A class of apprentices discovered a new way of learning at Abingdon & Witney College, far removed from the typical workplace assessment and classroom day release surroundings.

The six Business Administration apprentices are currently employed in a variety of sectors from businesses of all sizes, including a local school, the University of Oxford, and Blenheim Palace Estate.

To ensure they are not missing out on essential study time, tutor Tracey Lee created bespoke content for a digital session, incorporating Microsoft Teams and other online resources to ensure an engaging lesson for apprentices.

“The situation for apprentices is unique when comparing to full-time students”, said Tracey. “Their training session lasts for the whole day – so when thinking digitally, it can be challenging to replicate classroom dynamics that keep motivation high.”

“Initial feedback suggests it’s a huge benefit in some ways to the students – they are getting more 1:1 time, more individual support, and it can be more accessible. For example, one of the students has had to self-isolate; by teaching in this way, they could still learn despite this thanks to the technology.”

Feedback from the apprentices included:“I prefer it as I have all the resources and links sent to me and I can be more independent which I prefer”, commented one student, with another highlighting “the comfort of being at home and learning a new skill using Teams.”

“It allowed a lot of time to research and watch the content, which greatly benefited and we all managed to work together to not talk over one another or clash.”

Whilst the classroom dynamic element can’t be replaced, it’s a fantastic step towards harnessing technology to offer a blended learning experience.