Adams?

We recommend that apprentices will need more than the minimum 278 hours to successfully complete the degree apprenticeship, and they will need time within their contracted hours but outside the University tuition blocks to work on assignments and prepare for assessments.

The minimum requirement is met by the 8 block teaching weeks on campus, assuming the apprentice commits 35 hours to attending lectures and tutorials, alongside taking advantage of independent study time to conduct research, write assignments and access support services face to face while on campus. If your apprentice is contracted to work more than 35 hours per week, you may wish to agree that their time on campus is counted as a full working week and therefore your expectation is that they spend this time studying and preparing for assessments etc.

We recommend that the average apprentice would require at least 1- 2 study hours per week during the aca- demic outside of campus weeks for study. Revision for exams or TOBAs may require more time. The recommendation is that you provide around 14 days per year above the minimum requirement.

In addition to study time, apprentices will be required to record any additional learning that takes place in the workplace, such as shadowing, in-house training that relates to the apprenticeship, industry visits etc.

We recommend this time is allocated through discussion with the line manager and apprentice. The assessment schedule is published at the beginning of the academic year, so you can identify blocks of time (maybe half or whole days) around assessment submission dates in advance to plan the learning activities into the diary of the apprentice.