Apprenticeship Continuity Plan
Introduction
The scope of this plan is to consider the incidents that will have an impact on the operation of the OCM Group following a crisis or disaster. Given that we are a relatively small provider who delivers a significant amount of our training offsite via our online systems and platforms, the bulk of this policy focuses on our IT recovery plan to ensure minimal disruption to apprentices. However, we do also outline the roles and responsibilities of the individual managers involved to ensure continuity of training for apprentices when onsite at our premises.
Types of disruption
Incidents that should be considered a potential disruption to training include
Onsite
- Fire
- Flood
- Serious adverse weather condition
- Serious accident
Offsite
- Loss of IT /Loss of personal information/Data Protection issue
Roles & responsibilities
Chief Executive – onsite Health & Safety Officer
Event Manger – onsite Fire Officer
Programme Support Manager – IT & Data Recovery Officer
Managing incidents prior or during onsite training
At the start of each training day, the Event Manager will issue a safety briefing to all apprentices involved in the training. Should one of the incidents outlined above occur, either prior or during the day, that prevented the apprentice from completing or continuing with the training, the Event Manager will be responsible for arranging an alternative training day at the earliest convenience for all those involved to ensure minimal disruption.
Transportation – in the unlikely event of any incident describe above, the Events Manager will liaise with the employer to ensure that all necessary transportation requirements are made for apprentices to attend training in the new location.
Offsite recovery of IT Systems & data
The biggest potential disruption to an apprentice training could be caused by an incident that prevented an apprentice from accessing their online Learning Pathway. This system manages their training on an ongoing basis so it’s very important that the process for recovery is understood and that there is a robust protection system in place. The Programme Support Manager has overall responsibility for minimising disruption to apprentices and will be their first contact point for any issues.
Process for recovery
The OCM Group partner with a third party - OGL Computers Ltd. - to provide all our IT and data storage systems. OGL provide a number of services to ensure our IT systems are protected in case of a serious incident including:
Recovery – this is a managed service which automatically protects all of our mission-critical data, IT applications and operating systems, by replicating it every night to OGL’s maximum security offsite storage location. In the event of a disaster, key workers like our Programme Support Manager, can access all mission critical data, operating systems, IT applications and their settings, plus email as normal from any internet connection within a maximum period of 24 hours.
OGL’s CloudSuite services offer guaranteed 99.9% service levels as well as absolute peace of mind with regards to the security of our data.
OGL offers assurances on data security as they own the infrastructure on which our data will be stored within a UK-based tier IV-aligned Data Centre.
Key data centre facts:
- Two unparalleled co-location data centres with tier-IV resilience
- N+N redundant power
- Backup batteries and power generators with emergency re-fuelling amenities
- Fire threat detection and suppression
- Contemporary efficient cooling technology
- 24x7x365 monitoring
- 99.9% service level agreement (SLA)
- Multiple carriers and tier 1 ISPs
- ISO27001 security standards.
Features:
Automatic, nightly data transfer via the internet with no need for tapes or external hard drives
- Fully managed service
- Virtualisation-enabled remote data access within a maximum period of 24 hours
- Tier IV-aligned Data Centre; the UK’s highest level of protection
- Data backups archived for up to 11 generations over the last 30 days.
Disaster recovery
In the event of a disaster and full data loss, our Programme Support Manager will log a call with OGL’s IT Support Desk and an OGL Engineer will call The OCM Group back within 30 minutes. Our staff will be able to continue to work from a remote location after they carry out a full re-instatement of our systems and applications to get us up and running again within 24 hours. The Programme Support Manager is responsible for providing individual support to an apprentice to ensure that any issues are clearly communicated and that there is minimal disruption to their training.
Critical data loss
In the event of less critical data loss, e.g., deleted or misplaced files, The OCM simply log a call with OGL’s IT Support Desk, and their engineers will invoke the restore of your data within 2 working hours.
- Disaster recovery within 24 hours
- Data restore within 2 working hours.
Emergency Contact Details
Chief Executive – Ed Parsloe, [email protected] or 07967 008570
Apprenticeship Support Manager – Rachel Wegerhoff, [email protected] or 01869 338989
Programme Support Manager, Cathy White, [email protected] or 01273 881293
If you need more support, please call the DfE Support Team on 0844 811 5028
Review
This policy will be reviewed annually by the Chief Executive and Apprenticeship Support Manager.
Last review 01 May 2022.
Next review: 01April 2023