University of Portsmouth says Degree Apprentices can help businesses with their Covid-19 recovery

During times of economic uncertainty, many businesses are unsure how to cope. One of the key factors to help them respond and bounce back is to ensure that they are ready to hit the ground running once it’s all over.

The Covid-19 pandemic has certainly been a period of economic uncertainty and many businesses are concerned about whether they will be able to trade again and what the post-Covid-19 environment will look like.

Having well-trained staff who have up-to-date and relevant knowledge will help with a successful return.

The University of Portsmouth’s Business and Law Faculty provides both undergraduate and postgraduate courses covering vital business issues such as risk, project management, human resource and marketing to aid company success and a positive return.

Courses cover a wide variety of sectors including education, construction, public sector and transport. Degree Apprenticeships can be fully funded by the Apprenticeship Levy.

Hampshire County Council Development Manager Apprenticeships Trevor MacAlonan said: ‘It has never been more important to have our leaders and managers with the right skills.

‘We need confident and competent managers to lead us through the uncertainties we face with Covid-19 and to futureproof our services. The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) aims to train and develop high-performing managers that can inspire and lead people in the here and now, and through the sea of change we all will face in a post Covid-19 world.

‘The CMDA programme is a powerful instrument of professional development for aspiring leaders and managers, which equips them with a vast toolkit of modern techniques in leadership, change management, operations design and delivery, finance and digital business skills that draws upon the latest industry research and thinking.’

South West Rail (SWR) Apprenticeship Compliance Manager (Human Resources / Learning & Development) Kirstie Thompson said: ‘The Covid-19 pandemic has provided us with some significant challenges and the knowledge and skills that have been developed through the CMDA course has allowed our leadership team to tackle the challenges in a more informed way.

‘It is great to hear the fresh ideas that our apprentices bring into the business after attending their CMDA classes, both from the academic learning and networking.

‘For SWR, the CMDA has been a great way of futureproofing our business. Even before Covid-19, it was important for us to look at how we could develop our leaders and the CMDA was the perfect option.

‘SWR is fully invested in providing apprenticeship programmes as upskilling opportunities to colleagues who may not have previously had access to formal learning and the opportunity to gain a qualification.’

For more information about our Degree Apprenticeship programmes, please go to https://www.port.ac.uk/study/studying-while-working/degree-apprenticeships .

Transforming the plastics economy

The university will be leading a panel discussion at the New Statesman and Spotlight’s Global Policy Forum: A Sustainable Recovery on February 9.

The discussion is on the importance of transforming the plastics economy and the role that universities play alongside business and government in shaping the solutions to the global plastics crisis.

The University’s Centres for Blue Governance and Enzyme Innovation are central hubs of plastics research that could offer potential solutions to the crisis.

Book your place today to help shape a sustainable future for our planet at https://globalpolicyforum.vfairs.com/en/