12 education & business
Call for employers to support new apprenticeship degree
Employers across the region are being urged to step forward and offer apprenticeship places for young people who want to take advantage of a pioneering new leadership and management apprenticeship degree about to be launched by Southampton Solent University, writes Alison Dewar
”It‘s also incredibly attractive from the students‘ point of view, they gain a degree without having to pay a penny themselves or rack up debt from student loans; they achieve Chartered Management Institute accreditation and on the job work experience as well.”
In a further boost for prospective employers, those companies prepared to offer apprenticeships also have the chance to be involved in the interview process.
”It‘s important that employers are involved in the selection of the apprentices who will be working for them,” adds Andrews. ”They will be invited to sit in on interviews and help to match the right people to join their business.
”We‘ve already had a lot of interest in the apprenticeships from our local partner further education colleges, who have students wanting to go into full-time employment and earn a salary, rather than take the traditional university route.
”The important thing now is for employers to get in touch and offer those apprenticeship places.”
As a work-based apprenticeship, much of the study will take place online, which means prospective employers can come from anywhere across the South Coast and South Central region. Apprentices will only be required to attend lessons at the university campus five weekends a year.
The university is hoping to achieve at least 20 offers of apprenticeships, with a view to placements starting this autumn.
Students talking with employers at a recent event held at the university
Open to 18-year-olds leaving school this summer, as well as people who are already employed, the new scheme enables them to combine work and study without the need to take on a student loan.
After four years, successful apprentices will achieve a level six chartered degree apprenticeship and membership of the Chartered Management Institute.
The move is also an attractive one for employers, who stand to gain a more highly-skilled and valuable employee, while contributing only £2,250 each year towards overall tuition fees of £6,750 per year. The remaining £4,500 will be covered by the Government.
Professor Georgina Andrews, director of Southampton Solent Business School, says: ”This is a national pilot scheme, which is very different for two reasons.
”Whereas most apprenticeship schemes are aimed at specific sectors of industry, this is a cross-sector apprenticeship degree. Secondly, although most apprenticeship schemes are developed with larger employers in mind, this programme allows smaller businesses to become involved and there are also additional incentives for SMEs.
”This is very much an employer-led initiative and the key for us is to make sure we have
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enough employers who are able to offer places to the future apprentices, so we will be welcoming applications from all organisations, no matter what their size or industry sector.”
Businesses need to be able to demonstrate that the young person they have already employed – or are planning to take on – will be in a junior management role.
For example, a small high-street retailer could take on one school-leaver to train as a future store manager in the same way that a larger organisation may want to engage three apprentices to become departmental managers or team leaders.
Andrews explains that if an employer sets aside £15,000 to engage a school-leaver, they could pay them a salary of £12,750, leaving the remaining £2,250 to go towards the cost of their studies.
”Everyone benefits,” she said. ”In return for participating, the employer will save on staff development costs and receive tax breaks, while having an employee who is developing their leadership capabilities and management skills on the job with support from the university.
”The incentive of wanting to complete their degree means apprentices will have a greater commitment to the company and be encouraged to stay longer.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – JUNE 2015
The Government initiative is the result of an employer-led consortium headed by Serco, Balfour Beatty and the Civil Service, working together with the Chartered Management Institute and the Chartered Association of Business Schools.
The university works in collaboration with the Chartered Management Institute and became involved in the programme after its business school was awarded The Small Business Charter last year, in recognition for its work with SMEs across the region.
Andrews, who now sits on the board of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, concluded: ”As a result of achieving our Charter we were asked to take part in this pilot programme and we‘re the only South Coast delivery partner to do so.
”As an applied university, this fits in very well with our ethos of blended learning and making sure we work with local employers and provide the training that they are looking for in future employees.”
Details: 023-8201-3000
ask@solent.ac.uk www.solent.ac.uk
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