ARU Peterborough to ask 50 employers to make degree apprenticeships pledge
Peterborough's new university has unveiled an ambitious scheme to transform the city into a higher skills powerhouse by asking 50 local employers to sign up to a degree apprenticeships pledge.
ARU Peterborough is to launch the Peterborough 50 Pledge at a National Apprenticeship Week event on Wednesday, 9 February, which will provide information about degree apprenticeships to prospective employers.
The scheme aims to sign up 50 key employers from the local area who will pledge to recruit apprentices for degree apprenticeship routes launching at ARU Peterborough during 2022/23, helping to create job growth and develop a highly skilled workforce for the future prosperity of the city.
ARU is already one of the UK's leading universities for degree apprenticeships, working with hundreds of employers across the country. ARU Peterborough's apprenticeship programmes will be delivered via a blend of online, work-based and face-to-face learning from the brand-new ARU Peterborough campus.
Examples of degree apprenticeships on offer from September include: Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship; Construction Site Supervisor Apprenticeship; Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship and Manufacturing Engineer Degree Apprenticeship.
During the National Apprenticeship Week event, ARU Peterborough Principal Ross Renton will introduce the Peterborough 50 Pledge and outline the benefits of becoming a key university partner on apprenticeships.
There will also be the chance to hear directly from employers about their experiences of establishing successful apprenticeship programmes in their organisations, and to engage in an informative peer learning discussion delivered in partnership with the East of England Ambassador Network.
Professor Renton, Principal of ARU Peterborough, said:
"ARU Peterborough will play a pivotal role in transforming our city into a regional centre, increasing opportunities and having a significant effect on the life-chances of students
"Collaboration with key local employers, to ensure we are providing our students with the skills that are needed and desired by industry, is one of our main aims
"Degree apprenticeships are a key part of this and have been successfully delivered by ARU for several years. We are now calling for 50 key employers in the Peterborough region to join us and pledge to recruit people for apprenticeships starting later this year."
Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, said:
"Designing the new university for Peterborough around the specific needs of our local businesses, and ensuring the university provides exactly what employers need to grow, is absolutely paramount… and this pledge brings firms and the university closer in order to achieve that."
