Postgraduate
Apprenticeship

Senior Leader

Apprenticeship Level 7

Start date

Duration

Location

Overview
Requirements
Course detail & modules
Costs & fees
Study & career progression

Next steps

Start date

Next steps

Overview

This apprenticeship is designed for any individual moving into a senior or strategic management role.

You may be a strategic leader in the private, public or third sector organisation, who lead, manage and direct organisations or are working towards this role.

On the successful completion of the Senior Leader apprenticeship (successful completion of the end point assessment), there may be the option to achieve a Masters in Business Administration.

This higher education qualification sits outside of the apprenticeship funding band and will not incur any additional cost.

A business meeting attended by four professionals

Select a start date below to see relevant course information:

Start date:

View apprenticeships standards End Point Assessment

Employers we work with

West London NHS Trust
Berkshire Healthcare NHS foundation
London Borough of Hounslow
GSK
St Georges Hospital
Travelex
Heathrow

Requirements

Requirements for apprentices

An honours degree 2.2 or equivalent.
Relevant work experience, a minimum of two years postgraduate work experience in a managerial, professional or technical role.

We will also consider relevant work experience for applicants without formal qualifications.

English and Maths

Before taking the end-point assessment, all apprentices on apprenticeships at level 3 and above must achieve level 2 English and maths (equivalent to GCSEs at grades A* to C or 4 -9). You can take these qualifications at the university while on the apprenticeship.

If you do not have evidence of these qualifications, then we strongly recommend you achieve these before you start the apprenticeship.

For applicants living in London*, we have free courses-please see information here:

Open the door to new career possibilities with our free courses in Maths and English (uwl.ac.uk)

*You must be able to meet the eligibility criteria.

If you have an overseas qualification, we will check this for its UK equivalency during your application and let you know what you may need to do to meet the requirement.

Eligibility

All apprenticeships starting from 1 August 2021:

Eligibility is subject to Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) Apprenticeship Funding Rules. Over the duration of the apprenticeship, you must meet the eligibility requirements in place at the time, including:

Have the right to work and study in England
Spend at least 50% of your working time in England; and
Are a UK citizen and have been ordinarily resident for the last three years in the UK or meet one of the following immigration statuses:

UK and Irish Nationals: have been ordinarily resident in the UK or EEA for the three years before the first day of the start of the apprenticeship.

EEA nationals: have either pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme; and have been ordinarily resident in the EEA, Gibraltar, or the UK for at least the previous three years before the first day of the start of the apprenticeship.

*Non-EEA nationals: you are eligible if you have permission from the UK government to live in the UK, (not for educational purposes) and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least the previous three years before the first day of the start of the apprenticeship.

* You must meet the UK government’s eligibility criteria for apprenticeship funding:

Where an applicant for an apprenticeship does not hold a UK passport as a British citizen, these requirements state that you must have an immigration permission in the UK that allows you to study and will cover the length of the whole apprenticeship in full without you needing to extend your visa or immigration permission during the apprenticeship.

Please check the guidance for further clarification, particularly for information on:

Family members of UK and EEA nationals
Individuals with certain types of immigration status and their family members
Asylum seekers
Other immigration status.

You can also contact the Student Admissions Team admissions@uwl.ac.uk if you require further clarification.

Course detail & modules

This apprenticeship has been mapped to the apprenticeship standard ST0480. However, the university will continue to offer a higher education qualification in all its degree apprenticeships whether or not this is a mandatory requirement.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will receive a Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice.

Year 1 and 2

Compulsory modules

Management Skills for Executives

The range of required executive skills has grown in scope; both hard and soft requirements have expanded. The ability to demonstrate leadership competency, strategic thinking, sound decision making and execution, relationship building, tech-understanding, deep familiarity with financial issues, political savviness, presentation and excellent communication skills and a reputation for ethical conduct will help you to advance to the executive role.
Leading People and Teams

The module will equip students to understand team dynamics and conflict management, develop critical understanding of the current literature on strategic workforce planning, including talent management, learning organisations, diversity and inclusion, develop the ability to work effectively as a member of a high-performance team, contributing to a collaborative and inclusive culture. Demonstrate ability to cooperate, negotiate, influence, lead in given or chosen contexts. Critically evaluate one’s effectiveness at collaboration and leadership; and identify areas for further development.
Strategy and Innovation

Knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts and models of strategic decision making, including an understanding of the application of simulations and game-theory in strategic decision making. Critical understanding of the current literature on the application of strategic management and business modelling in an environment driven by innovation and technological disruption. Ability to evaluate strategic options and associated risks in a given or chosen context. Create or shape organisational vision to foster creativity and entrepreneurship, while recognising practical challenges to effective implementation.
Financial Management for Decision Makers

