Quality Practitioner | Level 5 | University of Lincoln

Introduction to the Apprenticeship

The food manufacturing sector provides unique opportunities for enthusiastic people to progress in a high tech and innovative environment, working in some of the country’s largest supply chains.

The Quality Practitioner role forms a key foundation for a business. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a variety of departments within the organisation (engineering, supply chain/procurement, manufacturing, and service delivery departments) and external organisations, such as customers, suppliers, and certification bodies when required. They are advocates for implementing quality practice and governance.

Typically they are involved in internal meetings to review quality performance, such as gathering and analysing quality performance data, inspection or audit findings, carrying out audits or inspections, stakeholder visits, and interacting with people from other functions to plan the quality delivery system for their area of responsibility.

Quality Practitioners also support and develop people within and outside the Quality Function.

This apprenticeship includes four main elements:

- Quality Planning (planning a delivery system for reliable outputs, such as implementing Quality Management Plans)

- Quality Assurance (providing confidence to stakeholders that Quality standards are maintained, such as conducting audits)

- Quality Control (verifying a product or service is meeting agreed specifications, such as carrying out inspections)

- Continuous Improvement (preventing recurrence of poor quality through analysis and addressing the root cause of poor quality, such as conducting investigations).

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for all aspects of quality in his/her area of responsibility, such as production or procured goods. This responsibility will be discharged through engagement with those accountable for product/service delivery, such as production/service managers, in order to meet Key Performance Indicators, such as Right First Time measures and Service Level Targets.

In addition, individuals are often responsible for providing Quality duties within the following key areas:

- Supporting Senior Quality Practitioner and Leaders to formulate quality strategy

- Contributing to the management of customer satisfaction and supplier performance

- Deploying quality policies and governance

- Guiding and supporting others to improve quality competency and performance

- Planning and conducting audits and other assurance activities

- Developing Quality Control Plans for products/services

- Providing guidance on use of methods/tools to improve quality performance

- Solvinging quality problems, such as non-conformances, and overcoming challenges to the implementation of solutions

- Effective application of quality risk management and mitigation to drive new products/services development.

On completion of this apprenticeship standard you will have demonstrated your professional skills and knowledge as a Quality Practitioner. You will show that you have a strong set of supervisory skills, a solid knowledge of food/plant production line requirements and the ability to work with and lead others.

Individuals who have not achieved Maths and English qualifications or those who do not have copies of their certificates will be required to complete Level 2 Functional Skills during their apprenticeship programme and prior to end point assessment.

Individuals who want to achieve professionally recognised qualifications can also access additional study outside of their apprenticeship, through off the job learning and completing NCFM’s relevant professional short courses.

Assessment

The method of assessment is through scenario-based assessment, knowledge exam, phase tests, project work and portfolio evidence, with professional discussion, prior to undertaking End Point Assessment.

Apprenticeship Standard

For more information about the Level 4 Quality Practitioner standard, please visit:

https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/quality-practitioner-v1-0

Apprenticeship Qualification Modules (Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours Units)

- Contribute to formulation of quality strategy

- Contribute to the formulation of output related customer satisfaction activities

- Contribute to the formulation of supplier performance measurements

- Responsible for the deployment of Quality policies, processes, and procedures

· Plan and conduct audits/assurance in line with the company’s audit plan

· Identify, investigate, and contain non-conformances and advise on actions to prevent recurrence

· Inspect, verify, and validate a product and or service against stated requirements

· Develop quality control/assurance plans for a product, service, and project