OU Degree Apprentices meet MPs

A group of seven OU Chartered Manager Degree Apprentices visited the UK Parliament on 15 January to meet MPs and Peers and celebrate three years of the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship in England.

The apprentices, who are employed by The Open University, Travis Perkins and Public Health England, undertook a VIP tour organised by the Office of Iain Stewart, Conservative MP for Milton Keynes South before heading to the Chartered Management Institute Westminster Reception. During the event, they talked to key Government Officials, employers and other influencers and stakeholders about the OU’s unique and flexible delivery model of apprenticeships and how they combine work and study.

The apprentices also got the opportunity to meet with Sir Gerry Berragan, Chief Executive of the Institute of Apprenticeships and Gordon Marsden, Labour MP for Blackpool South and Shadow Minister for Higher and Further Education and Skills.

Laura Burley, Apprenticeship Ambassador at The Open University said:

“I was delighted to take part in this celebration and hear about the successes of the apprentices on the OU’s Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship programme. It was inspiring to see how the programme is helping them to develop new management skills within their roles and how the apprentices are already making a real difference for employers.”

The OU is one of the leading Higher and Degree Apprenticeship providers in the UK, with over 1,100 apprenticeships on programme.The OU has recently received a 98% satisfaction rating by employers in England (FE Choices/DfE survey 2018), with retention rates remaining consistently above 90%.

This week the UK Government has also launched its new ‘Fire It Up’ campaign to further promote apprenticeships in England. The Department for Education has hailed a coming of age apprenticeship programme with top firms having woken up to the benefits apprentices are bringing to their workplaces.