Program Overview

Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship

The Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship is a 17-month program that enables apprentices to act as a social conscience for their organization, contributing to innovation and driving ambitions for social and environmental change. This apprenticeship has been selected as one of six green apprenticeships in honor of King Charles' coronation, recognizing the critical role education and skills play in responding to climate change.

About the Program

The program blends academic learning with direct workplace application, equipping apprentices with the skills, behaviors, and knowledge to embed and implement social and environmental change across their organization. Apprentices benefit from both tutor-supported online study and the full on-campus experience, with study blocks for every topic delivered at the university.

Program Content

The program consists of four modules, each covering a range of topics related to corporate responsibility and sustainability. These include:

• Module one: Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability in Context (origins and evolution) and Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Challenges (key global challenges)
• Module two: Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Strategies (stakeholder engagement, governance, understanding what challenges responding to, prioritizing) and Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Management Systems (planning, managing, and realizing change)
• Module three: Accounting for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability: performance metrics (introduction to core measures of environmental, social, and economic performance) and Sustainable Finance and Product Development (green investing, traceability and accountability, green innovation models, environmental, social, and corporate governance-based decision making)
• Module four: Realising Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability in your organisation, which ensures the apprentice has the tools to identify, plan, and deliver a real-life project, implementing everything they have learned on the program to make a real difference in their own organization

Carbon Literacy Training

The program includes Carbon Literacy training, a large-scale climate change education program that provides a comprehensive overview of climate change, including the science behind it, its drivers and impacts, and the actions required by individuals, communities, and organizations to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Program Length and Approach

The program is delivered over 17 months, including four months to consolidate the portfolio and produce the project required for the end-point assessment. Apprentices will spend eight face-to-face immersive days at the university's prestigious Business School in central Manchester for tutorials, workshops, and masterclasses.

Qualifications Awarded

Upon successful completion of this program, apprentices will receive a Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Practitioner level 4 apprenticeship qualification.

Entry Requirements

Applicants must be existing employees looking to develop their careers. They must be 18 or older, have the right of abode and right to work in the UK to qualify for funding, and meet program entry requirements.

Funding

Apprenticeships are paid for by employers, not apprentices. Employers with a payroll of more than £3 million can use their apprenticeship levy contributions to pay for places on apprenticeship programs. Any business with a payroll below £3 million is eligible for government funding that will cover at least 95% of the cost of an apprenticeship program.

Next Steps

Employers can find out more about how to partner with the university to offer degree apprenticeships within their organization by contacting the university. Employees can encourage their employer to contact the university to discuss offering an apprenticeship. Applicants can sign up to the degree apprenticeship mailing list to get alerts about vacancies and events.