Meet our HR Support Programme Lead: Q&A with Jill Measures
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Jill Measures is the Programme Lead of United Learning’s HR Support in Education apprenticeship. With over 37 years of HR experience in both the private and public sector, Jill brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of effective HR support.
We caught up with Jill to offer an insight into the programme, including what’s involved, how it works, and her advice for prospective apprentices and employers.
What type of content is covered on the programme?
We cover six units:
1. An overview of business
Helps apprentices further their understanding of the business they work in, as well as strategy and culture.
2. Resourcing talent
Covers recruitment, selection and best practice up until onboarding.
3. Supporting effective employee relations
Focuses on casework of attendance management, discipline capability and all relevant employee relations policies.
4. Recording, analysing and using HR information
Highlighting processes, procedures and best practice.
5. Performance and reward management
Tailored to the school environment.
6. Self-development
Everything that will help apprentices develop as a professional.
What's the day-to-day experience of the apprentices on the programme?
The programme is mostly online. There’s regular interactive webinars which include breakout groups, allowing apprentices to share best practice and examples from their schools. Regular 1:1s provide an opportunity to talk about how they’re finding the programme.
There’s self-directed work, too. Apprentices are given tasks that are relevant to their HR work in schools and trusts. In addition to the core learning, there’s reading, quizzes and a HR handbook.
Occasionally, there are career talks and other supportive webinars as well.
How does this coincide with their day-to-day role?
We notice it really boosts apprentices’ confidence in dealing with things in their day-to-day role, especially as they know the background to a subject a little bit more and can reference what we have covered.
We also do our best to tailor the programme to the timing of the academic year. For example, in September there’s a focus on induction and good practice with onboarding employees, and the performance management unit coincides with the performance management rounds in schools and trusts.
How do you support and guide apprentices through their journey?
We make sure apprentices have all the dates and details of the programme ahead of time so that they can prepare in advance. We make sure apprentices can have lots of interactions with us, so they feel supported along the way.
All work is submitted into a system called one file, which I use to mark their work and provide feedback, so there’s lots of interaction about how they’re doing.
Each apprentice also has a mentor, and we have progress meetings with them about how they're doing so that someone in school is well informed.
Are there any additional resources or support systems in place that helps apprentices succeed in their studies or practical work?
We provide support in careers, study skills and plenty of overall guidance. Study skills can be particularly helpful for apprentices who haven’t studied for a long time, as we can help them in best practise with studying. We also do the CIPD events and invite the apprentices along to those.
We also know that HR in a school or trust is a really busy job. That’s why we make sure apprentices’ off-the-job time is protected and take a flexible approach where necessary. For example, if an apprentice needs to move their study time to accommodate an event in school.
What advice would you give to prospective apprentices who are considering the programme?
It’s really a 3-way split between us, the employer and the apprentice working together to develop the apprentice. There is a lot to the programme and a lot to learn, but what's fantastic (about all apprenticeships) is that you are being paid on the job to study something that benefits you.
I think the apprentices absolutely love being away from the job to focus on their learning and then going back in with fresh eyes. Sometimes it's challenging, I'll be truthful, but most of the time it's great. There's a real advantage to doing an apprenticeship and learning within your role about the things you are doing there.
What advice would you give to prospective employers looking to hire a HR apprentice or upskill their existing staff?
I would say it’s a win-win. They can help a new hire to learn within their role in school and receive best practices at the same time, so it develops both the apprentice and the school.
In addition, apprentices are well supported by our team, and they know they can e-mail us and ask questions. So employers are supported through the process of onboarding and developing a new colleague into a HR professional.