Creating a positive culture to support learner resilience and well-being
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Information about the provider
The B-wbl Consortium is a long-established provider of apprenticeships and employability programmes in Wales. This partnership of ten providers, with a shared ethos of continual improvement, works in a culture of collaboration, transparency, openness, and trust, with a vision of achieving excellence. The partnership delivers apprenticeships at foundation apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and higher apprenticeship levels to approximately 4500 learners across a range of learning areas.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
The financial wellbeing fund, initially established in 2015, is a discretionary award for learners on apprenticeship programmes to assist with a contribution towards costs that support them to achieve their learning programme. Initially established to support learners in decile 1 and 2, the fund has adapted over the years to support all Consortium learners.
The fund is distributed between providers based on their own contribution value (0.25% of contract value), plus a proportionate allocation of any underspend from the previous year.The purpose is to financially support learners who are in need, enabling them to complete their programmes and be successful. Since 2024, the fund also addresses the wider issues of learner and staff wellbeing to enable the Consortium community to thrive.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
Initially the fund was established in 2015, as a deprivation fund, primarily focused on learners falling within decile 1 and 2, with the aim being to provide financial support to enable successful completion of their programme. This decision was based on new providers joining the partnership which led to an increase in learners from areas of East Wales who were achieving at a lower rate than other Consortium learners.
The fund has remained in place since 2015 and has been evaluated and refocused over the years to ensure it is fit for purpose in a changing economic environment and factoring the impact Covid has had on learners’ wellbeing and finances. The key aim has always remained the provision of, and access to, funding which addresses these wider issues of learner and staff wellbeing to enable the Consortium community to thrive. The fund is used at provider discretion, with the only eligibility criteria being that the learner is enrolled on an apprenticeship programme.
As a discretionary award providers are expected to make their own judgements on what is an appropriate use of funds, based on the needs of the learner and the impact on their learning. The use of the fund is recorded on a declaration spreadsheet supplied by the Consortium management team. This details a brief storyboard in relation to the learners who benefit from the fund and the nature of the support, so an analysis of impact and effectiveness can be completed.
Providers share the availability of the fund with learners as part of their induction. The strong emphasis on learner wellbeing and positive, trusted relations established by staff means learners are confident to raise concerns and access the support available to them.
In 2024, an external evaluation of the impact of our provision of wellbeing support for apprentices and staff across the Consortium, identified a request from managers across the partnership to widen access to the fund. As a result, providers can access this fund to support with access to counselling support for staff and learners, as necessary.
Examples of how the fund has been used are listed below;
- Lunch vouchers
- Food vouchers
- Crisis/Hardship support
- Emergency accommodation
- Emergency childcare
- Emergency transport
- Books
- Laptops
- Support with skills competition bursaries
- Counselling
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
A strong feature of the partnership is their shared ethos and clear commitment to creating a positive culture that supports learner and staff wellbeing enabling our community to thrive. The establishment of the financial wellbeing fund has enabled providers to support that community when they are facing hardship challenges. The flexibility of the fund ensures that support provided can be reactive and focused on the individual circumstances at the time of need. The impact of the fund has been far reaching for those who have required this support, enabling provision of IT equipment and textbooks through to support with emergency accommodation, food vouchers, travel, and childcare.
The financial pressure created from a changing economic environment and increasing demand for mental health and wellbeing support has seen the use of the fund increase. In 2024/25, 636 apprentices have been supported. This fund goes someway to elevate those financial pressures on our community and support them towards their personal aspirations and ambitions.
How have you shared your good practice?
The consortium management team provides an annual evaluation of the use and impact of the fund to Executive Board. In addition, Performance Management Board and Equality, Wellbeing and Support Committee meetings regularly to share the use of the fund across the partnership to share practice. The consortium management team also provides support through contract review meetings, with provider case studies also shared across the partnership.