FEATURE
APPRENTICESHIPS The benefits of
Degree Apprenticeships
By Alison Bragg (pictured), Associate Professor and Academic Director for Degree Apprenticeships at Leicester Castle Business School, De Montfort University
In the 1980s, day release was the favoured way of developing people, more recently the Government reinvented this model and called it Degree Apprenticeships. During this period, social and economic change has also led to the disappearance of ‘jobs for life’ and a new approach of talent management. Nowadays, young millennials seek benefits rather than loyalty, often leading to a high turnover of staff. During my 30+ employed years
in construction and then Higher Education (HE) I can safely say that I have learnt two valuable things; a student without work experience is generally not at the top of the list of candidates for any role; and many bright intelligent people are blocked from progressing to more senior roles because they don’t have a degree. This begs the question as to why the era of ‘day release’ nearly died when it offers a solution to both of those problems. Degree Apprenticeships are, to my mind, the best thing
to happen to the UK for a long time. I also think that the funding model is ideal. Employers often complain that what students learn at university is irrelevant at work. Asked questions about why we don’t do more practical-based activities that are meaningful to their role, I reply that universities welcome the input from industry, however the employers are often too busy to be able to put time into ideology that is not chargeable. At the same time, it is difficult for universities to give students, with little work experience, the skills they need when they have no idea what type of role they would like. Degree Apprenticeships offer all the benefits with very
little disadvantage. Both on and off the job training and education develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for specific job roles. Apprenticeship programmes can be flexed and tailored to suit the needs of the business, or can be delivered more generally to open cohorts, as long at the Apprenticeship Standard is adhered to. The Standards have been developed by businesses so should align to business needs. In the case of the Chartered Manager Degree
Apprenticeship (CMDA) at De Montfort University (DMU), the apprentices develop knowledge in strategy building, project management, finances, sales and marketing and digital technology. Through the learning provider and the business they develop skills in communication, leading and managing people, developing collaborative relationships, a deeper awareness of themselves and others, decision making and management of themselves. In the workplace they develop lasting changes in behaviour, which include taking responsibility and professionalism. Research by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) suggests that
44 business network February 2019
management and leadership development can account for 23% improvement in organisational performance measures, and 32% in people performance, so it makes sense to invest in this. The academic learning is funded through the
Apprenticeship Levy, which the Government charges to businesses to encourage them to be more involved in the holistic development of the apprentice. DMU is continuously developing its Degree Apprenticeship
offering, as new apprenticeship standards become available. The Business School has been at the forefront of Degree Apprenticeship delivery for the past four years, starting with the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA - Level 6) and closely followed by the Senior Leader Masters Degree Apprenticeship (SLMDA - Level 7). Each of these work-based programmes maps to an approved Apprenticeship Standard, which allows employers to utilise the Apprenticeship Levy to develop their staff. Both programmes are dual accredited to additional Chartered Management Institute (CMI) qualifications and all successful apprentices will also achieve Chartered Manager status at their end point assessment. DMU currently delivers these ‘open’ programmes at the
DMU campus with attendance on both programmes being in blocks of two days every six weeks. All apprentices study a variety of general business, management and leadership subjects, however we can also offer ‘closed’ bespoke programmes to meet employer needs, including delivery at client premises, if minimum number are enrolled. Why would you not choose a debt-free degree for your
employees?
‘Apprenticeship programmes can be flexed and tailored to suit the needs of the business, or can be delivered more generally’
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