The OU helping firms find their digital edge

Before we begin - an introduction to degree apprenticeships

In 2015, the UK Government rolled out the degree apprenticeship programme which was developed as part of the higher apprenticeship standard. The programme is the equivalent of a bachelor's or master's  degree, which offers a level 6 or  7 qualification respectively.

A degree apprenticeship enables you to gain a full undergraduate or master’s degree while you work. Degree apprenticeships take three to six years to complete, depending on the course level. You’ll spend most of your time working and you’ll also study part-time at university. For example, you might go to university one or two days per week, or in short blocks, such as a week at a time. Overall, you spend about 20% of your time studying vs. 80% of your time working.

(Note that degree apprenticeships operate differently across the UK’s devolved nations).

The challenge Open University is addressing

In this case study, the Open University (OU) talks through its collaboration with RDT, a financial services software developer. The developer used OU’s digital and technology apprenticeship programme to reskill their existing workforce in the area of digital skills.

RDT’s mission was to innovate and tirelessly find ways of working that gave the company a competitive edge. And when it comes to investing in the stars of the future, there's never been a more important time to get it right. Competition is fierce for people with digital skills and the pool of available talent is small. As a result, the 150-strong company took the approach of building an internal talent pipeline. It makes good use of apprenticeships, with many employees taking their first steps into digital roles through an OU degree apprenticeship. Collaborating with the university in this way is not only an effective means of  addressing recruitment challenges, but also enables the company to really tailor the learning to individual and organisational needs.

OU’s apprenticeship programme means they can structure learning for individuals that aligns with their growth within the business that is funding them. What people are learning at work feeds directly into what they are learning at university.

The solution

The OU’s Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship has huge benefits for both employers and employees. Several employees are currently developing the skills, knowledge and behaviours they need for their roles and some who have graduated from the programme have taken on mentoring roles.

The Open University has several ways to support businesses to develop their digital skills. This includes everything from short informal courses on their free OpenLearn platform, through to full degree programmes. Over the last few years, OU has launched degree apprenticeships, micro credentials and also Skills Bootcamps, which provide a pathway into a new digital job.

The challenges OU faced along the way

• Jane Dickinson, Open University Digital Skills Lead: “Probably the biggest challenge that employers are facing when it comes to digital skills is the shortage of talent or the skills gap. That problem has become even more exacerbated by the pandemic where we saw so much digitisation and digital adoption, so, if anything, that gap is widening. Finding and retaining talent is becoming even more of a problem in this environment.”

Another challenge is rapidly evolving technologies:

“If we don't keep learning we don't survive. It's essential to what we do. I was very surprised when I first moved into this sector and one of the managers said, “I don't look at anybody's tech that's more than two years ago because it's not relevant.”"

The outcome

One such apprentice is Phoebe Chapman. Phoebe wanted to pursue a career in IT, but she didn’t want to go down the traditional university route. Instead, she looked specifically for a degree apprenticeship role, which was when she came across RDT. Phoebe really enjoys the practical, work-based nature of her apprenticeship. “Obviously, the work experience you get whilst doing the apprenticeship is vital, especially given how competitive jobs are these days. You can apply that learning from the apprenticeship to your job.” Phoebe likes how the OU structures the learning, the flexibility and the level of tutor support available to her. She is also impressed by the depth and breadth of the programme. “I’m specialising in the software engineering module aspect, but on top of that it also covers how IT projects work, business organisation, web technologies and how systems are developed. So it gives a very good general background and allows me to specialise.”

When Phoebe completes her apprenticeship, she would like to become a senior engineer. She would also like to mentor other apprentices, particularly female apprentices. Finding and nurturing female talent in technology and insurance is also high on RDT’s agenda.

Andy Foster is a Senior Release Engineer at RDT. He also acts as a mentor to the apprentices and says he has really enjoyed watching Phoebe gain in confidence and competence as she has progressed through the programme. She started under the guidance of an experienced team member but soon took on more responsibility in her role, becoming a subject matter expert in her particular field. “It’s just so brilliant to see someone starting off – basically as a blank sheet – and growing into someone who is so well respected in their team, someone who has such ability and is someone that people will go to for advice,” says Andy.

The first apprentices are now completing their programmes and gaining promotions.

Fiona Mason, Human Resources Director at RDT said “having people on apprenticeship programmes has also allowed us to grow the managers of the future. Through the apprenticeship programme, Joe, who is one of our apprentices is beginning to he's been mentoring the current crop of apprentices for the last year. He's now moving up into taking on some management responsibilities and it allows us to offer those opportunities to the managers of the future who are on the programme or not on the programme so that's been really good”.

Some advice for other businesses looking to close their digital skills gap

Employers should look beyond the edge of the digital skills puzzle. Digital experts have an important role, but they are only one ‘piece’ of that puzzle. Organisations need to engender a digital mindset in order to develop and evolve digital talent, capabilities and supply and this needs to be fostered with three key audiences: early careers, career changers and existing staff.

• The early careers workforce is a vital source of new and enthusiastic digital talent. Use work-based programmes such as apprenticeships and higher technical qualifications to attract new talent to the business and drive loyalty and engagement through a sound employee value proposition.
• Organisations should be open to career changers to grow and diversify their talent pools – especially for digital roles where there is a mismatch between skills supply and demand. Employers can look at initiatives such as Skills Bootcamps to find hidden talent within society and open up opportunities for individuals to hone these new skills and enthusiasm in digital roles.
• Developing the skills of existing staff is another important element of a workforce planning strategy. Education should be seen as a lifelong pursuit. Short and informal courses such as microcredentials and free OpenLearn courses can ignite interest in new areas and disciplines and encourage staff to build skills and knowledge to apply to the business.