Cambridge Regional College has developed a unique training programme, the first of its kind in the UK, designed to empower apprentices to become coaches and mentors to fellow apprentices.
Following a series of ERASMUS meetings (a European Union student exchange programme), with representatives from Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania and the UK, six key competences were identified – Engagement, Analysis, Confidentiality/Reliability, Problem Solving, Reassurance/Affirmation, Communication and Personal Development. These form the basis of a Competence Framework, to deliver the most desirable learning outcomes for a student or apprentice in the role of a Junior Job Coach (JJC).
Once qualified, a JJC will be able to offer peer-to-peer coaching to fellow apprentices to achieve their own goals, providing leadership direction, setting boundaries and handling information carefully and confidentially. Suitable for apprentices at the end of their first year, or just starting their apprenticeship, the programme is delivered over a 2-day 
period, with maximum flexibility to suit individual needs.
Conceived following a similar successful programme in the Netherlands, the unique Junior Job Coach programme can also be tailored to meet the different national systems throughout Europe. It will be introduced in the UK, via a series of test programmes, in January 2019 before its official roll out in Brussels in March 2019.
