An Insight into the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship

If a career in management speaks to you, a chartered management apprenticeship could be the perfect way to make that happen.

Want to know more? Meet Katie Fiddaman, a chartered management degree apprentice at Pearson College London, and hear about her apprenticeship and why you should do one too.

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I chose the CMDA programme because I will stand out from students following a traditional pathway upon completion. I will have a degree, work-based management experience, and Chartered Manager status.

Since starting my CMDA, I haven’t looked back. To have the opportunity to work and study alongside other professionals undoubtedly brings huge benefits.

At school, it was hard to relate work to the real world. It is now clear how classroom business theories are applied to the workplace, and I can use my work experience to critically analyse academic literature in class.

This programme has benefited me in so many ways. I have been able to enrich my knowledge in the marketing area of business whilst producing academic work that correlates. I’ve also developed lots of new skills, such as:

• Content creation
• Website and search engine optimisation
• Social media marketing
• Public relations.

Aside from this, I have had the opportunity to join the Young Apprentice Ambassador Network (YAAN) to talk to young people unsure about their higher education options and to present them with the CMDA as an alternative to the traditional degree.

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Keen to find out more? Read our in-depth Guide to Degree Apprenticeships to learn how to apply, what schemes are available, and how degree apprenticeships work.

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The Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (CMDA) is a Trailblazer Apprenticeship developed by a group of employers led by Serco in liaison with several Higher Education Institutions and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) as the only body that can award Chartered Manager status.

So, for example, in my case, I will qualify with the following:

• BA (Hons) Business Management Degree
• Level 6 Apprenticeship Standard
• Eligibility for a level 5 Diploma award from the CMI.

To achieve this award, the learner must build a portfolio of work-based learning throughout their apprenticeship to present to a panel from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) to prove why they should be accredited. They then are graded on a pass, merit and distinction basis.

I work Monday to Thursday for Pearson College London and then study for my Business Management degree at Pearson Business School on a Friday for my 20% off-the-job training. The Fridays over Christmas and Summer are for independent dedication to the CMI portfolio.

In some cases, companies release employees in ‘blocks’ whereby they will do a whole week of learning once a month, for example.

I recommend the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship to both the learner and companies because it is a fantastic way to build a skilled workforce that is loyal, productive and competitive.

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