Critical discourse on the application of behavioural theories in Financial Management for Decision Makers and financial decision making. Understand the Normative theories of Financial Management for Decision Makers. Analyse data contained in financial statements to evaluate business performance and inform strategic decisions in a given or chosen context. Apply Capital Investment Decision methods and Risk analysis to inform strategic decisions in given or chosen context. Apply the key principles of capital structure theory to inform strategic financial decisions in a given or chosen context.
Global Marketing and Digital Business

Critical understanding of the impact of digital technology on marketing strategy in the current global context. Understand current trends in global consumer behaviour and its impact on marketing strategy. Create and analyse a marketing strategy for a given or chosen organisation or product. Evaluate competing theories and models relevant to a given or chosen situation in creating a suitable marketing strategy. Understand and apply the principles of sustainable marketing and social responsibility to a given or chosen scenario.
Critical Inquiry into Sectoral Analysis

Contrast sectoral issues that lend themselves to purposeful research from issues of interest. Critically evaluate different research strategies, methodologies and approaches in relation to a chosen research objective. Uphold the highest of ethical standards in the conduct of research. Demonstrate ability to plan a structured research project and to improve the plan based on critical feedback. Appreciate the wider impact of research and interest to relevant stakeholders.

Teaching & learning

The aim of this apprenticeship is to convert effective operational managers into strategic managers. It will provide a broad foundation of management and business discipline that is strategic and integrated in nature.

It will develop particular areas of expertise: through critical inquiry into sector of choice and significant individual MBA project focused on area of choice.

This Level 7 apprenticeship will develop your intellectual skills at Masters Level:

Ability to manage information
Communicate clearly in various media
Analyse complex issues
Think critically, working with alternative perspectives
Solve strategic problems.

Teaching hours: Wednesday, full day.

A business meeting with a group of five individuals standing in an office space.

How you will be assessed

There is one assessment per module, which is summative – the marked element of the assessment. There will be several elements within the assessment but they will be work-based and relevant, contextualised to your place of work.

The Apprenticeship End Point Assessment (EPA) for Senior Leader is graded: fail, pass, merit or distinction.

CMI Accreditation

We partner with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) for the delivery and assessment of this apprenticeship. The CMI has accredited our apprenticeship, and they are currently the End Point Assessment Organisation for this standard.

This has key benefits for those enrolled, which are as follows:

Upon successful completion, apprentices are entitled to apply for and receive Chartered Manager (CMgr) status, which sits alongside their other achievements and demonstrates a high level of management and leadership expertise. CMI is the only professional body and EPAO that can award this
Upon successful completion, apprentices also automatically gain the CMI Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice; a professional, industry-recognised qualification
For the life of their apprenticeship, apprentices are members of CMI, entitling them to be part of CMI's management and leadership community, with access to events and networking, thought leadership, mentoring, mental health support, a career development centre, and Management Direct, CMI's online library with over 30,000 pieces of relevant content.

Apprentices will also remain members of CMI for 3 months beyond their study, free of charge.

Costs & fees

Costs for apprentices

Although there are no tuition fees payable by you as an apprentice, additional costs may be incurred which are outside of the apprenticeship levy funding. Please discuss additional costs directly with your employer.

Costs for employers

For employers, the costs of training your apprentice will usually be covered by the apprenticeship levy. Find out more about how apprenticeship funding works.

Teaching staff

Study & career progression

A woman wearing a white blouse is giving a presentation to a group of people

This degree apprenticeship will provide you with an opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills and behaviours to progress your career in senior management and leadership.

On successful completion you will gain:

Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education graded apprenticeship certificate.

You will be eligible for:

Chartered Management Institute Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice
Professional Accreditation - Membership of the Chartered Management Association (CMI)

There is also the option to achieve a Masters in Business Administration.

Next steps

Next steps for apprentices

Apprenticeships are open to both existing and new employees.

If you would like to start an apprenticeship in your current working role, you will need to register interest with your employer.

Why not send the appropriate person at your organisation a link to our information for employers?

How to apply

To apply for this apprenticeship, you will need to find a position with an employer who is offering it. We cannot accept applications directly.

We advertise any apprenticeship vacancies from employers we are working with on our Vacancies page, and we recommend checking the National Apprenticeship Service website for vacancies across the country.

Next steps for employers

To find out more about working with the University of West London, please contact Janet Rowson, Director of Apprenticeships:

Email: janet.rowson@uwl.ac.uk

Senior Leader

Overview

Employers we work with