Traditional university courses aim to equip students with the skills they need to hit the ground running in their chosen industry, becoming a valuable asset to the businesses that hire them.

But this one-size-fits-all approach doesn't always translate when it comes to the practicalities of the workplace. Businesses have ever-changing needs, and the value of nurturing an employee's skills on the job under the degree apprenticeship scheme is a brilliant way to ensure that a company thrives with the right workforce.

That's why Aston University is encouraging more employers to explore the benefits of the programme. Degree apprenticeship lead Sasha Morgan Manley insists that there are many reasons why degree apprenticeships should be considered as part of an organisation's talent strategy.

"Degree apprenticeships are a way for employers to develop their future workforce," she says.

"That can be through bringing new recruits into the business and training them - a grow-your-own graduate model, as it were - or it could be a way of developing the existing workforce to retain high performers.

Aston University
Aston University

"Students spend 80 per cent of their time working and dedicating 20 per cent to learning both with Aston and with their employer. It's a way to train people for a role through your own specification.

"In the past, training providers, universities and colleges have delivered academic courses.

"With degree apprenticeships, this learning process is entirely employer-led. Instead of a university defining what a business needs in the traditional way that degrees are created, with degree apprenticeships companies define what they need and the university delivers to that standard."

This means that graduates learn how a business works during the four years that they're training, something that is mutually beneficial.

Sasha says: "Students don't pay any fees to study on degree apprenticeships, they are funded by the Government and their employer, so it's a win-win.

"They're not just for people who can't afford university but, for those who can't, this is an amazing way of getting a degree that's completely free.

"Many companies only take on graduates, restricting their intake to those who've been able to go university and afford the fees. Degree apprenticeships allow them to look at the whole of society, finding the right people with the right potential."

Aston University offers degree apprenticeships in areas ranging from management to technology and even electronic systems and courses are available at both undergraduate and masters level.

Businesses like Capgemini - a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing services - and leading independent information technology and business process services firm GCI are among those taking on degree apprentices with Aston University.

HMRC is another, while smaller employers like Hospice in the Weald are benefiting too.

"We work with businesses from all industries, from the digital sector, management, finance, government and policy and more," says Sasha.

"Taking on a new employee can be a breath of fresh air, injecting energy and enthusiasm to the workplace. They're really hungry for a job and a career - that's why they take degree apprenticeships in the first place.

"They want to prove themselves and this influences the existing teams they join too, inspiring them to raise their game.

"Degree apprentices tend to be loyal and the retention statistics are very good. They stay with businesses longer, feeling they owe the company that took a punt on them, giving them their experience. They become part of a business, growing with it."

There is, Sasha says, another way in which this scheme can benefit a business.

"The apprenticeship levy was introduced in April this year, a tax that means that any business with a payroll of more than £3 million has to pay 0.5 per cent of their payroll bill to the government every month," she adds.

"As a result, businesses are paying millions in taxes. The only way they're able to claim any of it back is if it's spent on apprenticeship training.

"If you're a large, levy-paying employer, this training is fully funded, as it comes out of the money that you've already paid to the Government. If you don't pay the levy, then it's 90 per cent funded by the state."

While many businesses find it financially beneficial, Sheila Rattu, project manager of the degree apprenticeship scheme, believes it has other upsides too.

"Employers are positively putting into the economy of this country by investing in young people," she says.

"It's a real investment and something they can be proud of, gaining good publicity in the process.

"We're also working to educate more SMEs into the benefits of this scheme, inviting them into workshops to further understand how degree apprenticeships can work for them."

To take advantage of Aston University's degree apprenticeships, contact the team on apprenticeships@aston.ac.uk or visit the website for more information.