Traditional university degrees are no longer the only route to a successful career in the current competitive job market. Level 6 degree apprenticeships have emerged as a powerful alternative since 2015, offering students the opportunity to get a degree while working in a full-time job. When apprenticeships are offered by well-known, branded companies, the employment benefits multiply exponentially.
Research shows that working for a recognised brand can have significant positive impacts on an individual’s career. The “Trade Mark Incentives” report by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in 2011 found companies with strong brands tend to invest more in their employees’ development and offer better working conditions. Apprentices not only gain academic knowledge but also invaluable industry insights and professional networks.
P&G’s Commercial Degree Apprenticeship program serves as an example of how branded companies can adopt apprenticeships to nurture talent and create beneficial outcomes for both apprentices and the brand.
Speaking about the company’s commitment P&G’s Commercial Degree Apprenticeships, Ian Morley, Vice President Sales said: “P&G’s program offers participants the opportunity to earn a debt-free degree while working in various commercial roles within the company. This initiative not only broadens P&G’s recruitment footprint but also provides apprentices with unparalleled exposure to a world-class organisation.”
Morley emphasizes that these apprenticeships are designed to develop future business leaders, offering rotations across different aspects of P&G’s commercial operations. This approach ensures that apprentices gain a comprehensive understanding of the business while building a strong foundation for their careers.
A 2013 study “Intellectual property rights intensive industries: contribution to economic performance and employment in the European Union” by the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM) and the European Patent Office found that industries with high levels of intellectual property rights, including trade marks, generated 26% of all jobs in the EU between 2008 and 2010. The study also found industries intensive in intellectual property rights paid wages that were 41% higher than other industries.
Businesses with strong brands typically spend more on R&D, which results in more inventive goods and efficient operations. The 2013 report “Brands – Reputation and Image in the Global Marketplace” from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) emphasises the connection between powerful brands and higher productivity.
Innovative approaches to building great teams is not exclusively the domain of brand-owning companies, but brand owners have always been leaders in the field of talent spotting. The reason is simple, their whole business model is based on maximising quality and difference. They realise that top talent is a critical component in brand building. An asset built on creative thinking, insight and understanding, innovation, long-term thinking and collaboration can only win if it attracts the best people to support its long-term plans.
It is why brand-led companies are working to increase their available talent. Key to this is a radical shift in their approach to building more diversity into their recruitment – looking at where people might finish, not where they start from. This is not altruism. It is sound business practice. Degree apprenticeships are one part of a multi-faceted approach to delivering this. As the research states, it is a win-win approach. Brand owners get top talent and the top talent build their own reputation through the brands they work on. The fact P&G is doing it is all the endorsement needed. This is another example of what brands do to keep building winning brands.
Image credit: Ian Morely, P&G