Lamb and Swift - Chartered Surveyor Case Study

Why did your organisation choose to offer degree apprenticeships and select the University of Salford?

The degree apprenticeship route has served our business well in the past, as our current apprentice, Nathan, is the third-degree apprentice that we have employed. I am pleased to report that the previous two apprentices, both of whom attended the University of Salford are both still employed by us and are now fully qualified Chartered Surveyors, having each been employed by the business for almost 15 years now.

The wide-ranging skills learnt and developed during the apprenticeship programme have proved invaluable in enabling my colleagues to contribute fully to the long-term success of the business. I believe that our current apprentice Nathan, having been provided with that same opportunity, will follow a similar path, gaining invaluable knowledge and skills in both the classroom and at work, that will be of long-term benefit to both him and the business.

Degree apprenticeships have been an integral part of our business for a number of years, providing us with the opportunity to recruit highly motivated individuals who become, over time, highly skilled, essential members of our team.

Would you recommend degree apprenticeships and the University of Salford to other organisations?

It has proved a highly cost-effective way of recruiting colleagues who we believe, as a consequence of the opportunities afforded to them at the outset of their careers, have considerable loyalty to the business, thus reducing staff turnover and in turn, saving on recruitment costs. The University of Salford has provided invaluable support and training to colleagues, which has allowed them to progress in their chosen career for the benefit of them, as individuals, but also for the benefit of our business.

Accordingly, given that, as an employer, access to funding to support the investment in apprentices is available and given the marvellous resource and opportunity available right on our doorstep in Salford, then we would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending the clear positive benefits to any local organisation of a degree apprenticeship through the University of Salford.

Furthermore, throughout the degree apprenticeship programme, our apprentices have been able to impart the skills and knowledge gained from attending Salford, which ultimately benefits the team, as a whole and perhaps more importantly, helps us improve upon the service that we are able to offer our clients.

As an employer, the degree apprenticeship programme offered through Salford is, we believe, very much a partnership between the University, Lamb & Swift as employer and our apprentice Nathan.