NPTC Group of Colleges part of Degree Apprenticeship pilot programme

NPTC Group of Colleges and Wrexham Glydwr University have recently been awarded funding under the new Degree Apprenticeship Pilot Programme for Wales.

Reflecting the skills needs of Wales, Universities and other Degree awarding institutions were asked to design a new suite of Digital programmes to enable Welsh organisations to upskill their existing employees or recruit new talent in areas such as Software Engineering, Cyber Security and Data Science for the new Digital Degree Apprenticeships Framework.

The Digital Sector is one of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board’s key growth sectors and the fastest growing sector in North Wales. The degree apprenticeship programmes acknowledge the drive and need for enhanced technological and digital knowledge within the workforce of North Wales and represent a significant investment for the whole of Wales.

Working together, WGU and NPTC Group of Colleges developed two new degree programmes for the Applied Software Engineering and Applied Cyber Security Management Pathway starting in April 2019 in a Pan Wales approach.  Employer demand has been high for these programmes, ranging from global multi-national companies to local SMEs.

Pro-Vice Chancellor, Dr Aulay Mackenzie said:

“This programme reflects the needs of industry in harnessing the power of digital technology to continue to grow the Welsh Economy.  WGU in partnership with NTPC Group of Colleges is pleased to be one of the first Universities in Wales to be awarded this funding and look forward to the programmes starting in April.  This represents a significant investment in our region and a great opportunity for companies to be able to develop the digital capabilities of their workforce up to degree level.”

Richard Tong, Assistant Principal: Higher Education for NPTC Group of Colleges said:

“NPTC Group of Colleges is delighted to be able to work with WGU to provide opportunities to local companies in South Wales to further upskill their workforce via government-funded software engineering and cybersecurity degree apprenticeships.”

Business Development Manager and lead for Apprenticeships at WGU, Christina Blakey, said

“We’ve had a significant amount of demand for these limited places but are always keen to hear from other Welsh employers wishing to engage in Degree Apprenticeships with us or NPTC Group.  We expect the demand for these programmes to continue and are already planning to request additional funding for September 2019.”