Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week 2023
Staff Apprenticeship activity
We currently have 70 members of staff working towards an apprenticeship. Some are staff who have been recruited as apprentices at the start of their careers and others are existing staff, where we utilise the apprenticeship levy to fund their continued professional development and the skills that we need to grow at Warwick.
We are also seeing many staff graduate from apprenticeships and using their skills at Warwick. For example, the first of our internal coaches who have completed the coaching professional apprenticeship have finished their programme, which is a key element in developing a coaching culture outlined in the Warwick People Strategy. Many staff who have worked towards an apprenticeship have gone on to gain successful new roles at Warwick.
We have continued to offer regular entry level apprenticeships in WMG, Estates and the Nursery. WMG and the Nursery have a number of apprentices who have completed or are working towards a second apprenticeship at degree level. One of our former apprentices is now commencing a PhD as part of his role in WMG.
In 2022, many departments recruited their first apprentices, for example Economics, Security, and a Trainee Solicitor in the Warwick legal team.
Below are examples of some of the apprenticeships currently being accessed by Warwick staff:
| Accountancy Taxation Professional, Level: 7 |
Engineering Technician, Level: 3 |
| Associate Project Management, Level 5 |
Event Assistant: Level 3 |
| Coaching professional, Level: 5 |
Facilities Services Operative: level 2 |
| Creative Venue Technician, Level: 3 |
Horticulture & Landscape Operative: Level 2 |
| Crop Technician, Level: 3 |
HR Consultant Partner: Level 5 |
| Digital Support Technician: Level 3 |
Installation electrician / maintenance electrician, Level: 3 |
| Early Years Educator, Level: 3 |
Manufacturing engineer, Level: 6 |
| Early years practitioner, Level: 2 |
Propulsion Technician, Level: 4 |
| Electrical / electronic technical support engineer, Level: 6 |
Senior Leader Master's Degree Apprenticeship, Level: 7 |
| Team leader or supervisor, Level: 3 |
Paralegal, Level: 3 |
The University Nursery has embedded apprenticeships as part of their workforce development and succession planning. Debbie Castle, Nursery Manager, tells us why apprenticeships are so important:
“We have found having apprentices in the nursery a true asset; it is good to have people eager to learn our trade, they bring fresh ideas back from their day in college and it also offers my qualified practitioners a CPD opportunity to line manage someone, something they might not otherwise have an opportunity to do. I also have the satisfaction of knowing that, as an outstanding setting, we are giving them the best possible experience to enhance their training.”
There are so many amazing apprenticeship stories here at Warwick and we are very proud of their achievements and the impact they are having at our University.
Regional Impact
In November 2019, the University pledged to donate up to £280k per year of our unspent levy via the West Midlands Combined Authority scheme, to support SMEs in the West Midlands region to access apprenticeships linked to science, technology, engineering and medicine.
To date, we have supported 42 SME organisations and funded 53 apprenticeships, examples include Infrastructure Technicians, Software Developers and Installation Technicians.
Want to know more about apprenticeships?
Did you know that existing members of staff can utilise the apprenticeship levy to cover the costs of their learning and development programmes? There are over 800 programmes available from level 2 GSCE level right up to level 7 Master level. These include many nationally recognised qualifications, for example, Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) and many more.
Our webpages will give you more information. The team are happy to discuss this learning opportunity with those who would like to know more, please email staffappprenticeships@warwick.ac.uk
Warwick also delivers a range of degree level apprenticeships, and it may be that one is of interest and aligns to your role within the University.