CPD Taster Session: Develop your Talent with Graduate Apprenticeships

As businesses continue their recovery from the pandemic, it is more important than ever that they have the right people with the right skills.  Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) offer businesses a unique opportunity to plan for the skills that they will need in the future. 

Created in partnership with industry, GAs support business leaders to develop their talent pipeline – to attract new recruits, to develop their current workforce and to retain skilled employees.  Providing a blend of academic and work-based learning, employees are able to acquire up to date, industry recognised qualifications alongside paid employment. 

At UWS we have been delivering GAs since 2017 and have invested in growing our portfolio to meet industry demand.  We now offer five GA programmes - Engineering Design & Manufacture, Civil Engineering, Business Management, Software Development and Early Learning & Childcare. 

Our flexible delivery models offer bespoke learning journeys tailored to the needs of each business we work with. In addition to the technical knowledge and skills our apprentices acquire, they also develop academic, personal and professional graduate attributes including critical thinking, creativity, resilience and emotional intelligence. 

This virtual taster session will be led by Fiona Kennedy, Industry Engagement Manager, and Gary Gillon, Programme Leader, Business Management (Graduate Apprenticeship), and will showcase how GAs can support businesses to upskill their workforce and the positive impact of investing in skills through apprenticeships.   

Fiona Kennedy joined the University's School of Computing, Engineering & Physical Sciences in 2017 as Graduate Apprenticeships Manager, bringing extensive experience in skills and organisation development, project management, relationship management and management consultancy.  Fiona has previously worked in economic development, Further and Higher Education and has run her own consultancy offering a variety of tailored services across a range of industry sectors.  Fiona has recently been appointed to the newly created role of Industry Engagement Manager within Business Innovation, a role which retains a strong focus on the development and delivery of UWS’ innovative Graduate Apprenticeship portfolio alongside creating new, impactful employer partnerships.   

Gary Gillon is a Lecturer in Management, and Programme Leader BA (Hons) Business Management (Graduate Apprenticeship) at the University of the West of Scotland.  Originally from an HR and finance background, his academic interests lie in the area of internationalisation with particular focus on the Chinese banking sector.  Gary supervises undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations/theses, and delivers a number of modules across all levels within the School of Business & Creative Industries at UWS.

The session will be hosted on Zoom and is expected to last around 45 minutes, including time for questions.  

The session is free to attend, but advanced registration is required to secure your place.  

If you have any questions about the event, please email us at: cpd@uws.ac.uk 

If you would like to find out more about Graduate Apprenticeships in the meantime, please visit here.