Operations Manager Apprenticeship
Level 5
Real operations. Real improvements. Real qualifications. Apply learning immediately, create measurable gains, graduate with distinction. Where assignments drive profit, not just grades.
Programme highlights
- 8 High Performance Workshops
- 17 months on programme
- Access 30+ Elective Workshops
- 3 months End Point Assessment
- 1:1 Coaching Sessions
#1 ranked for developing Operations Managers*
There’s a reason we’re the UK’s #1 developer of operations managers. We don’t teach abstract management theory. We build leaders who deliver operational excellence whilst thinking strategically.
Transform operational performance through real projects and real results, not irrelevant theory.
Your learning improves performance metrics. Your improvements earn your qualification. Your results build your career.
Every participant completes a supported ROI project as part of their development. Every project targets your operational challenges. Every assignment enhances departmental KPIs. Every qualification comes with verified ROI. Because the best way to master operations is by delivering real time operational excellence.
What to expect
Our Operations Manager Apprenticeship programme provides real tools you’ll actually use to:
Drive operational performance
Transform metrics through proven methodologies
Make strategic decisions
Connect daily operations to business strategy
Lead through change
Full programme through apprenticeship funding, no cost to you
Executive-level development
Keep teams performing while everything transforms
Optimise resources
Do more with less without burning people out
Navigate stakeholder politics
Get buy-in and resources for what matters
Gain Chartered Manager status
With optional CMI qualifications
Real strategy. Real operations. Real results.
This practical operations management apprenticeship programme builds leaders who deliver measurable excellence. During the 17-month investment and transformation period participants will attend and receive:
- Eight Advanced Workshops that transform operational leadership
- 15+ hours executive 1:1 coaching for your real situations
- 30+ electives targeting your specific operational challenges
- Live projects delivering immediate operational improvements
- Optional diploma for strategic career progression
- Mini-conferences with operations leaders across sectors
- Digital platform that works around operational demands
Built for operations leaders ready to excel:
- Aspiring Operations Managers – Build capabilities before the promotion
- Current Operations Managers – Master the jump from managing tasks to leading strategically
- Department Heads – Sharpen strategic thinking whilst delivering today
- L3 Graduates – Natural progression in your leadership journey
- Technical Specialists – Add operational leadership to technical expertise
High Performance Workshops
Eight High Performance Workshops: Eight operational game-changers. No irrelevant theory. No fluff. Just practical tools for operational excellence:
- Personal & Professional Development – Lead with executive presence and authority
- Strategic Stakeholder Management – Turn sceptics into sponsors
- Complex Project Delivery – Deliver multi-stream initiatives on time
- Influential Communication – Get heard in boardrooms and shop floors
- Operational Strategy & Planning – Balance tomorrow’s vision with today’s targets
- Resource Optimisation – Create capacity when there’s “no budget”
- Performance Leadership – Build teams that deliver under pressure
- Data-Driven Decision Making – Make fast decisions with confidence
Elective Workshops: Unlimited access. Zero waste.
Your programme includes unlimited access to 30+ elective workshops. Target your exact operational gaps. From financial modelling to change management. From driving innovation to operational excellence. Every elective solves a specific challenge with tools you’ll implement immediately. No mandatory modules. Just the capabilities you need, when you need them. Because operational leaders don’t have time for irrelevant training.
Delivered your way. Always practical.
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Focus: Closed Cohort
Customised | Branded | Structured
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Flex: Open Cohort
Diverse | Collaborative | Flexible
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Fusion: Cross Cohort
Tailored | Branded | Flexible
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Participants Achieve Distinction
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Pass Rate
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National Ranking (NARTs 2025)
Six months in, my department KPIs improved 40%. But more importantly, my team wants to stay and grow.
Priya Singh, Head of Operations
Pathway options
Investment that drives operational returns. Operations managers who complete our programme deliver average efficiency gains of 34% within 12 months. Their departments see 42% improvement in employee engagement.
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Apprenticeship Levy
£9,000 Complete programme with full support
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Commercial funding
Flexible options for rapid deployment
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Optional Diploma: POA
Additional qualification for strategic roles
Support from people who’ve been there
- Facilitators who’ve run operations at scale
- Coaches who understand operational pressure
- Dedicated Learning Manager ensuring smooth progress
- Peer groups facing identical challenges
- Platform designed around operational realities
- No academic theorists. Just practitioners who’ve delivered operational excellence
I went from constantly firefighting to running a genuinely strategic operation. Tools that actually work under pressure.
James Patterson, Operations Manager
Join 5000+ operations leaders who chose practical over theoretical.
Next cohorts starting monthly throughout 2025. Start when operations allow, not when we dictate.
Operational excellence starts with exceptional development
Every day without proper development is another day of operational stress. Your department deserves strategic leadership. So do you.
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We’re smashing targets even in a shrinking marketplace, with one individual on track to hit their annual target in just six months. That’s a direct result of applying the tools I learned on my programme.
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My programme significantly enhanced my career. I gained a comprehensive understanding of key leadership decisions and improved my financial acumen and interpersonal abilities.
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My programme is pushing me to be more proactive. Each workshop gives me more confidence as a leader – I’m learning to shift my mindset and turn challenges into opportunities.
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With Fuel’s support, I realised I’m capable of more than I thought. I passed the Level 3 programme with distinction, which inspired me to take the next step and start Level 5.
One question matters: Are you ready to transform operations, not just manage them?
*(source DfE QAR data for large apprenticeship providers)