The changing nature of apprenticeships

“The most common misconception about apprenticeships is that they are for young people only, starting out their careers.”

Those are the words of Matt Bungay, Head of Apprenticeships at City, University of London. “The eldest apprentice I worked with was 74 and it was the first qualification she had received in her life!”

Degree apprenticeships at City combine on-the-job training with study for a higher qualification, helping to progress an apprentice’s career and giving employers the highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce a successful business needs.

City offers five apprenticeship programmes, providing training at all levels. These range from nursing and solicitor training for apprentices straight out of school, to management training for senior executives and medical doctors looking to enter leadership roles, as well as data scientists working in the tech sector. Currently, there are over 500 students at City learning through the apprenticeship route.

Supporting local business

As well as being an apprenticeships provider, City is also supporting local businesses by giving them the resources they need to upskill their workforce. Using a system known as the apprenticeship levy transfer, City is able to transfer 25 per cent of its levy funds to cover the apprenticeship training costs for staff from local businesses.

Anne Payne, Head of Organisational Development at City said: “So far we’ve transferred £200,000 of our apprenticeship levy to fund 23 apprentices. Some are in more traditional apprenticeship roles such as carpenters, electricians and in hospitality, but we’re increasingly providing funding for roles in the digital and tech sectors.”