Employers Graduate Apprenticeships
Fully funded degree-level training for your employees
Support Scotland’s Graduate Apprentices
When you take on a Graduate Apprentice:
you can hire someone new or upskill an existing employee
you'll employ the apprentice
they learn on the job, studying at a Scottish university
they do the apprenticeship that suits your business needs
Benefits
Graduate Apprenticeships can add skills and strength to your business. They'll help you:
hire new employees or encourage existing staff to thrive
add degree-level skills to your organisation
save on training costs
increase productivity and knowledge-sharing
improve staff morale and retention
meet your current and future business needs
What Graduate Apprenticeships are available?
There are 15 types, or frameworks, of Graduate Apprenticeship. Some examples are:
Search for publications
You can find apprenticeship frameworks, programme conditions, specifications and more which you'll need as a learning provider or employer.
Find useful resources
We've pulled together a toolkit of handy resources to use when you're promoting apprenticeships.
Frequently asked questions
Got any questions about Graduate Apprenticeships? You might want to know:
What funding can I get to take on Graduate Apprentices?
Graduate Apprentice learning costs are now funded by the Scottish Funding Council and Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).
Who can apply for a Graduate Apprenticeship?
To become a Graduate Apprentice, candidates should be at least statutory school leaving age and must have left school before they start the apprenticeship. Candidates can apply before they leave school or any time after that. There’s no maximum age for applying to be a Graduate Apprentice.
To read all eligibility rules about applying for a Graduate Apprenticeship, check out the SAAS website.
Watch this Skills Development Scotland video explaining statutory school leaving age and eligibility for apprenticeships.
How are Graduate Apprenticeships funded in Scotland?
Graduate Apprenticeships are now managed by the Scottish Funding Council. Graduate Apprentice learning costs are funded by the Scottish Funding Council and Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).
Funding covers the full duration of the programme. Graduate Apprentices will apply directly to SAAS for the funding.
The eligibility for the Graduate Apprenticeship programme is defined on the SAAS website.
Who pays an apprentice's salary?
Modern and Graduate Apprentices will be just like any other employee of a business, so the employer pays their wages. It’s good practice for employers to pay a salary that attracts the best people – find out more about the Living Wage. Remember employers must meet National Minimum Wage guidelines for apprentices.
The apprentice should also have full access to any facilities or benefits that you provide for other staff.
What’s expected of Graduate Apprentice employers?
A Graduate Apprentice employer meets with the learning provider, also known as the delivery partner, to agree the structure of the Graduate Apprentice programme. This includes:
assessment methods
time spent at university
projects that will need to be supported in the workplace
The employer also:
attends regular meetings with the delivery partner and the Graduate Apprentice, who is their employee
mentors the Graduate Apprentice and gets involved in training and assessment elements, as agreed with the learning provider
The role of the employer depends on the individual partnership between the employer and the university, college or other learning provider.
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Employer guidance and support
We’ve created guidance to help you recruit and employ a Graduate Apprentice.
Advertise your vacancies
You can reduce your costs by posting vacancies free on Apprenticeships.scot. Add a vacancy in our Employer account area – if you don't have an account already, it's quick and easy to register.
Want to chat to our team?
Contact our specialist advisers online or call our employer helpline on 0800 783 6000.