Chartered Manager Degree Apprentice Review

I am on a four-year degree apprenticeship, employed full time and attend university part time for two days every three weeks. I have an annual placement and get to rotate into various teams around the organisation. This gives me a wide base of experience where I get to learn about different teams and their responsibilities and can apply my skills and knowledge from uni directly to my role. Workload and tasks vary at work based on my placement, but I have covered many areas to date, from Transport Planning, to IT, project management and procurement and business planning. Work projects that I am given are aligned to my degree and CMDA standards too.

I continuously learn new skills and am actively encouraged to learn and develop. I get 20% off the job time - effectively one day a week for self development. This can be for attending webinars, study days for my assignments, shadowing and mentoring amongst other things. I have been able to improve my digital collaboration skills as I currently work and study from home due to the pandemic.

I really enjoy the programme. I am a mature student (34) who applied for the course as a way of changing careers and developing my skill and knowledge base. My employer fully supports the programme and I have regular catch ups on progress and if any support is required. Uni has plenty of resources to access for development and support, from learning how to write academically through to mental health support. The topics covered in uni are all relevant and applicable to my workplace and I enjoy making those links on the job, it gives me a great boost in confidence.

Very well organised and structured. Uni have been very supportive in the shift to learning from home due to the pandemic. There are regular check-ins scheduled and revision and reading can all be accessed online too. I have a clear idea of what I will learn over the four years, what evidence I will need for my portfolio and both my employer and uni help me to achieve my goals. there are elements of flexibility within the course too and we are regularly asked for feedback, which is acted upon.

My employer is incredibly supportive. I have regular catch ups with line managers and pastoral managers. Rotating through departments is encouraged and supported well, there is a strong awareness of my course throughout the organisation and as I can apply my learning to my day job, I regularly receive praise for the quality of work that I do. My employer also has strong wellbeing and mental health policies, people are actively encouraged to share their experiences and plenty of support is available if/when needed.

I receive plenty of support from uni. My course transitioned to teaching online very efficiently, slide decks and reading are all available online, the course content is engaging and lecturers look to adapt delivery based on feedback from students. I have quarterly catch ups with a skills coach, where we review my portfolio of evidence as it develops and set goals to achieve over the next three months. Outside of the courses there are lots of resources available, from social clubs to writing projects and library resources.

The CMDA course covers a wide variety of topics, from stakeholder management, communication, sales & marketing through to leadership and management. Every unit has taught me something that is directly applicable to my job and provides new ways of thinking and approaches to challenges that I would not have considered before. As a mature student (34) I find that I can draw on past experiences when studying, which helps to embed the learning. Assignments are not all written, so I gain experience in preparing and delivering powerpoint presentations, practice delivery skills and develop my communication skills all at the same time.

Outside of course content the uni provides plenty of resources. There are career advice emails, sports and social clubs, writing and academic support, mental health support and multitude of events to access. The pandemic has altered some of these, but there is regular communication about how campus activity can resume in the future.

Yes

TfGM is an incredibly supportive employer, both from a personal support and professional development viewpoint. There are so many different working parts to the organisation that there is plenty of variety in my day job and opportunity to move around departments. They run lots of different apprenticeships too, so are used to the format and requirements, so there is always support available.

Absolutely apply, they do not just do transport activities, there are many departments and areas that apprenticeships can be applied. There is a lot of support available, some of it requires you to seek it out, so don't be afraid to ask for things that you need. The programme has given me a brilliant start to working here and my confidence grows each year. I would also encourage mature students to seek out apprenticeships, there is no age limit to them and prior experience can really help