Problem-solving tips
During your apprenticeship or traineeship, you may experience problems at school, in your workplace or classroom. You may not get on with your boss, workmates or trainer.
Whatever the problem, try to resolve the issue first by following our simple steps.
Step 1: Identify the issue
Work out exactly what the issue is. Then express it in words that make it solvable.
TIP: Focus on the issue not the emotion or the person.
Step 2: Identify causes, consequences and contributors
Identify who or what is causing the issue, who is contributing to it, who is affected by it, and what the consequences are.
TIP: Try to listen without arguing or debating.
Step 3: Brainstorm solutions
Make a list of all the possible ways you could solve the issue. You're looking for a range of possibilities, both sensible and not so sensible.
TIP: Try to avoid judging or debating these yet.
Step 4: Choose a solution
Look at the solutions in turn, assessing both the positives and negatives of each one.The solution you choose should be one that you can put into practice and that will solve the issue. Consult others if you can't find a solution you are both happy with.
TIP: Considering the pros before the cons avoids people feeling criticised.
Step 5: Plan the details
Once you've agreed on a solution, plan exactly how it will work.
To plan, you can ask these questions:
- Who will do what?
- When will they do it?
- What is needed to put the solution into action?
Step 6: Evaluate the solution
Remember that you'll need to give the solution time to work and note that not all solutions will work. Sometimes you'll need to try more than 1 solution.
To evaluate you can ask these questions:
- What has worked well?
- What hasn't worked well?
- What could you do differently to improve the solution?
Step 7: Ask for help
If you feel like this process hasn't helped, we are happy to help you. But we will ask what steps you've already taken to try and resolve it.
Contact us at Apprenticeships Info to help you resolve your problem.