How Degree Apprenticeships can help employers recruit and develop talent

Today, employers face significant challenges when it comes to attracting, developing, and retaining new talent. The evolving expectations of workers, especially younger generations, have created a need for companies to rethink their strategies and find new ways to build a strong talent pipeline.

 

We spoke to Julia Paci, a partnership manager for Degree Apprenticeships at the University of Exeter, about how businesses can tackle these challenges by creating a workplace environment that prioritises staff development and satisfaction.

The Challenges Facing Employers Today: Three Solutions

  1. Start Mentoring: One of the most powerful tools for developing talent is mentorship. Mentoring programs provide employees with direct access to experienced professionals, giving them the opportunity to gain insight, guidance, and support in their career growth. It's not just about skill-building, but also fostering relationships that build confidence and long-term professional development.
  2. Support Flexible Working and Training: Expectations of work and the office setup is changing and employers need to respond to this, especially to attract talent from employees who value flexibility in both work hours and training opportunities. Employers who offer flexible working arrangements, along with adaptable early-career training programs that can be tailored to individual needs and career goals, will be better positioned to attract and retain top talent.
  3. Address Expectations Around Professional Development: There’s been a major shift in the expectations around professional development. Whilst research from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) has shown that the amount UK employers are spending on training their workers has dropped by almost a fifth in the last decade, for many people today, it’s no longer seen as a ‘nice to have’ but as a requirement. Employees today expect that their employers will provide opportunities for them to grow, learn, and advance within the company. If an organisation doesn’t prioritise continuous professional development, they risk losing their talent to competitors that do.

 

"When they graduate, degree apprentices are job-ready and can take on more responsibility at a faster pace, compared with other training routes."

Julia Paci

The Benefits of Degree Apprenticeships for Employers

Degree apprenticeships can provide a highly beneficial investment for employers as they look to develop skills and attract future talent. Not only do these programmes overcome many of the traditional challenges of the hiring and training process, they can also be incredibly cost-effective.

  • Tailored Skill Development: Apprentices who go through degree programmes are trained in the most relevant skills for their roles, with their education tailored to the needs of their employer. On top of this, the embedded nature of degree apprenticeships – where the apprentice works within the company while they are learning – means that employees develop a deep understanding of the organisation’s values and networks. This ensures that they are job-ready and can take on more responsibility at a faster pace compared to traditional hires.
  • Clear Pathways for Growth: Degree apprenticeships offer a structured route for employee development, making organisations more appealing to prospective talent. The opportunity for academic and professional growth within the company fosters an environment where employees feel valued, which in turn attracts ambitious candidates looking for long-term career development.
  • Cost-Effective Training and Retention: For employers, apprenticeship programmes can provide a cost-effective and efficient way to train staff. Rather than investing in traditional graduate programmes or continually recruiting new staff, apprenticeships enable companies to shape their employees' skills to fit their specific needs. This also brings higher staff retention rates – an impressive 84% of apprentices remain with their employers post-training, proving the loyalty and commitment that these programs help build.
  • Widening Participation: Degree Apprenticeships can also help broaden access to education and career advancement. They offer a pathway to higher education for people from diverse backgrounds, who might not otherwise be able to access higher education. This can help to create a true meritocracy, by widening the pool of talent available to businesses and encouraging greater diversity within the workforce.

Develop your future workforce with the University of Exeter

Employers who are interested in taking up the benefits of apprenticeships and making the most of their apprenticeship levy, the University of Exeter can help. We are the leading Russell Group provider of Degree Apprenticeships, working with over 400 employer partners and supporting nearly 3000 apprentices each year. At our Centre for Degree Partnerships, we work with employers to co-create programmes to meet their needs.

These can be built around either existing programmes or completely new ones, helping employers create a pipeline of talent that suits their operations, culture, and long-term vision. Whether it’s shaping course content or adjusting delivery methods to meet the demands of the workplace, our programmes are built in close collaboration with all our degree apprenticeship partners.