Green-tech is providing its employees with the opportunity to study for a higher education qualifi cation whilst continuing to work, by offering Degree Apprenticeships.
Designed in partnership with employers; higher and degree apprenticeships offer a higher education qualification, work experience and industry-relevant skills to create graduate calibre individuals within an organisation. Leeds Trinity University will be running the Degree Apprenticeships for Green-tech.
Green-tech has long since invested in sourcing, developing, and retaining ‘talent’. In 2017 they embraced the Government’s Apprenticeship scheme which saw them take on several apprentices. It was a huge success with a 75% retention rate and the company continues to take on apprentices directly from school or college. Their latest being a Supply Chain Warehouse Operative Apprentice.
Three of Green-tech’s team across the marketing, IT and purchasing departments have enrolled in the Degree Apprenticeship courses. Kate Farrer, Marketing Executive has recently started a Digital Marketing Degree, George Shepherd a software engineering degree and Sarah Whitley a Supply Chain degree.
George started with the company as a customer service apprentice. After successful completion he progressed to the online and marketing department and has recently been promoted to IT Systems Automation Lead.
This role sees him operating as a support link between the commercial and IT departments, working with their CRM system, SAP Business One. George has been encouraged to advance further and is being supported to undertake a three-year software engineering degree.
George comments: “Enrolling for a degree apprenticeship supported by Green-tech will give me the opportunity to progress personally and professionally which will help me to achieve my goals for later life.
“I will be working my full-time job which will really help with my apprenticeship, I’ll be developing my knowledge, gaining a degree qualifi cation and getting paid. It’s a win-win for me.”
Sarah Whitley is Green-tech’s buyer. She forecasts and buys the thousands of product lines Green-tech sell. She also looks after all pricing enquiries for non-stock items. Sarah is undertaking a BSc (Hons) Professional Practice in Supply Chain Leadership which will take her 3.5 years to complete.
Sarah adds: “Throughout my employment, I have always made it clear that I’ve wanted to progress professionally, and Green-tech has always been receptive to that. During the four years I’ve worked here, I’ve been promoted three times, each time gaining more responsibility.
Studying for a work-based degree will aid me in becoming better in my current role so that I can better support the Greentech team and it will also give me a professional/academic qualifi cation that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
The apprentices will gain a ‘debtfree’ University Degree; there will be no costs or tuition fees to fund themselves, and they will study part time at Leeds Trinity University to build on their workplace experience.
