Demystifying Degree Apprenticeships
Date published:
Degree apprenticeships can offer the best of both worlds for employers and employees looking to upskill – combining university study and practical workplace learning.
But despite the huge success of degree apprenticeships, many companies don’t consider the option for their business, often because they just don’t know enough about the practicalities involved or the benefits an apprenticeship can offer. In addition, there remain some outdated misconceptions associated with apprenticeships, which businesses can find off-putting.
Here Joe Hedley, Assistant Director of Sales and Business Development at Northumbria University, explains the key facts and benefits for employers, as well as the opportunities available for businesses to partner with Northumbria and upskill their team…
“Degree apprenticeships provide employees with practical and relevant skills and knowledge that can be applied immediately in the workplace, meaning businesses can reap the benefits and make the most of new skills and learning almost instantaneously.
“A degree apprentice studies part-time, alongside continued work within their organisation, which helps maintain continuity and capacity, and as well as gaining subject-specific knowledge, they develop a range of core skills too, including project management, problem solving and leadership.
“There are a huge range of benefits associated with investing in existing employees’ knowledge and skills through degree apprenticeships…
- It can equip staff to progress to more senior roles – improving retention rates and avoiding unnecessary recruitment
- It can help attract new talent; ambitious people want to work for organisations that invest in their employees’
- In many cases, employees will be more motivated and committed for the long-term – having been supported to develop their skills over several years.
- And ultimately, it will deliver well-trained, highly skilled employees who add value – both directly and through their ability to coach, mentor and train other team members.
“Importantly, degree apprenticeships are suitable for all sizes of organisations, from small businesses to multinational corporations and they can be affordable at either end of this spectrum. They can be funded by your apprenticeship levy account if you have an annual pay bill of £3m+ or heavily subsidised (up to 95% of the cost) by the Government if your annual pay bill is less than £3m. It’s undoubtedly an inexpensive way to attract and retain talented employees, develop your workforce, fill skills gaps and improve your company’s performance.
“Here at Northumbria, we offer 24 different degree apprenticeships across diverse sectors, from architecture, construction and engineering to digital, tech and creative, with a range of new apprenticeships being added to the portfolio in 2021. In addition to these industry-specific courses, the Leadership and Management degree apprenticeship is delivered by our award-winning business school and cover many different sectors
“One of the biggest misconceptions associated with an apprenticeship of any kind is that it’s only suitable for new starters or young people, which is simply not the case. Northumbria’s degree apprentices have ranged from new recruits through to senior managers and long-serving staff and professionals who are looking for a change in career.
“We have incredibly strong relationships with business and industry and whilst we already offer a significant choice of courses, we continue to develop new and tailored degree apprenticeships that directly meet the needs of a business, sector or workforce. If our portfolio doesn’t offer an option that’s relevant to your organisation, I’d encourage you to get in touch.”
To find out more about degree apprenticeships, visit https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/degreeapprenticeships
or email [email protected]
To read more about the many ways that Northumbria works with businesses regionally and nationally to support their growth and success – from workforce development through to research collaborations – you can download and view a new B2B supplement here: www.northumbria.ac.uk/partner-of-choice