Addressing a skills gap through knowledge empowerment

"We started with nothing in terms of apprenticeships, and we wanted to bring this incredible opportunity to the forefront of people's minds. Our first apprenticeship cohort launched in 2020, and since then we've had 240 learners take up a programme."
"There was a gap we needed to address, and at the same time, there were whispers amongst our organisation that people would really love to get some sort of Project Management Qualification," says Lucy.
Lucy's strategy was to launch an apprenticeship programme with Corndel to maximise OUP's Apprenticeship Levy, which needed to be used to its full potential. Lucy explains that the answer to this skills gap was strategically using OUP's levy funding and working closely with Corndel to establish a learning academy focused on Corndel's Data and Project Management Programmes.
Corndel's Project Management programmes are designed to develop the technical skills and professional behaviours needed to manage projects effectively in different delivery environments. The Data-focused programmes cover various foundational and specialist disciplines associated with a data-driven, modern world.
"Those disciplines have now changed from one cohort to 12 different disciplines. Being able to do that clearly shows a huge increase in interest for Apprenticeships, and the positive impact they have on the business".
This positive business impact isn't just demonstrating itself in the significant development OUP learners see in themselves. Lucy explains that teams are now becoming subject matter experts.
Jennie's learning journey with Corndel
“Just go for it, because it's so worth it. There's so much support, so you'll be able to solve any problems you run into. If it ends up not being the right fit, at least you tried it. In terms of the workload, just be honest with yourself about what you can actually put in. You won't maximise your learning experience if you can't put 100% into it"
Jennie Price, Executive Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.