How to write a L7 Apprenticeship Portfolio

I've recently completed my Level 7 Apprenticeship. One of the more onerous tasks was completing the portfolio. This document was the source of much stress and confusion with our cohort. This blog post attempts to demystify it and provides a template to make it easy to complete.

My main piece of advice is that you should read the official guidance from the Institute For Apprenticeships. If your training provider or Skills Coach tells you something which contradicts the Institute's advice - defer to the Institute.

So, what is the point of the portfolio?

The portfolio presents evidence from real-work projects and is used to help the apprentice to answer questions in the Professional Discussion.

That's it. When you have your Professional Discussion, you are expected to use your portfolio to answer any question you may be asked. If the assessor says "Tell me about a time you..." then all you need to do is find the answer in your portfolio and talk about it for a few minutes.

The apprentice uses their portfolio to answer questions in the professional discussion and may also reference other work they have undertaken in the workplace. Both the independent assessor and the apprentice will have access to the portfolio before and during the Professional Discussion

How should it be presented?

The portfolio must be an e portfolio presented digitally or on line

If your training provider tells you to use PebblePad - you can politely tell them you'd rather use Google Docs, Office 365, WordPress, or whatever you want.

OK, so what should be in it?

It must include: * a contents list and mapping against the knowledge, skills and behaviours; * a brief introduction/commentary by the apprentice, and highlighting, where appropriate, anything they would do differently; * evidence from two pieces of work that cover the core KSB’s and that will provide a structure for the professional discussion;

That's two answers per question, with a bit of evidence, and some reflection. Easy!

Right! Let's get cracking! But first, a disclaimer. This worked for me - that doesn't guarantee it will work for you. I passed my EPA Professional Discussion using a portfolio that I'd written in this style.

The Template

Here's the template I used:

• Situation - some background to show you understand the academic basis of the question.
• Task - the outcome you were trying to achieve. Or what you were asked to do.
• Action - what you actually did.
• Response - did it work? Include a screenshot of evidence.
• Reflect - "If I were to do this again, I would do ... This would have been better because... On reflection, the activity made me feel..."

Each of those needs no more that a few sentences. I literally copy and pasted that and filled it in. This isn't a creative writing exercise. You're not trying to hit an excessive word count. You are trying to efficiently answer the questions.

I aimed for about 40 words - 2 or 3 sentences - per section. Around 200 words per answer. The chances of your assessor reading any more than that is slim.

Examples

Here's a sample assessment criteria.

How to justify the value of technology investments and apply benefits

And here are my two pieces of evidence.

Situation 1

The UK's Health Data Research agency (HDRUK) wanted to convene a panel of experts to assess NHS related technology investments and their benefits (Stokel-Walker, 2021). They specifically needed expertise in determining the value-for-money of these technology investments and whether the benefits were worthwhile. In a UK health data context, this means Quality-Adjusted Life Years (Torrance and Feeny, 1989).

Task

I was asked to sit on the panel due to my strong experience with complex health technology projects. I had to assess dozens of different projects and justify whether HDRUK should invest in them - and what the benefits would be.

Action

I read several complex proposals and discussed them with other panel members. I quizzed the proposal writers on the benefits, their business plans, EBITDA, and other matters. I coordinated with my team to ensure that my attendance at these workshops would not negatively impact our other deliverables.

Result

HDRUK was pleased with my selection - and rejection - of the projects. They appreciated my comprehensive feedback on how they could justify the value of these technological investments. [Screenshot of email from HDRUK giving positive feedback]

Reflect

If I were to do this again, I would spend more time researching modern academic trends in procurement theory. I mostly used my own experience and expertise. On reflection, I may have relied too heavily on the opinions of the other panel members.

Situation 2

I was sent on an expensive Cybersecurity course. Due to the limited amount of public funds, I was asked to justify the investment and demonstrate how the benefits could be applied.

Task

The task was to create a blog post with a goal of demonstrating the value and explaining to a wider audience that I could apply the benefits.

Action

I wrote an internal-only blog post, with the assistance of the editorial team. I sought out the publication team and provided them with a brief - which they accepted.

Result

The blog post was popular internally and led to people asking me if they could take a similar course. The blog post was published externally and received moderate feedback showing that I hadn't wasted taxpayers' money.

The editorial and senior leadership team also thought it demonstrated excellence:

[Screenshot of a chat message from my boss giving positive feedback]

Reflect

If I were to do this again, I would place more emphasis on the course cost in order to show value for money. This might have encouraged the organisation to invest in more regular cybersecurity training. On reflection, I was underwhelmed with the course and feel that I need to stretch myself further in order to justify the value of these investments.

Other tips

Keep a brag document throughout the year. Every time someone emails you saying "thanks for doing that", take a screenshot and paste it in the document.

If people don't email you thanks - ask them for feedback.

The evidence should be a screenshot. But it can be of an email, of a presentation you did, or a document you wrote, or some source code. Anything really.

You are being assessed on your Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours. It may help you to think of them like this:

• Knowledge: I can prove that I know...
• Skill: I can prove that I am able to...
• Behaviour: I can prove that I consistently...

Don't leave the portfolio until the end. Even with just a few hundred words per section, it's still stupidly long. Once a week, take a quick skim through it and see if anything you've done that week looks like it will even vaguely fit. If so, shove it in. You can always take it out later.

Don't worry to much about academic referencing. I threw in a couple to keep my Skills Coach happy - but the official document doesn't say you need to include them.

Above all, remember this:

The portfolio is not directly assessed; it is used to frame the professional discussion, where KSBs are to be assessed.

The portfolio is for you - specifically to help you pass your professional discussion.

Good luck!