Information for prospective employers
Partner with a Russell Group university to develop talent to meet your business need
Created in collaboration with our partner employers, the Graduate Apprenticeship in Software Engineering addresses the talent gap between supply and demand in the Scottish tech sector. Funding for your graduate apprentice to attend the programme is available to support you to upskill within your existing workforce or to recruit new talent.
The Graduate Apprenticeship degree programme is simple and easy to set up in your workplace. The programme allows apprentices to benefit from a combination of work-based learning with intensive university-based study to ensure a solid foundational understanding of software engineering.
Our award-winning teaching is frontloaded with skills most relevant to the workplace. Our unique programme structure mitigates the effects of context switching by delivering university-based teaching in solid blocks during years 1 and 2 – this has been found to help apprentices learn faster. Apprentices have an opportunity to specialise in years 3 and 4 if they wish and can choose subjects from the University’s full honours catalogue of electives, taught by leading experts in the relevant fields.
Our graduate apprentices are:
- school and college leavers
- professionals looking to upskill or change careers
- graduates looking to retrain.
Employer partners benefits
Our Graduate Apprenticeship degree programme is a true partnership – we have collaborated with employers every step of the way to create a Community of Practice.
As an employer partner, you will:
- grow motivated talent to meet your business needs
- address recruitment needs in a competitive labour market
- increase the diversity of your team
- support business succession planning.
The dedicated Graduate Apprenticeship Team is on hand to provide all the support and advice you need when you need it, including:
- year round marketing activities to promote the programme and drive high quality applicants to your vacancies
- bespoke support from role scoping through to recruitment and selection
- help with the completion of all Graduate Apprentice paperwork
- being available throughout the programme to address challenges or concerns to ensure the best outcome for you and your Graduate Apprentice.
We also work closely with schools, colleges and tech and youth organisations to promote the Graduate Apprenticeship degree programme – email compsci-ga-team@gla.ac.uk to arrange online or in person information sessions.
For information about the benefits for apprentices visit Information for applicants.
Email the Graduate Apprenticeship Team at compsci-ga-team@gla.ac.uk
Graduate Apprenticeship Employer Toolkit (PDF, 2MB)
What our employer partners say:
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100% would recommed the programme
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100% saw a return on investment within 18 months
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100% agreed that the programme supported them to meet early career talent needs
Our apprentices are enjoying the opportunity to use their skills in a live environment. They are a real asset and are impressing colleagues with their ability to problem solve and bring fresh ideas to the team.
Stacey Wylie, Student Loans Company
Design and delivery
The method of delivering this programme has been developed to provide the best support possible to apprentices whilst ensuring that they are meeting the standards expected by both their workplace and the University.
At the forefront of the programme design are concepts relating to the effects of context switching, which have factored heavily into the delivery model.
Informed by world-leading research on how to successfully teach computing subjects, the programme has been developed and is delivered by a dedicated team of academic, research and business development staff.
Eligibility
Any company of any size can benefit from the Graduate Apprenticeship degree programme as long as you:
- have an operation based in Scotland
- have a software development function within your business
- share the university’s commitment to equality and diversity in your workplace.
You must also commit to providing your apprentice with:
- a contract of employment (committing to the 4-year programme and in line with standard employee rights and benefits)
- a full-time salary (the Scottish Funding Council guidance notes that salary should be commensurate with the job role and adhere to National Minimum Wage legislation)
- a supportive learning environment with a dedicated mentor.
For more guidance on salary, visit apprenticeships.scot and the Delivering for Scotland government website.
For information about the academic entry requirements for the Graduate Apprenticeship visit Information for applicants.
Cost
The degree programme is fully funded and open to all companies with a software development operation in Scotland.
2024 dates
| Events | Dates |
|---|---|
| Apply directly to employers | November 2023 to July 2024 |
| Summer School | August and September 2024 |
| Induction | Monday 14 October 2024 |
| Start employment | Minimum of two weeks before the First Semester begins |
| First Semester (Level One and Two) | Monday 28 October to Wednesday 18 December 2024 |
| First Semester (Level Three and Four) | Monday 23 September to Friday 6 December 2024 |
| Second Semester (Level One and Two) | Monday 4 March to Wednesday 24 April 2025 |
| Second Semester (Level Three and Four) | Monday 13 January to Friday 28 March 2025 |
Information for applicants
Find out more about the Software Engineering Graduate Apprenticeship Programme and check out the entry requirements.
