Apprenticeship Forum
Welcome to the Apprenticeship Forum
This page outlines our structured 12-month curriculum of forum discussions, designed to support your wider personal development, professional behaviours, and off-the-job learning. Each scheduled session explores critical themes—including British Values, Safeguarding, the Prevent Duty, and Cyber Security—giving you practical insights directly applicable to your workplace and career.
How the Forum Works
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Structured Topic Planner: Use the schedule below to track upcoming themes, prepare questions, and plan your attendance around your working commitments.
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Direct Access to Resources: To protect participant privacy and maintain open discussion, full session recordings and tailored follow-up materials are issued directly to individual learners after each forum rather than hosted publicly.
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Core Reference Materials: Check each monthly topic entry below for key reading, guidance notes, and prompt questions to support your learning portfolio and progress reviews.
Your Safety Matters
If a topic discussed in these forums raises a personal concern or if you need to report a safeguarding issue, please contact the Safeguarding Team.
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Maria Harward (Apprenticeship Officer) | 📧 Maria@hygienesue.co.uk
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Sue Richardson (DSL) | 📧 info@eglantineonline.co.uk | 📞 07786980934
Session 1.
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Forum Topic: Breaking Barriers: The Women's Marathon
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Individual Liberty & Systemic Barriers: Overcoming institutional barriers, challenging discriminatory rules, and ensuring equal opportunity for all team members.
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Documentary Hook: Olympic Games & Historic Footage: Kathrine Switzer challenging the Boston Marathon ban and modern Afghan female Olympic athletes competing in exile.
Session 2.
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Forum Topic: Battle of the Sexes: Value & Active Allyship
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Mutual Respect, Dignity & Fair Value: Valuing every operational role equally, standing up as active workplace allies, and building psychological safety.
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Documentary Hook: Battle of the Sexes (Feature Film / Documentary): Billie Jean King's campaign for equal pay, founding the WTA, and the impact of male and female allyship.
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Reference: Battle of the Sexes (Film Overview) | Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative
Session 3.
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Forum Topic: Navigating Biological Transitions: Menopause
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Equality Act 2010, Physical & Mental Wellbeing: De-stigmatising perimenopause, managing demanding shifts, preventing burnout, and implementing practical reasonable adjustments.
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Documentary Hook: Davina McCall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause (Channel 4): Investigating the impact of hormonal shifts on professional careers, brain fog, and workplace taboos.
Session 4.
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Forum Topic: Digital Safety, Coercion & Verification
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Safeguarding, Cyber Security & Prevent Duty: Identifying online grooming, spotting digital manipulation, protecting personal data, and recognizing phishing and social engineering.
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Documentary Hook: Don't Fk with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer (Netflix): Explores how digital breadcrumbs, crowd-sourced online tracking, and digital footprints uncover criminal behaviour, while exposing the dangers of online escalation.
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Reference: Netflix: Don't Fk with Cats | National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Guidance
Session 5.
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Forum Topic: Corporate Culture, Ethics & Speaking Out
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Whistleblowing, Duty of Care & Operational Safety: Escalating critical safety concerns, understanding statutory whistleblowing protections, and maintaining professional integrity under commercial pressure.
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Documentary Hook: Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (Netflix): Examining how corporate corner-cutting compromised safety systems and suppressed employee warnings.
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Reference: Netflix: Downfall – Boeing | Protect: Whistleblowing Advice UK
Session 6.
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Forum Topic: Power Structures & Representation
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Unconscious Bias & Protected Characteristics: Breaking down organisational power imbalances, challenging workplace stereotypes, and promoting equality across diverse teams.
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Documentary Hook: Barbie (Warner Bros): Critiquing gender role expectations, corporate representation, and power-sharing through popular culture.
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Reference: Warner Bros: Barbie Movie | EHRC UK Guidance
Session 7.
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Forum Topic: Cross-Cultural Workplace Dynamics
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Mutual Respect, Tolerance & Workplace Culture: Managing diverse communication styles, bridging cultural divides, and protecting worker dignity in busy operational settings.
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Documentary Hook: American Factory (Netflix): Documenting operational clashes and cultural differences when an international firm takes over a local manufacturing site.
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Reference: Netflix: American Factory | Acas: Equality & Diversity
Session 8.
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Forum Topic: Food Supply Chain Integrity & Due Diligence
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Statutory Compliance, Food Safety Culture & Civic Duty: Managing traceability, understanding legal liability, and upholding ethical responsibility across the supply chain.
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Documentary Hook: Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food (Netflix): Exposing severe foodborne illness outbreaks, corporate corner-cutting, and regulatory breakdowns.
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Reference: Netflix: Poisoned | FSA: National Food Crime Unit
Session 9.
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Forum Topic: Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Martyn's Law (Protect Duty) & Safeguarding: Understanding statutory venue security, lockdown protocols, vulnerability zone assessments, and incident response.
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Documentary Hook: Dispatches: How Safe Are Our Venues? (Channel 4): Investigating counter-terror preparedness, public space safety standards, and crowd security procedures.
Session 10.
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Forum Topic: Personal Safety & Venue Vulnerability
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Safeguarding, Harm Prevention & Duty of Care: Recognising the symptoms and physical impact of drink spiking, venue protective aids, and customer safety interventions.
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Documentary Hook: Spiked (BBC Three / iPlayer): Investigative reporting examining the rise of drink spiking, venue safety policies, and practical safeguarding procedures.
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Reference: BBC iPlayer: Spiked Documentary | Talk to Frank: Spiking Advice
Session 11.
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Forum Topic: Environmental Responsibility & Waste Operations
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Civic Duty, Sustainability & Simpler Recycling: Auditing commercial waste, understanding new UK recycling legislation, and leading sustainable operational changes.
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Documentary Hook: War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita (BBC / iPlayer): Exploring single-use plastics, consumer waste streams, and corporate accountability in recycling systems.
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Reference: GOV.UK: Simpler Recycling | WRAP UK: Hospitality Guidance
Session 12.
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Forum Topic: Professional Identity & Long-Term Progression
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Core Curriculum & Theme: Careers Education, Professional Discussion & Resilience: Mapping career progression routes, preparing for End-Point Assessment (EPA), and transitioning into leadership.
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Documentary Hook: The Founder (Feature Film / Prime): Analyzing operational systems, brand scaling, business ethics, and personal ambition in the hospitality industry.
