University of Leeds Apprentice secures dream job
Andy Richardson from the LLC explains how our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship helped Chris Musgrave move forward in his career.
As the Programme Manager for our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) programme I recently received a card from Chris Musgrave, one of our current students, thanking the programme team for the support he’s received.
The aim of the CMDA programme is to develop the knowledge and skills of managers at all levels, and to impact positively on organisations in the Leeds City Region and beyond.
How might a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship benefit me?
Chris feels the CMDA course has developed his knowledge and confidence to the point where he was capable of applying for, and securing, his dream job.
As he puts it:
The CMDA programme has given me the knowledge and the confidence to stretch myself at work and developed my interpersonal, financial and project-management skills.
It’s helped me to raise my profile within the organisation, eventually leading to my successfully interviewing for a senior management position I would never have had the confidence to apply for before starting the course.
Aren’t apprenticeships only for young people?
It’s not uncommon to hear someone assume that an apprenticeship is something for a young person who’s new to a role. Indeed, Chris himself thought this at one point:
Like many others, I thought that apprenticeships were only open to young people or those at the start of their career.
However, the CMDA course is tailored to those already established in their careers who want to strengthen existing management knowledge and skills, or those like me who are seeking a broader foundation from which to launch the next step in their career.
What kinds of challenges can I expect?
The four-year course, which is aimed at adult learners, is challenging for a number of reasons.
Our students also work full-time, requiring them to display a high level of commitment and excellent time management. Add caring and other family responsibilities into the mix and it’s easy to see how much of a challenge is being taken on.
It’s also often many years since our students have been in a classroom setting, with some having had negative experiences of education in the past.
Reflecting further on his experience of the course so far, Chris has this to say:
The course is challenging on a number of levels, requiring strong self-discipline and time management skills to juggle commitments at work and home alongside your learning.
Buy-in from employers is essential to balance these challenges; staff at the LLC are also very understanding of what it takes to be a part-time mature student and have provided great support throughout.
For example, they helped me to arrange a break from studying at the height of the pandemic — which allowed me to focus on home-schooling my son as well as addressing things at work — and provided further support during my return to the classroom.
Why would my employer want me to do it?
With all the pressures and uncertainty of recent years, caused first by Brexit and then by Covid, it’s understandable why an organisation would be focusing on its immediate survival. Thoughts of staff development and long-term planning may seem like a luxury.
It’s therefore even more gratifying to see new cohorts of Chartered Manager Degree Apprentices, from a wide range of both public and private sector organisations, begin their university journey with us here at the LLC.
Being able to support our CMDA students, helping them to balance their multiple commitments, develop their academic skills and build their confidence, is extremely rewarding from a teaching point of view.
Moreover, hearing how they’re applying their new knowledge in the workplace, and seeing them feeling more confident about taking on new work challenges — with several since having moved into new roles — demonstrates for me how organisations can benefit from investing in management development.
Chris agrees:
For employers, the benefits of apprenticeships go beyond the development of a workforce’s management skills to include positive impacts on both staff confidence and morale.
Future prospects
Higher level and degree apprenticeships, such as those here at the University of Leeds, are helping to show that the benefits of apprenticeships can be enjoyed by learners of any age and in any organisation.
I have a card on my desk that proves that.
To find out more about more about our Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) course, or the other higher level and degree apprenticeships taught by the Lifelong Learning Centre, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
