How Open University apprenticeships are developing the workforce of tomorrow

In 2019, The Open University (OU) is celebrating its 50th year and has empowered over two million students across 157 countries to transform their lives through learning.

The OU has a strong heritage and pedigree in work-based learning – working with employers to understand their business challenges and provide outstanding learning and development solutions.

The OU is ideally placed to be the higher education partner of choice for employers. The OU reaches people who would otherwise have had no opportunity to access higher education and change their lives – for example, carers, people with disabilities, geographically isolated and people with no prior qualifications. This allows employers to upskill and reskill both new and existing employees and benefit from a wider, more diverse talent pool.

Since 2016, higher and degree apprenticeships have been a key way the OU has delivered its mission. In England, employers are able to use apprenticeship levy funds to upskill and reskill both new and existing employees. IBM, for example, chose three Open University degree apprenticeship programmes which are playing a key part in the company’s learning and development strategy.