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Are you an employer looking to attract, develop or retain talent - at no cost to your business? Then a Graduate Apprenticeship could be exactly what you are looking for. 

Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) provide a unique combination of work-based and academic learning to create degree-qualified employees with key skills tailored to the needs of your business.  GAs are ideal if you are looking:

  • to fill critical skills gaps in your business
  • for a cost-effective way to upskill existing employees
  • to develop talent that is able to make an immediate impact in the workplace
  • for a solution to help retain key staff and improve succession planning

Why Graduate Apprenticeships?

Here are the key reasons more and more employers are seeing the benefits of Graduate Apprenticeships:
  • Boost business performance – GAs can deliver real business benefits, including increased productivity, improved service delivery and staff engagement.
  • Cost effective – the learning costs are fully funded for eligible candidates meaning there are no additional costs to the employer or the employee.
  • Fast-track your talent development – recruit and develop high-calibre future leaders who are likely to want to remain with the organisation after graduating.
  • Diversify your workforce – apprenticeships can support you to recruit and develop a diverse workforce.
  • Work-based learning – this approach ensures practical application in the business environment.

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.

The Heriot-Watt Graduate Apprenticeship programme has significantly impacted JPMorganChase by enhancing our early careers pipeline and fostering a diverse workforce. By recruiting GA students, we aim to attract top talent to our business, supporting young people while simultaneously adding value through high retention rates, diversity of thought, fresh perspectives, energy, and innovative ways of working.

Lynne Lockier

JPMorganChase

Find out all you need to know about our Graduate Apprenticeships

Follow the links below to discover more about our programmes, browse case studies from our GAs and employers, and find answers to our frequently asked questions.

Our programmes

Explore our range of programmes here. Whether you’re looking to upskill existing employees or attract new talent to the business, we offer a range of GA programmes to suit your specific needs.

Our Graduate Apprentice stories

Browse our case studies to hear from Graduate Apprentices and employers about their GA experience.

Our FAQs

Check out our FAQs for answers to our most commonly asked questions.

Marie Hunter - Balfour Beatty

In this short video Marie Hunter, Early Careers Development Partner at Balfour Beatty, shares her experiences from her Business Management Graduate Apprenticeship.

Our credentials

We were one of the pioneers of Graduate Apprenticeships when they were launched in 2017. It built on our proud history of being at the forefront of work-based learning in Scotland. Established in 1821, we’ve been at the heart of upskilling people to take on industry challenges for over 200 years.

1st

1st in Scotland and joint 2nd in the UK for graduate prospects (HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025).

1st

Top university in Scotland for producing CEOs (Novuna Business Cash Flow).

200+ years

Since 1821, we have been providing flexible learning to fit in working professional’s lives.

Get in touch today!

Our dedicated team is on hand to explore how we can help you create the essential skills and talent needed to make your business thrive. We're already working hard with employers for our September 2026 intake. Follow the link below to get in touch with the team today.

Contact us today