A significant number of delegates from within Wolverhampton City Council have successfully completed a high-level intelligence operations apprenticeship programme that has delivered significant results and new skills.

A cohort of over 30 staff from a wide range of departments and job functions participated in the cutting edge intelligence apprenticeship that developed the intelligence and analytical skills of those whom had not previously benefited from any previous intelligence training. Departments including Regulatory Services, Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Housing, Fraud, Assurance, Business Intelligence and Audit and Assurance were represented to promote inter-departmental sharing of systems, procedures, best practice and effective use of intelligence and data.  The ability for delegates from a range of job functions to work together throughout the apprenticeship programme built upon the success of other local authority cohorts who had also achieved significant results.

Paul Dosanjh, Service Lead – Trading Standards, who had identified how the intelligence operations apprenticeship could be utilised to increase the skills, championed the apprenticeship programme and knowledge of those working in a range of roles reliant upon intelligence-led decision-making processes. Paul participated in the programme himself feeling that his own skills and experience would benefit from access to the most current and highest levels of vocational training for intelligence and analytical personnel. Previously programmes such as this were not widely available outside of military intelligence settings.

Paul commented “Intelligence is a key tool in law enforcement. The Trading Standards profession is moving towards an intelligence-led approach so that we can deploy our limited resources most effectively to secure consumer and fair-trading. As we come across more consumer fraud matters, we find ourselves dealing with organised criminal outfits. Intelligence analysis methods are vital to ensuring that we can deliver the most effective targeted interventions so that we get the most “bang for every buck” of public money. It is also important to speak the “language of intelligence” so that Trading Standards can be seen as a significant player when we deal with, and increasingly, combine more with Police and agencies including HMRC and DWP.

“The innovative new skills around mapping, both spatially and temporally, have been vital, sometimes telling us what we don’t know and need to. Comparative case analysis has been a real game changer as it allows for the interrogation and analysis of qualitative information, which is often, is difficult to analyse using mapping techniques. The decision-making models that we have been introduced to us are helping underpin our decisions on something more tangible and transparent than gut instinct, or worse, a fear of not doing something.”

“Our decision making is crisper and we are getting better at identifying the intelligence gaps and filling them and understanding the risk when we can’t. Our interrogation of intelligence submitted to us by partners is better, our internal tasking processes are improving and our prioritisation is more thoughtful and based on reasoning. We are better at understanding what we don’t know and how we can acquire that information. Having a cross-Council cohort has helped a number of professionals across the authority realise just how much information the Authority holds on areas of mutual interest.”

“I would wholeheartedly recommend the apprenticeship programme but also Intelligencia’s delivery of it. Their tutors are thoughtful and knowledgeable and always willing to provide more information and feedback. The classes strike the right balance between theory and practice. The online support tools are easy to use making the back office admin functions almost a pleasure and certainly not a chore.”

Intelligencia Training’s Commercial Director, Nick Atkinson, commented, “The opportunity to engage with such a large group of individuals from a diverse range of job functions was greatly welcomed from our perspective.”

We have successfully delivered and continue to engage with an ever-growing number of public and private sector organisations that have identified how access to the latest intelligence and analytical skills can add value. We have identified and recognised a significant lack of formal and professional intelligence training for those working across both public and private sector organisations with feedback from our programmes being excellent.”

The ability to benchmark against and offer parity in skills with those working across many high-level Government departments offers significant benefits. We are very proud to have delivered another successful programme that has delivered upon the expectations of those involved.”

“We are now building upon the success achieved via the L4 Apprenticeship in Intelligence Operations Framework to commence delivery of the New Intelligence Analyst Standard that has been developed in conjunction with a consortium of public and private sector intelligence experts. This specialist programme has been welcomed by many Government agencies, Police forces, local authorities and other public sector departments, banks and insurance providers as well as those from within the utilities and retail sectors as excellent opportunity to achieve significant new skills, knowledge and behaviours.”

Wolverhampton City Council’s Apprenticeship Co-ordinator, David Humpage, also commented, “As a large levy paying employer, we are continually looking at apprenticeship development opportunities that will benefit our employees and the organisation.”

“The L4 Apprenticeship in Intelligence Operations was a perfect example of collaborative work between employer, managers, employees and training provider.  We are now approaching the end of the apprenticeship programme and our expectation is that we will achieve a 100% success rate.  Feedback from learners has been very positive in regards to the support from tutors and many have commented on how they are now embedding the new skills and knowledge within their roles.  The level of service offered by Intelligencia has been first class and we would have no hesitation in working with them again in the future.”

You can read more about Intelligencia Training and the programmes that they offer at www.intelligenciatraining.com