Information for employers - University of Staffordshire

Connecting you with the talent your industry needs. Higher and degree apprenticeships are an effective way for your business to upskill your current staff or grow by recruiting new talent to develop and motivate a skilled and qualified workforce.

University of Staffordshire is a modern and connected University, offering everything that your business and your apprentices need to succeed. Our professional apprenticeships programmes help employers to deliver a high-quality learning experience for new and existing employees.

Employers we work with

We've established long-standing relationships with many employers, driven by our passion and commitment towards the apprenticeships scheme.

Key information

Funding

Learn about apprenticeships funding and calculate your levy.

Apprenticeship courses

Browse the range of apprenticeship courses we offer.

Case studies

Explore our student and business success stories.

Why hire an apprentice?

Hiring an apprentice for your business with expert support from us can accelerate your recruitment time and reduce recruitment costs.

Recruit an apprentice

The benefits

Futureproof your workforce

We will help you to identify and fill in the gaps in your workforce, allowing you to remain competitive in growing industries. Developing staff through apprenticeships means you are essentially shaping your own workforce, growing strengths where you need them.

Access to skilled talent

We can tailor the training to meet specific business needs, ensuring that the apprentice gains relevant skills to your company’s operations. Apprentices also bring fresh ideas and the latest knowledge from their studies.

Diverse workforce

Apprenticeships open opportunities to a broader range of candidates, including those who might not follow the traditional university route, contributing to a more diverse workforce.

Reduce recruitment costs

Apprenticeships empower your employees to carry out their roles at a higher, more skilled level and create a pool of skilled employees who can be promoted into senior roles on completion of their apprenticeship. This reduces the need for external recruitment, saving time and resources.

Increased employee retention and loyalty

Boost talent retention through apprentices building strong loyalty with your company as they learn and grow. Furthermore, you can offer clear progression pathways off the back of the apprenticeship to reduce your turnover costs.

Filling skills gaps

Your company can address specific skills shortages within the industry by training apprentices in those areas, ensuring the business remains competitive.

What our employers say

I think it’s a massive benefit for a future engineer to do a degree whilst earning a living and doing the job at the same time. It’s all about not just future proofing for the business but helping to build individuals as well.

Craig Tinsley

Operations Manager, Adamtech Ltd

The academic study, research, and work really creates critical thinkers in those investigation spaces. Employers will get the benefit of experience from individuals working across different areas of investigation.

Nick Mills

Serious and Complex Crime Course Lecturer, University of Staffordshire

How we support you

We offer complete employer support to help you get the most out of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships from a business perspective.

You'll receive a dedicated account manager who will have expertise in developing recruitment and training strategies and can offer advice on how to make the most out of the Apprenticeship Levy and your funds. They will also be your go-to when it comes to the compliance and paperwork that goes hand-in-hand with apprentice employees.

As an employer, you will get access to webinars, online tools and marketing support to help drive internal and external recruitment, as well as networking opportunities with academics who are experienced and connected within their fields of work.

Our expert team

We are experts in providing over 20 different Higher and Degree Apprenticeships for over 200 businesses across a variety of industries including BT, Merlin Entertainments, NHS, Police Forces, and Bentley Motors. We have a team of experts who will support, guide and educate your business through the apprenticeship process.

How our team can help you

Partner with employers and industry to trailblaze apprenticeships that are relevant to the needs of business
Meet with you to understand your business requirements
Work to develop a bespoke workforce strategy designed to meet the needs of your business
Help with the implementation of strategy and employee selection/recruitment process
Demystify the apprenticeship levy and how to access funding to make sure your business gets the most out of it

How we support your apprentice

All apprentices are assigned a dedicated Work Based Education Officer at the University. They will support the apprentice throughout their apprenticeship journey with recording of their off-the-job hours, conducting progress tripartite reviews and general pastoral care.

In addition to this, all apprentices must have a workplace mentor assigned by their employer who will support them from the employer perspective throughout their apprenticeship. They're on hand to empower the apprentice to thrive in their position while working at your company. The videos below explain the role of the workplace mentor and how they support apprentices to succeed in their employment.

All apprentices have a workplace mentor who supports apprentices throughout their journey. Join Rowan and Mary in the University of Staffordshire Apprenticeships podcast as they discuss the importance of mentorship and how we enable every apprentice to thrive in their role.

Our facilities

The Catalyst

As part of our commitment to work-based learning, we're excited to announce a new learning environment on campus, the Catalyst. This space brings together the delivery of apprenticeships and skills to meet employer demands, in a flexible, high-quality, digitally enabled space.

Explore the Catalyst

A female student wearing a students emergency response uniform is standing in the simmersive suite. Other students in the background are taking part in a simulation.

Stafford Centre for Health Innovation

The Centre for Health Innovation concentrates our state-of-the-art, specialist facilities for healthcare courses and professions. This includes one of the world’s largest ‘simmersive’ suites, where incredibly realistic backdrops project onto a floor-to-ceiling space.

Explore Stafford

More information

Redundancy support service for apprentices

Information about the redundancy support service for apprentices

How can an apprentice support my business?

Apprenticeships can be a great way to upskill your current staff to increase productivity or offer progression. Additionally, more organisations are looking to recruit in new staff straight onto an apprenticeship as a way to grow their own talent.

How are apprenticeships funded?

Apprenticeships are funded through the Apprenticeship Levy. If an organisation has a wage bill over £3 million, they automatically pay in 0.5%. This can then be used to pay for the training. If an organisation’s wage bill is less than this, they can access 95% of the training cost from the government and the remaining 5% is paid by the employer. There are also levy transfers available where an employer can get the training fully funded by another levy paying organisation. You can read more about funding here.

Why University of Staffordshire?

We work with some of the country’s largest employers as well as excellent local employers and we’re continually working to introduce an even wider choice of apprenticeships. We are one of the top largest apprenticeship providers in the UK, offering a large portfolio of specialist programmes. In our most recent Ofsted inspection University of Staffordshire was awarded a “strong standard” for curriculum and teaching and for participation and development with all other areas meeting the expected standard.

How can I get support with hiring an apprentice?

At University of Staffordshire, we can support you with recruitment of new apprentices through guiding you on how and where to advertise, what eligibility criteria you need to look for and what funding is available.

Get in touch

Contact the apprenticeships team

We're on a mission to demystify apprenticeships. If you want to find out more, contact our friendly team who'll guide you through the whole process.

University of Staffordshire Apprenticeships - LinkedIn