Develop your skills in your current role with a Graduate Apprenticeship

Traditionally, apprenticeships were for young school-leavers who wanted to learn a trade. But Graduate Apprenticeships are apprenticeships for adults who are already in employment.

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Today, employees (just like you) can spend one day per week studying towards their honours degree, remaining in their current role, with the full support of their employer, and at no extra cost to themselves or the business.

This is all thanks to the University of Dundee’s fully funded Graduate Apprenticeship Programme.

Read on to hear about what the participants on the University of Dundee’s Graduate Apprenticeship programme have achieved, so far.

“I’m lecturing now – something I wouldn’t have believed I could do” Christian Williams

Christian Williams, who recently won the CEED Young Person of the Year Award, felt that joining the GA programme at the University of Dundee “offered the perfect opportunity to work and study at the same time”. He would never have believed where it took his career.

Christian is studying for a business management degree while working in his role at Here’s the Plan.

He said: “Being able to balance a job and getting skills to develop in my role was ideal. Business management is specifically what I’m interested in, so the apprenticeship was the perfect choice.

“I’ve developed a lot during my Graduate Apprenticeship, including a promotion to business development manager and gaining confidence in areas like public speaking. I’ve been lecturing on sustainability at Dundee and Abertay universities, something I wouldn’t have believed that I could do before.”

“Graduate Apprenticeships opened doors for me” Catherine Reid

Catherine Reid works at The Fairmont Hotel in St Andrews and enrolled on the business management Gradate Apprenticeship course at the University of Dundee. Catherine continues to work while studying and is experiencing the new opportunities it has brought her.

She said: “The Graduate Apprenticeship programme offers you an excellent opportunity to progress within your workplace and opens a lot of doors. You also gain an understanding of multiple topics that may benefit your organisation.”

What exactly is a Graduate Apprenticeship programme?

The University of Dundee has been running its successful Graduate Apprenticeship programme since 2017. In doing so, it has been providing apprenticeships for adults and ‘easily accessible funding and development opportunities to businesses of all sizes’.

The programme is fully funded* and run in association with the Scottish Funding Council and Skills Development Scotland.

It allows companies to develop the business, IT and engineering skills of their workforce (of all ages), to honours degree level, and at no additional cost.

Wayne Paul, spokesman for the Graduate Apprenticeship programme at the University of Dundee, explained that the GA programme also gives the employee an opportunity to learn new skills that will benefit the business while studying to honours degree level. They complete the course while they are working in their current role.

He added: “We often say that Graduate Apprenticeships are a win-win for both parties, allowing individuals to fulfil their academic potential while utilising their new-found skills in their workplace.

“By working with local employers to provide work-based learning and high-quality education, the university is also continuing to demonstrate its commitment to the local economy.”

What courses can I study as a Graduate Apprentice?

There are five different types of courses – each delivered by the University’s experienced Graduate Apprenticeship lecturers, who also have many years of experience in business, IT, and engineering roles – that will benefit several different industries, from engineering to software development.

They are:

• Business Management, Bachelor of Science (Hons)
• Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
• Engineering, Design and Manufacturing, Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
• IT Management for Business, Bachelor of Science (Hons)
• IT Software Development, Bachelor of Science (Hons)

Graduate Apprentices spend one day per week studying at the university and the remainder of the week working in their current role. These courses are fully funded honours degree courses and, from now until the courses start in September, the university is looking to fill places.

What are employers saying about Graduate Apprenticeships?

There is perhaps no one better placed to explain what the benefits are to employers than Katherine Thomson of KMSoft. The business owner – who is also a Graduate Apprentice herself and studied IT management for business – is soon going to be “investing” in the company by taking on a Graduate Apprentice. She knows first-hand how attractive Graduate Apprentices are as recruits.

She said: “It really is the best of both worlds.

“We work in a particularly niche sector, developing bespoke software for a plethora of industries, and already I have been able to use the knowledge that I am learning in my lectures in the workplace.

“KMSoft will be looking to take on a Graduate Apprentice because we want somebody who has the knowledge and skills that we require, but who can also be developed within the workplace.

“I would encourage any employer to look at Graduate Apprenticeships for its staff because they represent an investment in them and your business.”

Join the University of Dundee’s Graduate Apprenticeship programme this year, whether you are an employer or an employee. If you have any questions about the apprenticeships for adults GA programme, email Wayne at: w.paul@dundee.ac.uk

*Fully funded means all the fees associated with studying at the university are paid for. Your employer will continue to pay your salary for the duration of the four-year, one-day-a-week course.