Business & Innovation
Graduate Apprenticeships
In March 2017, RGU confirmed our GA offering. Following the successful launch of the two inaugural courses, IT Management for Business and Software Development for Business, we have been awarded a further 135 fully-funded Graduate Apprenticeship places spread across a range of disciplines including construction, engineering, business management and IT.
GAs enable participants to earn their degree while working and are delivered in partnership with their employers over the course of four years.
Developed by Skills Development Scotland, in response to employer demands, GAs:
- Address national skills shortages in key areas, such as digital technology
- Allow employers to shape their workforce in line with business demands
- Offer a high value, low cost option for employers to retain and upskill staff
Our GAs
Shape the expertise of your workforce and develop the skills you need by enrolling existing employees or offering new recruits a place on our GA programmes.
RGU has 135 fully funded places over seven GA courses. Each course starts in September 2018, with more details available over the coming months.
Available courses
Courses in development
- BSc (Hons) Construction: Built Environment
- BEng (Hons) Engineering: Design & Manufacture
- BEng (Hons) Engineering: Instrumentation, Measurement & Control
- BA (Hons) Business Management
- BA (Hons) Business Management: Financial Services
How do they work?
To be eligible your employee must work full-time in Scotland in a role related to the course topic.
You can enrol an existing employee or take on a new recruit specifically to undertake a GA.
RGU use a blended learning approach supported by our Virtual Learning Environment, with online lectures, discussion forums and access to course materials. This is complemented by on-campus sessions at RGU in Aberdeen to exchange ideas with their peer group and tutors. Alternative arrangements are available for remote attendants.
Apprentices apply their learning and skills to solve workplace problems. RGU will support participants with structured learning and reflective practice, while company mentors will help them to apply theory to workplace reality. Assessments will link to your employee’s job, typically via portfolios or projects they do for your business.
Why RGU?
RGU has decades of experience in working with employers to design programmes that enable employees to study and learn new skills while maintaining workplace productivity.
As a transformational work-based learning initiative GAs fit with RGU’s strengths and ethos.
In addition RGU is recognised not only for highly qualified graduates but also for their employability. RGU has been consistently ranked among the UK's top universities for graduate employment for many years.
RGU were recently awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), putting us in the top 20% of the best universities in the UK for the quality of our undergraduate teaching and learning.
Our engagement with employers has highlighted the importance of offering a flexible approach which allows the apprentice to spend as much time as possible in the work environment, only coming to campus when necessary. Our delivery model supports the learning needs of apprentices regardless of their location.
Contact
Please get in touch to discuss how we can work together.
Email us at: glaemployer@rgu.ac.uk
Testimonials
"Graduate Apprenticeships should offer a ‘Route to the Boardroom’ for many of our Trade Apprentices who, after achieving their advanced craft or similar, have no other formal route to professional competence other than a demonstration of experience through a Chartered Body".
- Keith A Taylor, Managing Director, Robertson Construction Eastern Ltd
"We believe the GA will allow us to help develop a future digital innovator by giving them real projects to help them develop, supplementing their structured learning through RGU. It will allow them to be more ready to face the challenges of the work environment, progress their career and add value to the company."
- Graham Filsell, Team lead - Process Simulation and Software Development, Atkins
"We see Graduate Apprenticeships as a great way to improve the skills base of our existing personnel. It also gives us the opportunity to hire people straight from school and have them working in the business learning all aspects while studying to achieve a degree. We look forward to continuing the good working relationship we have with RGU in helping us deliver knowledge and expertise to our people."
- Shirley Smith, HR Director, EnerMech
"Graduate Apprenticeships provide a structured development framework with qualification goals ahead. These goals can only be achieved through continuously increasing their contribution and value to the businesses for which they work."
- Steven Robertson, Divisional Director, Mott MacDonald