A practical programme that builds real capability to deliver change, design better services and lead transformation at scale.
Our Innovation & Change Leadership programme builds practical capability to deliver meaningful change - through expert led tuition and support with live, work based projects embedded in day-to-day roles.
Participants apply new skills immediately with learning woven directly into organisational priorities. The result is stronger decision making, more effective change delivery, and teams better equipped to navigate ongoing disruption.
Co designed with Grant Thornton and delivered by Estu, the programme combines practitioner led learning with deep commercial and sector insight, enabling organisations to translate strategy into measurable outcomes.
This programme forms part of the Centre for Innovation & Change - a broader capability system spanning early careers through to enterprise-scale transformation academies, giving organisations flexibility in how they build and scale capability over time.
Who is this programme for?
This programme is designed for professionals contributing to, or leading, complex change - regardless of function - and who need the capability to deliver transformation effectively across the organisation.
It’s a great fit for:
- Managers and senior specialists involved in transformation, service improvement or large‑scale change initiatives
- Finance, operations, customer, digital and policy leaders responsible for delivering outcomes through change
- Programme, change and transformation leads working across multiple teams or functions
- High‑potential professionals preparing for broader, enterprise‑wide responsibility
What will they learn?
Learners build the capability to diagnose complex organisational challenges, design effective responses and deliver change through to implementation & sustainable impact. Skills are developed through live projects from early on in the programme, ensuring learning translates directly into improved performance, productivity and service outcomes.
They’ll build expertise in:
- Diagnosing complex problems and shaping value‑driven change initiatives
- Designing and improving services, processes and operating models
- Delivering change through structured, end‑to‑end execution (from insight to implementation)
- Influencing stakeholders and communicating change with clarity and confidence
- Applying data, digital and AI responsibly to support better decision‑making
Key facts
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Level
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Level 6 (degree‑level) professional apprenticeship
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Qualifications |
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Duration
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15 months plus End Point Assessment (EPA)
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Provider
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Estu in partnership with Grant Thornton
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Entry requirements
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Professionals involved in transformation, innovation, service redesign, digital, policy or operational change roles.
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Format
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Primarily online learning with quarterly in‑person collaboration and networking sessions.
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Delivery
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A structured blend of seminars, masterclasses, one‑to‑one coaching, workplace projects and applied learning aligned to live reorganisation activity.
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Programme content
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Covers service design foundations, design thinking, digital and data‑enabled practice, innovation, leadership, change delivery, ethical and sustainable design, advanced methods and preparation for EPA.
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Assessment
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Ongoing progress reviews, applied workplace projects, portfolio development and End Point Assessment.
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Fees and funding
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£15,000 Fully funded via the Apprenticeship Levy
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Innovation and Change Leadership Discovery Session
Explore the new Innovation and Change leadership programme, launched in conjunction with Estu
Build innovation capability
Equip teams with proven tools to design better services, improve customer experience and embed innovation at scale.
Accelerate commercial impact
Apply learning directly to live priorities, strengthening performance, efficiency and value creation.
Develop future‑ready leaders
Develop confident leaders with the skills to navigate uncertainty, influence stakeholders and lead sustainable change.
Design led learning that turns ambition into impact
Our partnership with Estu is built on a shared commitment to practical, user centred learning that delivers real and lasting change. Estu is a specialist learning provider focused on innovation and transformation, working with organisations and individuals who are driven to make a difference.
"Estu delivers exceptional training" 2025 - Ofsted
Estu brings a practitioner‑led approach grounded in design thinking, organisational psychology and strategic communication, making complex challenges simple, accessible and actionable. This complements Grant Thornton’s deep commercial insight, sector expertise and experience supporting organisations to translate strategy into measurable outcomes.
Together, we deliver programmes that embed learning directly into the workplace, equipping leaders to design better services, lead complex change and drive sustainable commercial impact - as part of the Centre for Innovation & Change, spanning early-career development through to enterprise-wide transformation capability.
Why Estu?
- Practitioner led, real‑world learning - Programmes are delivered by exceptional practitioners and industry experts, with learning rooted in live organisational challenges and real business priorities.
- Design led and user centred - Estu’s approach is grounded in service design and systems thinking, helping learners create solutions that are innovative, inclusive and built around real customer needs.
- Impact‑driven and accessible - Estu is committed to making learning simple, impactful and inclusive.
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