Business school heads vow to fight axing of MBA apprenticeship

The heads of foremost British organization universities have vowed to thwart government ideas to axe the MBA apprenticeship by splitting the study into two, with the vast majority still staying coated by the teaching programme.

Apprenticeships for senior executives have mushroomed pursuing government reforms to capabilities funding that compelled companies with annual payrolls greater than £3m to established apart an equivalent to .five for each cent of this sum for spending on office teaching strategies.

Unhappiness that levy money had been staying expended in this way, on programmes costing up to £18,000, prompted education secretary Gavin Williamson to look for a assessment into the MBA apprenticeship with an eye to eliminating it from the levy process.

The Office for Education and learning has not nonetheless formally scrapped the MBA apprenticeship. But in the hottest checklist of apprenticeship standards issued by the administering agency, the prerequisite to receive an MBA or other masters diploma to finish a senior leader qualification has been minimize.

On the other hand, David Oglethorpe, dean of Cranfield university’s college of management, instructed the Money Periods that his establishment would continue to give an MBA no matter what the end result of the assessment.

Under Mr Oglethorpe’s proposal, learners would finish a senior leader apprenticeship and then undertake an more piece of coursework and shell out an further cost to receive an MBA. Some learners may possibly have to shell out this demand, which could be up to £9,000, by themselves but it would still only be a fraction of the overall cost.

“I have been combating tooth and nail to say go away it as it is, but this usually means we could still give the qualification,” Mr Oglethorpe said.

“The opinions we get from companies is that it can help them catch the attention of and keep crucial team. A fifth of our intake come from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and fifteen for each cent experienced never ever been to university before beginning the programme.”

A fifth of our intake come from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and fifteen for each cent experienced never ever been to university before beginning the programme

“The senior leader apprenticeship standard has been mapped on to an MBA curriculum, making it quick for us to give an MBA for all those that would like one,” Mr Oglethorpe said. “We would have to demarcate the two skills but that is fairly very simple to do.”

This way of funding an MBA has positive aspects, Mr Oglethorpe added. “Whilst the qualification stays part of an apprenticeship standard, you are not able to request workforce to contribute to the charge. If you could, it would imply they would have pores and skin in the sport.”

Other organization college heads said they had been looking at related arrangements if the government determined to take out the MBA from apprenticeships.

“The MBA is found as a substantial factor on a CV so there will usually be an incentive to give a route to acquiring this through the apprenticeship,” John Board, dean of Henley Enterprise School.

“The larger hazard is that the government cuts the cost companies will have to shell out for the apprenticeship, which would no for a longer time make it practical for universities like us to give our course. You would then be left with companies who only shell out lip company to the standards wanted for higher-excellent management teaching.”

The thought of featuring an MBA individually to the apprenticeship also been given the backing of the Chartered Administration Institute, the accreditation entire body for management education in the British isles.

“It would established a unusual precedent if the government said that companies are not able to shell out for their workforce to study for this qualification if that is what they want to do,” Daisy Hooper, the CMI’s head of coverage and community affairs, said.

“The apprenticeship levy has broadened entry to the MBA. Proscribing this will shift it back to becoming an elitist qualification.”

The Office for Education and learning said: “The education secretary requested the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technological Education and learning to assessment the senior leader apprenticeships standard to ensure it is conference its aims and provides value for revenue. The assessment is ongoing.”