Apprentice Supervision: New Insights

Apprentice supervisors and line managers who deploy softer management skills effectively find it harder to deliver more practical support techniques, according to the latest research.

Research recently conducted by Damar Training reveals gaps between certain competencies that apprentice supervisors perceive as vital to their management approach and their ability to deploy them in practice.

Apprentice supervisors highlight the importance of using softer management skills with apprentices, such as building rapport (91%) and supporting wellbeing and motivation (91%), with 81% and 84% respectively stating they deploy these skills “very well”.  

However, gaps emerge in other critical areas. For example, although 94% of supervisors consider providing constructive/positive feedback an important skill in their role, only 66% believe they do it “very well”. More than three-quarters (76%) of supervisors rate keeping apprentices on track with their apprenticeship as important, though fewer than half (42%) rate highly their ability to do so. And while the task of allocating appropriate work to apprentices is deemed important by 87% of supervisors, just over half (58%) feel they do it “very well”.

Jonathan Bourne, Managing Director of Damar Training, said: “The research finding that apprentices’ supervisors are increasingly strong when it comes to so-called ‘softer’ management skills aligns with what we see outside the apprenticeship arena.

 “This is undoubtedly positive but developing highly-performing colleagues and teams also means being able to have more difficult conversations when required, as well as providing clear direction around work and study.”

Other challenges supervisors face include finding time to support apprentices (53%) and understanding how the apprenticeship works (42%). Conversely, supervisors claim they are managing other challenges well, such as giving apprentices off-the-job study time (80%) and keeping apprentices engaged and motivated (76%).

Jonathan Bourne added: “Time is always at a premium for managers. However, investing as much as possible, especially at the start of the apprenticeship, in understanding the programme and the support available from your training provider delivers efficiencies and greater impact down the line.”

Despite some apprentice supervisors finding aspects of their role challenging, there is overwhelming recognition of the benefits that apprentices bring. 94% of supervisors say apprentices bring value to their organisations, with 89% of supervisors valuing the opportunity to watch someone develop and grow, 70% of supervisors highlighting the new ideas and perspectives apprentices create, along with energy and motivation (56%), freeing up others’ time (48%) and productivity (46%).

Damar Training’s Apprentice Supervisor Report provides guidance for supervisors and their employers based on their experience of providing organisations with more than 1,300 apprentices across a variety of apprenticeship programmes in 2024. The advice covers skills, competence and behavioural aspects including:

• Confidence building as a supervisor
• Committing dedicated time to apprentice input
• Creating a clear feedback method
• Building capability and experience through delegating suitable tasks
• Matching work activities to the apprenticeship standard.