Improvement Practitioner Apprenticeship

ZF LEMFORDER UK LIMITED

W. Midlands (WS10 8BH)

Closes in 17 days (Sunday 31 August 2025 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 13 August 2025

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Summary

ZF is a leading automotive supplier. An opportunity has arisen to recruit an Improvement practitioner apprentice, to be based in the ZF Production System Department at the Darlaston site. Wednesbury, West Midlands.

Wage

£14,526.20 to £23,492.04, depending on your age

National Minimum Wage

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Improvement practitioner (level 4)
Hours
The working week will be 37 hours total: Monday to Thursday, 8:00am until 4:30pm (with half an hour unpaid break). Friday, 8:00am until 1:00pm. 37 hours a week

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 20 October 2025

Duration

1 year 2 months

Positions available

1

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

  • Support day to day functions (Continuous Improvement activities)
    Maximise performance of manufacturing operations and improve business processes
  • To become certified in the core tools and techniques of the ZF Production System enabling the leadership of workshops, Lean projects and training

Where you'll work

P.O. Box 35
Darlaston
Wednesbury
W. Midlands
WS10 8BH

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

CAPELLA ASSOCIATES LTD

Training course

Improvement practitioner (level 4)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Compliance: Work in accordance with organisational controls and statutory regulations
  • Communication: Speak and write clearly. Influence others, question effectively. Plan and deliver meetings presenting insight to engage audiences
  • Coaching: Observe, listen, use questioning, provide feedback and spot learning opportunities
  • Project management: Define, sequence, plan and schedule activities with phases and milestones. Estimate effort and duration. Create and update project charter. Review progress
  • Change management: Sponsorship contract, surface and manage resistance, build compelling narratives for change, assess change impact
  • Principals and Methods: Select and apply a structured method and appropriate improvement tools engaging with subject matter experts to deliver business benefits
  • Project selection and Scoping: Support the identification of improvement opportunity and the scoping of these projects
  • Problem definition: Support development of problem/opportunity statements
  • Voice of the customer: Support application of techniques to identify and prioritise customers, their requirements and ensure balance against the stated and unstated needs of the business (Voice of the Business)
  • Process mapping & analysis: Process map to measure and analyse flow and value. Identify interfaces, functional responsibilities and ownership. Use insight to identify potential opportunities and map future state
  • Lean tools: Seek in-process waste through understanding of value within the value stream
  • Measurements systems: Plan, carry out and assess results of a measurement system study
  • Data acquisition for analysis: Develop a sampling strategy
  • Basic statistics & measures: Use graphical analysis to understand distribution and stability
  • Data analysis-statistical methods: Identify data-types and select analysis methods and tools. Assess time series data stability and analyse making relevant insight
  • Process capability & performance: Select methods and metrics for analysis
  • Root cause analysis: Select and apply the appropriate graphical tool dependent on the data type to identify patterns, trends and signals to establish hypothesis
  • Experimentation & optimisation: Plan designed experiment with clear objectives, and appropriate levels of Measurement Systems Analysis, analyse experiment data and optimise
  • Identification & prioritisation: Identify and prioritise factors, ideas and solutions
  • Data analysis – SPC: Select and apply appropriate tools for ongoing monitoring and control. Analyse and interpret control charts
  • Benchmarking: Conduct structured benchmarking to support target setting
  • Sustainability & control: Identify failure modes and embed learning from improvements

Training schedule

Improvement Practitioner Level 4.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English and Maths (grade 4 or C above)

Desirable qualifications

BTEC in:

Engineering (grade Merit)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience

About this employer

ZF is a leading automotive supplier with a uniquely broad range of technologies and products in the premium and volume car and commercial vehicles segments. We have global workforce numbering around 134,000 employees. In approximately 230 locations and 40 countries. We are now one of the world’s top automotive suppliers with products including chassis and suspension components, passive and active safety systems, such as driver assist, braking, steering and occupant safety.

https://www.zf.com/uk/en/home/home.html (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

Level 5 Improvement Specialist apprenticeship.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CAPELLA ASSOCIATES LTD

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000336604.

Apply now

Closes in 17 days (Sunday 31 August 2025 at 11:59pm)

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