On 14th May, Director of Learning & Technology Paul Fegan, and Transformation Lead Sara Smith headed to the ICC in Birmingham for the Aptem 2026 Conference. The day was billed as a gathering of the Aptem customer community, a chance to hear about new innovation and to share ideas. What they didn’t expect was to come home with an award.
The Apprentice Academy was presented with the Aptem Trailblazer Award at the inaugural Aptem Customer Excellence Awards, a new category created to recognise training providers who are setting the standard for what the Aptem platform is capable of.
A transition that wasn’t easy
The Apprentice Academy made the decision to adopt Aptem as its Learner Management System in 2025. The goal was to merge their onboarding, e-portfolio and funding systems into one, for consistency, efficiency and an improved learner experience.
Minimising disruption and migrating 1000 plus apprentices was essential for the project to be a success. It meant the Apprentice Academy team had to learn new processes and transform the way it worked before any benefits were seen.
Just as the team were finding their feet with the new system, Aptem released an ‘enhanced reviews feature.’ Within 90 days of going live with the new feature, the Academy team had completed over 2,700 learner reviews. To put that in context, that’s not a gradual roll-out or a cautious pilot. That’s full adoption, delivered by a team that were committed to making it work.
What this meant for our apprentices
Removing the burden of manual notetaking meant our coaches got meaningful time back, time that could be spent on the things that make our provision what it is. Supporting our apprentices, having better conversations, and focusing on outcomes rather than time-consuming administration.
For apprentices on programme, that shift is meaningful. A coach who isn’t buried in paperwork is a coach who can give more. That’s what learner-centred delivery looks like and our Google reviews are testimony to the amount of personal support our coaches give their learners.
The Apprentice Academy’s approach also contributed something beyond their own organisation. By sharing honest feedback with Aptem throughout the process, the team helped shape how the review feature developed, not just for themselves, but for the wider Aptem community. As Aptem put it:
‘The best customers don’t just use the platform well. They help to make it better.’
A team effort
When asked what they were most proud of, Sara’s answer wasn’t the stat or the award. It was the team.
Embedding a new system into an organisation takes more than a simple decision from the leadership team. It takes every person involved choosing to engage with something unfamiliar, pushing through the early stages, and trusting that the effort will be worth it.
Managing Director Alison Bagnall had the following words to say:
‘A lovely surprise and testimony to a huge One Team effort from everyone involved in this IT migration, including all programme managers, coaches, trainers, our learners, and the Aptem Project team. This was a very big project and was dealt with very competently with very few issues that impacted our learners – well done team!’
Huge credit to everyone at The Apprentice Academy who embraced Aptem and made this possible. Sara and Paul brought the award home, but it well and truly belongs to the whole team.
What this means going forward
Systems and learning are not separate. They work together to enhance the learner experience. Employers who partner with us can have confidence that the infrastructure supporting their employees is not just functional, but genuinely setting the standard. If you’d like to find out more about how The Apprentice Academy supports apprentices and employers throughout the apprenticeship journey, you can get in touch with us here.
