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Firms sign up to support degree apprenticeship Siemens Gamesa, the renewable energy arm of the multinational manufacturing conglomerate, is among the firms to have signed up to a new University of Nottingham degree apprenticeship that aims to create a new pipeline of businessready engineering talent. The university believes its electro-mechanical engineering course will transform the way companies attract recruits and upskill existing staff – ultimately producing apprentices who can solve business-specific problems with both mechanical and electrical engineering expertise. Starting in September this year, the degree apprenticeship develops technical skills in design, testing and analysis, as well as the soft skills that enable graduates to be effective members of an engineering team. Employer-specific project work is a major theme throughout the blended learning and block release programme – empowering apprentices to foster skills, knowledge and behaviours by solving engineering challenges that are unique to their place of work. Dr Rowland Travis, associate professor and programme director, said: “This is a brand-new degree apprenticeship standard and we wanted to be quick out of the blocks offering it. “It is for anyone looking to develop core analytical skills in electro-mechanical engineering,
‘This bridges the gap between academic theory and practical skills learned in the workplace’ including the fundamental mathematical techniques they will need to utilise, concepts of signals, analogue and digital systems, and later on in areas such as solid mechanics and dynamics, thermofluids, power and energy, electrical energy conversion, energy conditioning and energy sustainability. “This expertise is sought after in industries spanning aerospace, energy, and oil and gas, to mainstream engineering firms and equipment manufacturers. The transferability of skills acquired on this course will be a huge asset.” Many businesses, large and small, are already on board with the new degree apprenticeship, including Siemens Gamesa. The company’s graduate and apprentice co-ordinator Lynn Morris said the company could offer students work experience, a salary and sponsorship for their degree. “The main benefit to the company is that this bridges the gap between academic theory and practical skills learned in the workplace,” she added. “The result is an individual who is work-ready with commercial
awareness, high level workplace skills and a degree. “Offering this type of apprenticeship, we hope to attract enthusiastic, inquisitive students with a passion for renewable energy who might be looking for an alternative route to a bright career in engineering.” For employers, degree apprenticeships provide a costeffective approach to workforce development. Businesses with a wage bill exceeding £3m can fund the programme from their apprenticeship levy. Firms whose wage bill is under this threshold can still access this programme for their employees, and may be eligible for 95% Government co-investment. The university said it also means they can invest in the technical skills of staff who will drive the innovation abilities of their
organisation for years to come, and attract and retain top talent by giving employees the opportunity to gain a degree without paying tuition fees. Adam Clare, faculty lead for apprenticeships and professor of manufacturing engineering at the University of Nottingham, added: “The challenge for many organisations is how to keep young people and train them to deliver value in their future. “What the degree apprenticeship route offers is elite skills development for everyone, providing an attractive path to recruiting new staff and a way to upskill current employees while solving workplace-specific challenges in the process. “Apprentices will have the opportunity to study alongside engineers form other leading businesses, developing their own contacts.”
Training to help post-pandemic recovery Adults can now retrain at advanced level in subjects vital to help the UK’s post-pandemic recovery for free as part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee. Since 1 April, any adult aged 24 and over who wants to achieve their first full Level 3 qualification, which is equivalent to an advanced technical certificate or diploma, or two A levels, will be able to access dozens of fully-funded courses. Those aged 19 to 23 will continue to be eligible for their first full Level 3 at no cost, as before. North Warwickshire & South Leicestershire College (NWSLC) is one of the Chamber members offering fulltime courses in the priority sectors of construction, engineering, automotive, digital skills, computing and business, as well as health and social care. Advanced level courses available to study remotely online on a part-time basis include accounting (AAT),
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management (ILM), autism, dementia and mental health. Sally Denning, director for adult education at NWSLC, said: “We know that many individuals are facing challenging circumstances including redundancy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and hope that we will be able to offer them a lifeline with a route into a new career. “The Government is targeting support to those areas of the economy that are forecast to grow and are most heavily impacted by current skills shortages, meaning that job roles are likely to be available. “Colleges are leading the way to help re-energise the UK economy and NWSLC is in a great position to make links between organisations that need skills and individuals looking for work. “It is our mission to introduce skilled and workready individuals to employers across the region.”
