How Umbrella Training monitor the wellbeing of their learners
At Umbrella Training we take very seriously topics around stress, and we actively promote wellbeing practises.
Our commitment to welfare is clear even before an apprentice starts their leanring journey. During the skills and eligibility interview we ask specific questions around wellbeing and mental health, to encourage the new applicants to share openly their stress levels, workload worries, anxiety or any other difficulty they might be going through.
We ask specific questions aimed at understanding, for example, the quality of sleep and sleep patterns of the applicants. If we assess that they might benefit from additional support, we ensure that the assigned Learning Consultant prepares a plan to look after them, providing the adequate IAG (Information, advice and Guidance) on a regular basis.
Our amazing LCs are also brilliant at encouraging line managers to ensure that the apprentice’s weekly schedule includes regular breaks and that monthly training sessions with us are not scheduled on their days off.
Through group discussions and on a 1to1 basis, we encourage our apprentices to open up and share situations that may be stressful or challenging to them.
When an apprentice is under pressure, for example, due to shortage of staff in their department, our LCs are always ready to amend the scheme of work to include more workplace observations and less written work-based assignments, to reduce workload and avoid overwhelming them.
Our LCs also recommend meditation tools and podcasts to provide our apprentices with helpful guided relaxation practices.
Whatever it is, the first training session topic across all the standards of our provision, regardless of the programme level, centres around self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
The group discussions that are planned within our schemes of work, and moderated by our LCs in every lesson, ignite an open dialogue process around topics of stress, mental load and anxiety.
Our essential steps to encourage apprentices to start focusing on a healthier way of living are:
Empowering our apprentices to recognise their own stress levels when they are too high
Highlight how stress levels might affect personal health and relationships
Encouraging apprentices to talk openly
Coaching managers and leaders to open the same type of dialogue within their teams
