Manufacturing Apprenticeship Lead

What to Expect

The Manufacturing Apprenticeship Lead is the accountable owner of the Manufacturing apprentice experience and programme framework, ensuring effective governance, learner progression, stakeholder coordination and alignment to current and future capability requirements.

Acting as the central point of contact for apprentices, managers, training providers and Academy stakeholders, the role ensures apprentices receive a high-quality development experience while supporting Manufacturing capability, skills development and workforce readiness objectives.

The role works in partnership with operational teams to coordinate apprentice deployment, maintain programme governance and ensure each apprentice receives the structured workplace experience, support and protected learning required to progress successfully.

Alongside programme leadership responsibilities, the role retains selected learning delivery activity supporting onboarding and appropriate technical and behavioural learning interventions.

What You'll Do

Apprentice Ownership & Line Management

• ·Act as the accountable owner of the Manufacturing apprentice experience and programme framework.
• ·Act as the primary day-to-day contact for Manufacturing apprentices throughout their programme.
• ·Where line management sits with the role, manage holiday, absence, attendance, objectives, performance, conduct and capability in line with company policy and with support from the People team.
• ·Where line management sits with a functional manager, retain programme governance, learner support and progress oversight while working in partnership with that manager.
• ·Ensure technical performance and workplace behaviours are reviewed with input from the relevant Team Leader or functional manager.
• ·Coordinate apprentice development plans, reviews and progress tracking, including End Point Assessment preparation.
• ·Support apprentice wellbeing and engagement, intervening early and coordinating appropriate support where progress is at risk.
• ·Build effective relationships with training providers and education partners and ensure actions from progress reviews are completed.
• ·Maintain clear accountability during any agreed transfer of day-to-day line management, while continuing to own the apprentice programme experience.

Rotation & Workplace Development Model

·Own and maintain an individual rotation and workplace development plan for each apprentice, aligned to the apprenticeship standard, programme milestones and business capability requirements.

·Agree placements with functional managers, Team Leaders, training providers and relevant subject matter experts, ensuring each area is prepared to provide meaningful learning and appropriate supervision.

·Use learning outcomes and demonstrated competence, rather than a fixed time period alone, to determine movement between placements.

·Ensure rotations provide sufficient breadth and depth of experience across relevant Manufacturing processes while reflecting the requirements of each apprenticeship pathway.

·Protect planned learning activity and off-the-job development, using apprentices as operational absence cover only as a last resort and agreeing recovery learning where disruption cannot be avoided.

·Review rotation effectiveness through apprentice progress, workplace evidence, manager feedback and skills verification, adjusting plans where learning gaps or business changes are identified.

·Coordinate and document transitions between placements so responsibility, learning priorities and outstanding actions remain clear.

Manufacturing Capability Support

• ·Support Manufacturing workforce capability initiatives across production and support functions.
• ·Work with managers and Academy colleagues to identify skills development needs.
• ·Support implementation of development pathways for Manufacturing employees.
• ·Contribute to workforce readiness, succession planning and future capability pipelines.
• ·Provide insight on capability gaps and emerging development requirements.
• ·Support continuous improvement of learning and development activity across Manufacturing.

Governance & Compliance

• ·Maintain apprentice records, documentation and programme data.
• ·Ensure compliance with apprenticeship standards, funding requirements and internal processes.
• ·Monitor apprentice attendance, progress, achievement and programme milestones.
• ·Produce programme updates and reporting for key stakeholders.
• ·Support audits, provider reviews and programme quality activities.
• ·Identify, escalate and coordinate mitigation of risks to learner progress or programme delivery.

Training Delivery & Onboarding

• ·Deliver selected learning interventions in support of apprentice and Manufacturing capability development.
• ·Support onboarding programmes, recognising the MPC Foundation Course as the onboarding phase of the apprentice journey where applicable.
• ·Facilitate apprentice inductions and development workshops.
• ·Deliver learning relating to core manufacturing processes, standards and behaviours where required.
• ·Coach and support learners through practical and workplace-based development activities.
• ·Work with trainers and subject matter experts to maintain learning materials and training records.

Continuous Improvement & Programme Quality

• ·Maintain a structured cycle of apprentice, manager, provider and stakeholder feedback to evaluate programme quality and consistency.
• ·Review programme performance using retention, attendance, progress, achievement, learner experience, placement quality and progression information.
• ·Identify recurring risks, barriers and learning gaps, agree corrective actions with relevant stakeholders and monitor actions through to completion.
• ·Capture lessons learned from each cohort and translate them into updates to onboarding, rotation plans, learning content, manager guidance and provider arrangements.
• ·Share good practice across MPC and MCTC to support a consistent McLaren apprenticeship experience while allowing for appropriate site and pathway differences.
• ·Maintain version control of programme documentation, learning resources and governance records so improvements are implemented consistently.
• ·Provide regular improvement recommendations to Manufacturing leadership, Academy/L&D and People stakeholders.

Stakeholder Engagement

• ·Build effective relationships with Team Leaders, functional managers, Academy colleagues and People partners.
• ·Support managers in understanding their responsibilities for apprentice development, workplace experience and technical performance.
• ·Act as the link between apprentices, operational teams and training providers.
• ·Share programme insight, good practice and agreed improvements across apprenticeship and workforce development activities.

What You'll Bring

Experience

• ·Experience within a manufacturing environment.
• ·Experience supporting, coaching, mentoring or developing others.
• ·Experience delivering or coordinating workplace learning activities.
• ·Experience working with apprenticeships, vocational learning or structured development programmes would be advantageous.
• ·People management experience or clear readiness to undertake line-management responsibility where required.

Knowledge & Skills

• ·Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• ·Ability to build positive relationships at all levels.
• ·Excellent planning and organisational capability.
• ·Strong administrative, governance and reporting skills.
• ·Ability to coordinate multiple activities and priorities simultaneously.
• ·Good understanding of learning and development principles.
• ·Understanding of apprenticeship requirements, manufacturing processes and operational environments.

Success Measures

• ·Apprentice retention, completion and End Point Assessment outcomes.
• ·Learner engagement, wellbeing and quality of apprentice experience.
• ·Timely progress against programme milestones and development plans.
• ·Quality, breadth and effectiveness of apprentice rotations and workplace development.
• ·Effective line-management or programme-ownership arrangements, with clear accountability across placements.
• ·Compliance, audit readiness and programme governance standards.
• ·Stakeholder and training-provider satisfaction.
• ·Successful progression into substantive Manufacturing roles and contribution to future capability pipelines.
• ·Delivery and closure of agreed continuous-improvement actions.
• ·Delivery of selected learning activity without displacing programme ownership responsibilities.

What We'll Do for You

• We offer a wide – ranging benefits package, which includes:
• Structured career development framework
• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus award
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• Generous parental leave policies
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice
• Who Are We?
• No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.
• It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.
• McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.