New Degree Apprenticeship in Professional Management Given Green Light by the UK Government

A new degree-level apprenticeship in management developed by a group of 40 employers and universities, headed by Serco, has been given the green light today by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship is aimed at boosting the number of professional managers in the UK and at driving productivity and business growth.

Under the scheme, workers who complete the apprenticeship will earn a degree in management and business, and become a Chartered Manager and member of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

The apprenticeship, which will take a worker around four years to complete, will be provided by their employer in partnership with a university or business school. It will be mostly delivered in the workplace through work-based projects but will also include university study time. The scheme is particularly aimed at school leavers as an alternative to university with the worker earning a full time salary throughout the course of their training and studies. Once qualified, workers will be ready for managerial roles with operational responsibilities.

The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship is one of a series of new degree-level apprenticeships that the Government has asked business to develop under its Trailblazer programme to meet the future needs of the UK economy.

As a service company, Serco has a large requirement for skilled and knowledgeable managers. For this reason that the company put itself forward to lead the project and it has worked with CMI and the Chartered Association of Business Schools to pull together the group employers and universities to identify, consult on and develop the standards that are required for the apprenticeship.

The group of employers and universities led by Serco who worked on this new standard included: Anglo Educational, BBC, Kinnerton Confectionery, Opus Building Services and Virgin Media (see full list in Notes to Editors).

Nick Boles, Skills Minister, said: “Increasing the number of people who understand how to lead and manage people is essential to the UK’s future. This Degree Apprenticeship will equip people starting their careers with the leadership and management skills needed to rise to the top and shape the future of UK industry.”

Liz Benison, Chief Executive of Serco’s UK and Europe Local and Regional Government Business, said: “It is vital for Serco that we nurture and retain skilled and professional managers who enable and support our teams to deliver essential services for our customers. It is for this reason that we stepped forward to lead this important work and develop the standards for this new degree-level apprenticeship in professional management. I am sure this apprenticeship will not only contribute to the successful development of Serco employees but also the wider UK economy. I would like to thank the team within Serco that have led on this work and also the group of businesses and universities that has contributed to the development of this high quality apprenticeship.”

Petra Wilton, CMI’s director of strategy, said: “This Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship offers a game changing new route for building the next generation of professional managers. It brings together the very best of higher education, professional development and work-based learning. It provides a new way for employers to upskill those ‘accidental’ managers already in the workforce – those promoted into management with no formal training. It also offers a fantastic opportunity that will put far more young people on the track to professional management careers. CMI has been delighted to work with Serco and so many employers dedicated to raising the standard of the UK’s management performance.”

Anne Kiem, chief executive of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, added: “A critical factor in productivity is good management. The Chartered Manager Apprenticeship is a great opportunity for employers to develop a new generation of managers equipped to drive their businesses, and address the UK’s productivity crisis for years to come. Our business schools are looking forward to working with employers and their apprentices to provide access to a world class management education with relevant and applied on-the-job training.”

The standard for the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship has been published athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-standard-chartered-manager-degree-apprenticeship

For more information, including details of the business schools ready to deliver the programme from September, visitwww.managers.org.uk/degreeapprenticeships

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