Business school welcomes first cohort on apprentice levy-funded course

One of the UK’s first cohorts of MBA apprentices have started the Aston Business School’s Executive Apprenticeship MBA programme, paid for via the apprenticeship levy.

In March the government set an £18,000 cap on funding for Senior Leader Masters Degree Apprenticeship programmes, and Aston launched a new version of its Executive MBA to match the cap.

The levy applies to all businesses with a payroll bill over £3m. Those who don’t meet this criteria can access up to 90% funding from the government.

The MBA offers managers a study part-time course involving online study and termly study weekends on-campus. A total of 19 make up the school’s first cohort.

Keith Schofield, executive apprenticeship MBA course director, said: “Our first Executive Apprenticeship MBA cohort bring with them a wealth of professional experience from a broad spectrum of industries.”