Apprentice and School leaver market


Ruth South Head of Graduate, Apprentice & Placement Programmes, Capgemini


Grow your own talent with degree apprenticeships


With UK youth unemployment being a well reported issue, alongside the ever- increasing skills gap, particularly in the technology sector, it has come to the point where industry itself needs to grow the skills needed to keep up with the pace of change. Ruth South, Head of Graduate, Apprentice & Placement Programmes at Capgemini explains how apprenticeships enable employers to grow their own talent and create opportunities for individuals from a range of backgrounds so that they have an alternative route into a career of their choosing.


Capgemini recognised that hiring apprentices would help us to meet our business’s objectives and grow the skills crucial for ourselves, our clients and the digital economy. In 2011 we launched our first degree apprenticeship and now have 250 apprentices studying for their degree, and a total of 370 team members on an apprenticeship, making up 5% of our UK workforce.


We believe that by offering degree apprenticeships, businesses are able to attract individuals who actively chose not to go to university because they felt a more hands on model would be a better fit for them, or where affordability prevented them from doing so. It also provides an opportunity for those who want to change career and reskill in a new area, wanting to gain a degree qualification with real life work experience and without the debt. Whichever the route, the individual approaches this opportunity with a huge amount of loyalty and


determination, as delivering a full time job alongside studying for a degree is a big commitment.


Having recently become the first employer to have degree apprentices graduate, we have seen outstanding results, demonstrating that apprenticeships are not a second class option to attending university full time. 100% of our cohort passed with a 2nd class degree or above, and 64% achieved a 1st class degree, which is more than double the campus average at that university.


Our recent graduates are now six years into their professional career with a wealth of work experience, have achieved a BSc in Digital & Technology Solutions, a salary that exceeds that of a graduate and have no student debt. Capgemini and our clients have benefited from our apprentices’ insights, perspectives and skillset, and we have grown the future leaders of our organisation.


Being trailblazers has meant we have experienced some challenges and reached key milestones first. Managing a work- based learning programme has required ongoing focus to ensure that apprentices are engaged and supported throughout their degree. We have set up a support network to make sure that apprentices have pastoral care, continual review, and are given the opportunities needed to thrive, putting into practice the learnings from their studies into their day jobs. We have overcome these challenges by collaborating with our partner Aston University and the apprentices to adapt the programme, ensuring it provides a fantastic learning experience, while also meeting the needs of the business.


Frustratingly, misperceptions still exist about apprenticeships. For organisations such as ourselves who have invested in this area for some time and seen the results that blending academic and on the job learning has, these inaccurate perceptions are ones that we are all keen to correct.


With the Apprenticeship Levy now in place, businesses have a perfect opportunity to review their upcoming workforce plans, review their talent strategies and invest in apprenticeships. Providing a route into a career for an individual of any background and at any stage of their life, seeing their potential unlocked and the level of achievements gained by them, and also the difference they make to business, should make this an investment that all employers want to make.


TheStudentEmployer ise.org.uk 31


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