Building key business skills
Invest in tomorrow's business leaders!
Organisations across all sectors need a talent pipeline of people with business skills and commercial awareness. And as we're seeing many firms undergo different forms of transformation, firms also need people with strong project management skills.
Alongside this, it's evident that many businesses across Scotland are facing challenges in terms of retaining key staff and recruiting new talent. So, is there a solution that can help businesses fill skills gaps, retain key staff and recruit new talent?
This is where Graduate Apprenticeships come in.
Why Heriot-Watt for Graduate Apprenticeships
Our Business Management Graduate Apprenticeship (GA) is fully funded and offers a unique combination of academic and work-based learning, creating degree qualified employees with key business skills tailored to the needs of your business.
- We’re ranked in the top quartile in the UK for Business, Management and Marketing by The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.
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The Business Management programme is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute. Depending on the year of entry to the programme, successful candidates will be eligible for a Level 5 Diploma or Award in Management & Leadership.
- We offer a dedicated pathway aimed specifically at the Financial Services sector. Aimed at the financial sector, this pathway combines core courses from the Business Management programme with specialised courses such as Financial Technology. Financial Regulation and the Financial Services Sector.
Graduate Apprenticeships at-a-glance
Who can apply?
Our GA programmes are open to both new and existing employees - making them ideal for recruitment AND upskilling.
How much does it cost?
Our programmes are fully-funded for eligible candidates, meaning there are no additional costs for employers or the students.
How long does it take?
Students will typically study for an Honours degree over a four year period. (Note: advanced entry is possible in some cases).
How is it delivered?
GAs offer a unique combination of academic and work-based learning. Broadly speaking, the split is 20% at university and 80% at work.
Why Graduate Apprenticeships are an ideal solution
Here’s a quick summary on why we’re seeing more and more companies across many different sectors of the Scottish economy reap the benefits of our Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs):
- GAs can be a key way to fill critical skills gaps in your business.
- In difficult market conditions, GAs are the ideal way to upskill existing employees. They allow people with existing in-depth knowledge of the business to develop new skills essential for dealing with operational challenges and opportunities.
- GAs can be a great retention tool for employees – demonstrating that the company is investing in the development of the workforce.
- GAs develop practical management and leadership skills to complement the academic learning. This can help to develop the leaders of tomorrow for modern Scottish businesses.
My goals for the GA programme were to take full advantage of the fantastic opportunity and to achieve something I thought I had missed my chance of - not having gone to university straight after school. My degree has catapulted my career exponentially. My experience and success really cemented my love for ‘earning and learning’ and the inspiration I found has led me to my dream role and future career in learning and development.
Explore our Business Management Graduate Apprenticeships
Follow the links below to find out more about the specifics of our Business Management and Financial Services apprenticeship pathways.
Business Management
Explore the detail on our Business Management programme, including course content, entry requirements etc.
Business Management: Financial Services
Explore the detail on our financial services pathway, including course content, entry requirements etc.
Derek Polowyj - Eden Scott
This short video features Derek Polowyj from Eden Scott. Derek is a former Graduate Apprentice on our Business Management programme.
Laura Fraser - Forth Valley College
This short video features Laura Fraser, Skills Transition Centre Project Manager at Forth Valley College. Laura is a former Graduate Apprentice on our Business Management programme.
Get in touch today!
If you're an employer looking to develop key business skills, our dedicated team is here to help you understand how our Graduate Apprenticeships can support your talent development. Follow the link below to get in touch with the team today.
Contact us today