Shropshire Star

Recruiting for degree apprenticeships

Degree apprenticeships are an important way for people to access the professional services sector.

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The sector includes professions such as legal, accountancy, advertising and marketing, management, consultancy and scientific research, most of which require level-seven qualifications.

In apprenticeship terms, that means degree apprenticeships, which are being offered by companies in partnership with higher education institutions.

The University of Wolverhampton launched its Apprenticeship Hub last year and one of the first apprenticeships programmes to be offered is the chartered manager degree apprenticeship.

As part of that degree apprenticeship apprentices will gain a CMI Level 5 Diploma in leadership and management, chartered manager status (CMI) and a BA (Hons) business management.

The university is also working with other local providers of apprenticeships to ensure progression pathways are mapped and available to employers and their employees onto this programme. They are now recruiting for the September 2017 programme.

The Chartered Legal Executive Apprenticeship (CILEX) will be available from January 2018 and the University is gearing up to offer the senior leader degree apprenticeship (Level 7 Masters programme) as soon as it is approved, hopefully early next year.

Clair Schafer, from the Marches Skills Provider Network, said: "Degree apprenticeships are so exciting because they provide the opportunity to obtain a degree while gaining all of the experience in the work environment and without the fees normally associated with a university education.

"For levy paying employers the fees are drawn straight from the levy pot and for non-levy payers a contribution of just 10 per cent of the fees is required.

"Virtually every report which is produced relating to skills shortages highlights management skills as an issue and now there is the opportunity to support the development of those skills through degree apprenticeships.

"For those aspiring to management there are apprenticeships at level three in team leading and level four higher apprenticeships as a stepping stone to the degree apprenticeships. In fact this really illustrates the Ladder principle of being able to use apprenticeships to develop a career pathway and develop the skills which employers need.”