Graduate ApprenticeshipIT: Software Development BSc (Hons)
Key facts
Funding: fully funded
Award: BSc (Hons)
Duration: 2 years
Accreditation: BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
Graduate Apprenticeships at Strathclyde
- enables employers to fast-track the time required for graduates to reach optimal productivity
- dedicated delivery team who listen, understand and work with employers to offer a fully integrated, contextualised degree
- delivered through an online and blended work-based learning mode including regular attendance at our city centre-based campus
- Apprentices apply knowledge within their work context via a series of bespoke work-based projects
Why this course
Designed in partnership with industry, our BSc in IT: Software Development Graduate Apprenticeship gives employers the opportunity for their IT professionals to gain an undergraduate degree over 48 months.
Our flexible programme suits a wide variety of technology roles and experience levels. Apprentices can tailor course content by choosing from a selection of module options during the programme, ensuring their study is relevant to your organisation.
Our IT: Software Development programme is delivered by our dedicated Graduate Apprenticeship team, including colleagues with significant industrial experience. Apprentices are guided by members of academic staff as well as an assigned Learning Adviser.
You’ll receive regular updates on the programme, helping you support your apprentices through their journey. There are ongoing opportunities to contribute to programme development to ensure your needs continue to be met.
Accreditation
Accredited by BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT:
- for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirement for registration as a Chartered IT Professional
- on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for a Chartered Engineer
Add value to your organisation
We focus on developing your workforce so that they can quickly add value to your organisation. We start with the fundamentals, providing a solid foundation for future learning and helping apprentices become productive.
The course content has been developed in partnership with industry and is designed to equip apprentices with knowledge of contemporary tools and technology. We don’t just focus on tech – our approach to work-based learning helps develop more rounded professionals, with a wide range of soft skills that enable apprentices to contribute widely to your organisation.
A flexible delivery model ensures minimal time away from the workplace, utilising a combination of online learning supported by a series of online tutorials, an annual face-to-face on-campus workshop and work-based learning activity.
What you're going to get at the end of the day is a work ready graduate, someone with a degree from the University of Strathclyde, but someone who already knows the tools, techniques and the methods the ways of working and the environment of your company. So you're going to get a very valuable employee at the end of the day.
Course structure
Apprentices will be required to attend classes on campus for 10 days annually, once a month during term-time. The dates for all classes across the academic year will be supplied in advance to support planning work and learning commitments.
In addition, graduate apprentices will undertake around 12 hours of flexible learning per week, through our award-winning Virtual Learning Environment, complemented by three hours of learning directly in the workplace supported by our team of dedicated Learning Advisers.
Apprentices choose from a wide, and ever-expanding range of modules in areas such as:
- advanced software development
- cybersecurity
- data science
- dev ops
- machine learning
- artificial intelligence
- business/project management
Our programmes are flexible, with a blend of online and on-campus learning to give apprentices the best of both worlds. Optional sessions allow apprentices to focus on topics where they need it most.
Entry requirements
Apprentices must:
- be employed in a role with an aspect of IT, for a minimum of 21 hours a week
- live and work in Scotland for the duration of the programme
- have the agreement of their employer to undertake the BSc IT: Software Development graduate apprenticeship
Each applicant is assessed for admission on a case-by-case basis. They will typically have at least four Highers at grade B, including either Mathematics, Computing Science, or Physics, and preferably National 5 English at grade C or above. We also welcome enquiries from applicants with non-traditional qualifications and/or relevant work experience.
Employer requirements
First and foremost, BSc IT: Software Development graduate apprentices are employees, who’ll continue to spend 80% of their time working for their employer.
There is no restriction on the size of organisation that can employ a graduate apprentice. We currently work with companies ranging from three employees to large multi-national financial institutions.
Employers must:
- ensure graduate apprentices have a role that involves IT
- allocate a work-based mentor who can offer the graduate apprentice support for the duration of the programme. This should not be their line manager
- agree study arrangements with the graduate apprentice
- ensure that graduate apprentices have sufficient time and opportunity to work on their studies and related assessment within their working hours. This must equate to one day per week, although this could be spread over a working week
We strongly advise that employers agree protected time for graduate apprentices to support their study.
As an employer, you are not required to pay tuition fees for employees to undertake the BSc IT: Software Development graduate apprenticeship. You may however incur costs for additional employee expenses, such as travel to on-campus learning days or textbooks to support learning. These should be agreed directly with the employee.
As employees progress through the graduate apprenticeship, employers can choose to receive updates on their progress, such as module grades and progress in developing their work-based learning portfolio. This is subject to signing a data sharing agreement.
Funding
Graduate Apprenticeships are fully funded by the Scottish Government through the Scottish Funding Council and SAAS. Find out more about eligibility for funding.
Why Strathclyde
Praised for our close links with business and industry as well as our commitment to making an impact on the global economy, the University of Strathclyde has been named The Sunday Times Good University Guide Scottish University of the Year 2020.
The place of useful learning
Strathclyde has also been nominated for The Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2019 University of the Year, been awarded the THE Awards 2014 Entrepreneurial University of the Year and 2016 THE Awards Business School of the Year.
Apply
Employers can nominate existing employees or newly recruited candidates for consideration for admission to the programme. There is no limit to the number of places per employer – just contact us indicating the number of places being sought on the programme.
We are also happy to work directly with employers to streamline the recruitment process for new graduate apprentices and we are able to connect employers with prospective candidates.
Please contact IT Programme Director Alex Coddington cis-itsd-admin