Why partner with us?
- Access to highly skilled student and graduate talent
- Industry-relevant training to progress your team
- Develop your workforce through degree apprenticeships
- Research collaboration and networking opportunities
- Government funding and grants for workforce development
Partnering with University Centre Leeds helps you develop a skilled local workforce. In 2020, surveys showed that 60,000 Leeds residents commuted elsewhere for work, and with a minority of employed graduates finding roles in the Leeds area, retaining talent can be a challenge. Our students are local and often choose to study close to home - connecting with them can give your business access to committed homegrown talent.
Through partnering with us, you can help shape course content to meet your industry’s needs. By ensuring students develop the right skills and knowledge, you’ll gain access to work-ready graduates - reducing your costs for recruitment, onboarding, and upskilling. Your input keeps courses relevant, ensuring a pipeline of talent equipped for both local and national industry demands.
Each subject area has a dedicated Programme Manager who will be your main point of contact. As subject experts, they will work closely with you to develop courses that prepare your future workforce and provide upskilling opportunities for your current employees, ensuring a truly collaborative partnership.
Our partnerships with businesses create a valuable exchange of knowledge and expertise, offering opportunities for collaboration in research, technology, and resource development. Each year, our students undertake major research projects that could help solve real challenges within your company.
By sharing industry insights - through guest lectures, content creation, or workplace sessions - you will help shape the next generation of talent. We already work with businesses of all sizes to develop course content, employability guidance, and industry-ready skills. Let’s work together to drive innovation and growth.
At University Centre Leeds, we are committed to celebrating diversity, championing inclusivity, and breaking down barriers to equality. We know that employers share these values. Partnering with us can help you build a diverse workforce, introduce fresh perspectives, and create a more inclusive workplace while reaching a wider talent pool.
Working in partnership with University Centre Leeds can help you meet your corporate social responsibility goals while making a meaningful impact. Collaborative projects provide valuable learning opportunities for both your business and our students, fostering innovation and inspiring the next generation of talent in West Yorkshire.
BlackDice, Cyber Security Company
Sara Hague, COO of BlackDice, has collaborated with UCLeeds to enhance the Employability modules in the Computing programmes. She has hosted mock interviews as part of student assessments, assessing candidates herself and offering graduate opportunities to top performers. Sara has also contributed to assignment briefs by providing real-world briefs from BlackDice. Additionally, view interviews with Sara on employer involvement have been featured in marketing materials on the HTQ website.
Sara has delivered three talks to Level 5 and 6 Cyber, Software, and Computer Science students, sharing insights about BlackDice, the qualities they look for in employees, and portfolio advice.
FinTech Report
As the FinTech sector evolves, there is growing demand for technologies like blockchain, programming skills, AI, data visualization tools, and query languages to support the expansion of mobile payment and cloud technologies. This is creating a significant skills gap in West Yorkshire.
By collaborating with 34 Financial and Professional Services (FPS) employers, we have gained valuable insights into the specific skills shortages in the region and identified the best ways for employers and education providers to address these gaps.
"We're committed to diversifying our talent pool through apprenticeships, as well as alternative learning pathways like the new Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), offering meaningful career opportunities in cyber, and the wider tech industry. Here at BlackDice, we’re engaging with our local colleges to contribute to the delivery of these programmes - and we encourage other employers to consider it too. By getting involved, you can ensure that learners acquire the skills your industry (and company) needs, directly impacting the quality of your future talent pool.”
Sara Hague, COO of BlackDice
“The HTQ makes our workforce more dynamic. I would feel confident employing an HTQ graduate. They have a level of competency to lead on a project or scheme.”
Susan Fairclough, Therapeutic and Specialised Play Service Manager, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
“Courses like the Health Play Specialist HTQ are helping to meet the demands of the NHS, upskilling people with relevant, real-world experience.”
Sallyanne Pitt, Head of Play Service, Great Ormond Street Hospital
Funding and Support Available
Grants, government funding and financial support is available for apprenticeships, training and partnerships. Our team will be able to help you access any available funding throughout the partnership.
Employers can get help with funding the cost of training and assessing apprentices. How much you are entitled to depends on whether or not you pay the Apprenticeship Levy.
Those who pay the Apprenticeship Levy receive funds for training and assessing their apprentices – the government will add 10%.
Those who do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy pay 5% towards the cost of training and assessing the apprentice, direct to the training provider. The government will pay the remaining 95%, direct to the training provider.
An additional £1000 may be available to you – depending on certain circumstances. For more information regarding costs and funding, please visit gov.uk/employing-an-apprentice/get-funding
You will need to pay an apprentice just as you would any other member of your staff. Please see here for further details: Gov National Minimum Wage.
Certain grants are available to some employers taking on an apprentice to help support with the payment of their wages. Details of these grants will be discussed with you prior to your recruitment of an apprentice.
The Apprenticeship Levy is a tax paid by employers that is used to help fund apprenticeship training.
Employers with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million pay the Apprenticeship Levy at a rate of 0.5% of their annual pay bill. Employers with connections to companies or charities for Employment Allowance purposes and who have a combined annual pay bill of more than £3 million, also pay the Apprenticeship Levy. The Levy is paid monthly.
How to Get Started
Simply contact us to schedule a consultation. We’ll discuss your training needs, help you choose the right courses, and provide a tailored proposal based on your business goals and employee development objectives.
FAQs
Please refer to our website for course fees
Yes, successful participants will receive a certificate of completion, degree certificate, or certificate of credits, depending on the course.
All degree programmes are assessed by our Regulatory Body (Office for Students) on positive progression into industry.
Our training courses have received positive feedback from employers, and the effectiveness can be measured in your workplace. Recent feedback received includes:
“We love a good training session at resource | sustainable creativity and today's was excellent. So important to keep training fresh and we welcomed Becky Whitaker to HQ today to show the team how it's done... so much valuable content and whether it's new to you or a refresher; engagement, banter, encouragement and listening to others creates a fab environment for learning... We can't wait for the next!”
Gail Weathers, HR Business & Operations Director Chartered FCIPD
“Today I’ve invested time into developing my sales skills with the team at resource | sustainable creativity. We’ve had some fantastic sessions hosted by Becky Whitaker and a highlight for me is asking open questions to understand customers' needs. This has been great for me, learning in a room full of colleagues with different skills and experience.”
Lewis Platt, New Business Executive, Direct Print & Mail Specialists
Employers are assigned a dedicated account manager or programme manager for support, including course selection, onboarding, and progress monitoring. Our team is available to assist and adjust as needed.
Yes, usually our courses are flexible. We offer part-time, self-paced, and after-hours options, allowing employees to continue working while upgrading their skills. Our programme managers can talk you through the available delivery modes.
Yes, our courses are developed using labour market information, employer consultations, and external academic reviews to ensure alignment with industry needs.
We offer flexible completion timelines for most courses. Employees can request extensions or pauses if needed, and we will work with you to ensure successful completion.
