My experience studying a Business Management Graduate Apprenticeship at RGU

RGU offers Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) courses designed around the needs of businesses which allow employees to continue to work while they earn their degree over the course of four years. Emma McGowan, Hire Administrator at STR, is a first-year student on the Business Management GA. She answers our questions about the application process, her experience of the course, and how it has benefitted her and her employer.

How did you first discover RGU’s Graduate Apprenticeship courses?

I first discovered the RGU course when looking for some additional development to expand on my current role. I originally started off looking at the Business Management course at RGU, which I could do online in my spare time. After a conversation with our HR Director Jill, she suggested an alternative version of the course she had recently heard about through Gregg Walker from RGU which would allow me to incorporate my studies with work.

I did some research into it and decided it was something I might be interested in. Gregg came to my workplace to tell me more about the course and to offer me a chance to ask any questions I might have, which I had prepared for.

Can you tell us more about your current role?

My current role at STR is Hire Administrator where I currently deal with the day-to-day admin of our rental equipment as well as the generation of month end invoices. STR are a subsea technology company supporting the energy industry.

How do you think the course will benefit you and your employer?

I hope the course will give me a wider knowledge of the behind-the-scenes workings of the business world. The Graduate Apprenticeship has already given me an insight into areas of the business I wouldn’t have previously been involved in, allowing me to explore new skills and learn new knowledge in different departments of the business.

I believe from taking on this course my employer will see an increase in skill, allowing me to apply my learning into my own role as well as giving suggestions and feedback based on other roles which I collaborate with.

What was your experience like with the application and onboarding process for the course?

The application process was much easier than I had first anticipated, the application form was easy to read and understand. This was then coupled with a copy of my CV and a personal statement. There was no formal interview process as such, myself, my mentor from STR and Gregg had a few meetings between us making sure that the course was the correct fit for me and my employers.

From day 1 of being enrolled on the course I have felt supported by all RGU staff I have come across; all induction information was incredibly clear and all support services very well signposted. The Moodle support page was particularly helpful for me before any of the modules started to give me a feel as to how to use their online services and where to get help if I needed.

I was apprehensive about the induction days, meeting new people and being in a new environment. After the first half an hour of being at the University, I realised everyone was in the same boat and we were all as nervous as each other. I have since formed a good relationship with my study group which I feel has enhanced my experience on the course.

How do you juggle your studies with your full-time work?

I was previously worried about the workload of taking on full time study as well as having a full-time job however, I soon realised that a lot of the work-based learning activities I was able to incorporate into my role with the help of my employer. STR have also been flexible in allowing me to have separated study time to work on my Graduate Apprenticeship, meaning I have felt the transition between full-time learning and full-time work to be easy.

Could you provide examples of how you’ve integrated your studies into your work projects?

The modules have expanded on my communication skills allowing me to integrate new ideas into my workplace. I feel I have had to be more proactive in engaging with other departments at work discussing areas of the business which have innovated new ideas and created efficiency opportunities.

Were there any hurdles in beginning your studies on the Graduate Apprenticeship course, and how have you addressed them?

One of the things I found difficult was the academic writing and referencing part of the assessments. But after discussing with my study group, I found that I wasn’t the only one experiencing this. We shared resources we had found useful from the study skills section of the Moodle as well as accessing support from tutors.

Anything else you would like to add?

RGU has been incredibly supportive so far and I am looking forward to completing the next few years of my course. I feel the content of the course so far has been really interesting and relevant to how I see my professional development progressing going forward.

Emma McGowan

A word from Jill Williamson, HR Director at STR

Engaging with RGU to support Emma to accelerate her learning through the GA programme has been fantastic. Understanding how the course was structured and the supported learning RGU offers was fundamental when we agreed with Emma that this was the right course for both her and STR.

We have worked with Emma to ensure she is able to focus on delivering her role to a high standard in conjunction with her course work and we are exceptionally proud of the commitment she has shown, which has been reflected in her excellent results.

Studying MSc Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship at RGU

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