The Value of Service Design in Co-Creating the Apprentice Learner Journey and Target Operating Model

How Service Design helped Anglia Ruskin University rethink apprenticeship delivery - and why the methodology is so powerful

Delivering high-quality apprenticeships requires an operating model that reflects the real experience of apprentices, staff, and employers. But too often, institutions rely on process diagrams, legacy workflows, or compliance checklists that fail to capture what the apprentice journey actually feels like.

This is where Service Design offers a transformative advantage.

PS edtech used this methodology at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) to support a major review of three apprenticeship pathways: Nursing, Integrated Degree Apprenticeships, and Non-Integrated programmes. The results demonstrated how human-centred design can reshape understanding, build alignment, and form the foundation of a robust Target Operating Model.

What is Service Design - and why does it matter for apprenticeships?

Service Design is a human-centred methodology that:

• puts the end-user at the heart of the design process

• examines both the emotional and functional dimensions of the experience

• explores services holistically, across front-stage and back-stage operations

• uses co-creation with stakeholders to build shared understanding

• emphasises iterative refinement rather than linear redesign

Unlike purely process-driven methods (Lean, Six Sigma), which focus on efficiency, Service Design focuses on experience, value, and real-world usability.

For apprenticeship programmes - which involve multiple stakeholders, systems, regulatory demands, and employer relationships - this approach is uniquely well-suited.

The Discovery Phase: Seeing the apprenticeship service through the learner’s eyes

At ARU, PS edtech began with:

• interviews with professional services staff

• academic staff insights

• conversations with apprentices

• a detailed review of institutional workflows, documentation, and challenges

This laid the groundwork for a collaborative workshop where staff actively explored what the felt apprentice experience looks like - not just the prescribed process flow.

The discovery process surfaced:

• gaps in communication

• points of frustration for learners

• mismatches between expectations and delivery

• access issues related to digital literacy and support needs

• areas where stakeholders had differing interpretations of key terms and stages

Service Design opened a space where staff could articulate pain points and aspirations openly and constructively.

Using personas to build empathy and insight

Three personas - “Alex”, “Emma”, and “Sam” - were developed using real learner insights.

These personas revealed:

• differing life pressures

• digital competence gaps

• confidence issues

• workplace context

• conflicting employer/university requirements

• hidden disabilities and non-disclosure challenges

By mapping the journey from each persona’s perspective, staff began to see how the same process could be experienced very differently depending on the learner’s background.

This exercise was catalytic. Staff from across teams gained empathy for apprentices, and saw where their own role created moments of friction or support.

Journey mapping: Making the invisible visible

The workshop’s journey mapping exercise used front-stage (visible to the apprentice) and back-stage (internal processes, roles, systems) swim lanes.

The mapping exposed:

• duplicated actions

• unclear responsibilities

• bottlenecks in decision-making

• wait points that heighten disengagement risk

• fragmented communication between employer, tutor, and apprentice

• system limitations and manual workaround burdens

For many participants, this was the first time the full service had ever been visualised from end to end (for example, PS edtech mapped learner & employer engagement, initial assessment and registration, practical training, gateway and end point assessment, encapsulating an entire end to end cycle).

The outcomes were profound:

• staff gained a clearer understanding of interdependencies

• operational inconsistencies became visible

• previously unseen friction surfaced

• opportunities for automation, simplification, and improved ownership emerged

This exercise laid the analytical groundwork for ARU’s Target Operating Model.

Co-design builds alignment across teams

Service Design rejects siloed redesign. It insists on co-creation.

At ARU, this meant bringing together:

• academics

• apprenticeship leads

• Business development teams

• professional services

• support staff

• employer-facing colleagues

• apprentices

Co-design ensured:

• shared understanding of priorities

• high engagement

• early buy-in to the changes

• a stronger foundation for implementation

• greater alignment between operational teams

Transformational change requires shared ownership - something Service Design achieves very effectively.

Journey maps are living artefacts - not static documents

A key principle of Service Design is iteration. The maps created during the workshop:

• reflect the understanding at one point in time

• must be verified with additional stakeholders

• should be updated as programmes evolve

• act as working tools for continual improvement

• inform procurement, system selection, and TOM design

ARU now uses these artefacts as a shared reference point for discussions about service quality, data workflows, and operational responsibilities.

From insights to Target Operating Model

The final value of Service Design is what it enables:

• clearer process ownership

• stage-based definitions of best practice

• redesigned workflows

• rationalised system roles and data flows

• a blueprint for procurement or configuration of apprenticeship systems

• improved consistency in the learner experience

• stronger employer-provider alignment

For ARU, the journey maps directly informed their future apprenticeship operating model and recommended improvements.

Why institutions should consider Service Design for apprenticeship transformation

Apprenticeships are complex, multi-layered systems involving people, processes, employers, regulators, systems, and real-world workplace variability.

Service Design provides the tools and methodology needed to:

• understand the true apprentice experience

• break down silos

• build cross-team alignment

• surface real priorities

• prepare for system transformation

• ensure the operating model reflects institutional reality

It is the missing layer in many apprenticeship reviews - and the foundation of a learner-engaging, sustainable Target Operating Model.

PS edtech supports universities at every stage of this journey, from discovery to implementation.