The University agreed a three year partnership deal with the leading public sector services provider, to provide one of the first CMDAs in the country, last year.

120 Serco employees are currently on CMDA and 32 have completed their first year of the Degree Apprenticeship and the University celebrated the milestone achievement with a day of workshops to help them prepare for their ongoing studies.

The CMDA covers all aspects of business including management, marketing, human resources, finance and operations management and is designed for employees who aspire to be professional managers.  The qualification includes a degree in Business Management as well as Chartered Management Institute Chartered Manager status.

Mark Price, Director of Apprenticeships (Business) at the University, said: “It was really inspiring to celebrate our first cohort’s achievements, bringing Serco employees together for a day’s reflection on the course content and future areas of study.

“The CMDA provides a range of benefits for students and the employers. The students get a mixture of theory, knowledge, skills and training to ensure they can develop further as managers within their organisations. Employers get committed, able, confident staff who are looking to make changes within their organisation based on the most up-to-date theory and practice within business and the commercial environment.”

Gareth Moss, Employment Skills & Enterprise Director at Serco, said:  “Serco has got an aspiration to be the best managed business in our sector and in order to achieve that aspiration we need the best people.  We have a philosophy of growing our own and we saw the opportunity of the Apprenticeship Levy and the development of the CMDA as a way of achieving that objective.  We are absolutely delighted with the numbers of our people who are following the programme and we’re really pleased with the quality of provision they are receiving.”

James Dickinson, 36 from Whitby in North Yorkshire is Serco Operations Manager at RAF Fylingdales and a CMDA Apprentice.  He said: “My aspiration is to be a Contracts Manager and this qualification offers experience in a wider sense.  The modules are so relevant to the business and I’ve learned something every step along the way that’s enhanced my capabilities as a manager.”

The successful programme has been widened out to other organisations. More than 20 Apprentices from organisations including Walsall Council, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, the Beacon Centre, Liberty group and Phosters are now studying for the CMDA.

Designed by employers, universities and professional bodies, Degree Apprenticeships deliver high-tech and high level skills and offer an alternative to a traditional degree course. Bringing together university study with paid work, Degree Apprentices spend part of their time at university and part with their employer.

As well as CMDA, the University also offers Higher and Degree Apprenticeships in Construction Management with pathways for Civil Engineering & Built Environment, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Design & Engineer, Chartered Surveying, Chartered Legal Executive, Digital Technology Solutions, Nursing Associate and Professional and Healthcare Science Practitioner.

The University’s Apprenticeship Hub provides a bespoke and independent venue for potential apprentices, employers and learning providers, offering clear and integrated progression routes for vocational pathways.

For further information, visit the website or email: apprenticeshiphub@wlv.ac.uk.

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