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How Chiltern Learning Trust is using SkillsHub to strengthen workforce development

20/06/2026

Theme: Workforce Strategy
Lead brands: SkillsHub

The Challenge

Chiltern Learning Trust recognised that it wasn’t making the most of the educational apprenticeship opportunities available to it.

While apprenticeships had been used in areas such as finance and business, the trust wanted to explore how its levy could support wider workforce priorities, including SEND, coaching and leadership development.

It also wanted to overcome some common misconceptions around apprenticeships in education, particularly around off-the-job learning.

The Solution

Working with SkillsHub, the trust carried out an audit of its apprenticeship levy, existing programmes and workforce priorities.

Its dedicated Partnership Manager, Mollie, worked closely with the trust to identify skills gaps, explore relevant apprenticeship pathways and identify opportunities to develop cohorts across its schools.

Staff were then given greater awareness of the opportunities available and the freedom to choose pathways that aligned with their own professional goals.

This has included Teaching Assistant and SEND pathways, for example.

The Results

A more strategic use of levy funding – Apprenticeships are now being considered as part of the trust's wider workforce development strategy.
Greater staff ownership – Giving staff a choice over their development has created a stronger sense of ownership and purpose.
Development aligned to trust priorities – Apprenticeship pathways are being used to support areas including SEND, coaching and leadership.
A better understanding of apprenticeships in education – The trust has developed a clearer understanding of how off-the-job learning can work within a school environment, helping to challenge misconceptions among leaders and staff.

In Their Words

"Our Account Manager has worked really closely with me in terms of having a look at our levy fund, our schools, who's on apprenticeships and what apprenticeships are available. SkillsHub also offers an audit tool at a kind of trust and individual school level. So that's been really crucial in understanding where we've got gaps, where we could have cohorts of apprenticeships and where we could utilise someone doing an apprenticeship to support someone else doing an apprenticeship."
- Nicola Hickton, Director of Chiltern Teaching School

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