Innovation and Change Leadership
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.
Codesigned 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.
Who is it 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
How the programme works
This is a Level 6 (degree-level) professional apprenticeship running for 15 months plus an End Point Assessment, delivered by Estu in partnership with Grant Thornton.
It's designed for professionals working in transformation, innovation, service redesign, digital, policy or operational change roles, and leads to a Service Designer (Degree Apprenticeship) qualification alongside a CMI Level 6 Award in Innovation & Change.
Learning is primarily online with quarterly in-person sessions, delivered through a structured blend of seminars, masterclasses, one-to-one coaching and applied workplace projects.
The curriculum covers service design foundations, design thinking, digital and data-enabled practice, leadership, change delivery and ethical design, with assessment via ongoing reviews, portfolio development and a final EPA.
The programme is fully funded through the Apprenticeship Levy.
Key benefits
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.
Quick facts
Ready to make an impact?
The programme gives your people the tools, confidence and support they need to understand clients more deeply, design better services and turn ideas into action.