Senior Leader Apprenticeship

Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.

Our Senior Leader Apprenticeship is a work-based learning course taught over 25 months, offering flexible delivery through block teaching and blended learning to fit around your work and personal commitments and prepare you for future career ambitions....

How to apply

Level Apprenticeship
Study mode

Award N/A
Start date September 2025

Location City South

This course is:

Overview

If you are an aspiring middle manager or executive currently in work and developing your professional career path towards senior and board-level positions, this course is ideally suited to supporting you in your next career move. The course is designed to give you the knowledge, skills and behaviours in leadership and management to lead on change and transformation in your organisation, learning through work-based projects and assessments.

As a middle manager, you will have significant responsibilities to manage and lead operations, influence and input on strategic decisions and planning. The course recognises the interdisciplinary nature of middle management, highlighting tensions within and between different functional areas. You will acquire skills that embed agility and dexterity to simultaneously manage downwards, across and upwards.

You will develop critical analytical skills in assessing the current and developing business environment; identify new business opportunities and analyse markets; deal with complex issues systematically and creatively; and communicate clearly to a range of audiences, which are core leadership/ management skills.

This course is not open to International students.

What's covered in this course?

The course is split into three core steps:

Modules 1-3

The first step incorporates three modules (Modules 1-3) specifically designed to introduce core concepts aligned to strategic and risk management, leadership, change, innovation, and entrepreneurship disciplines. Elements of marketing are embedded into each area to ensure that leadership and transformation results in unlocking customer value.

Modules 4-5

The second step (Modules 4-5) is designed to provide you with the opportunity to practice your learning within your workplace by proposing specific finance and operational improvements as part of your assessment submission.

Module 6

The final step (Module 6) - Unlocking Business Value – gives you, via group and individual contribution, a comprehensive opportunity to experience interdisciplinary, cross functional activity resulting in proposals for strategy formation and evaluation of operational feasibility in your workplace. Inset Learning Review Periods (LRPs) allow you to consolidate your learning, review your progress against the apprenticeship standards, and plan your learning for the next step.

Learners will be provided with group and 1-1 sessions with the Course Team and their Coach, Progress Assessor and Personal Tutor to address any problems or concerns. You will continue to accrue your 20% off-the-job learning hours throughout.

Accredited By

Why Choose Us?

The Senior Leader Apprenticeship Course is accredited and meets the high standards of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). In addition, the Course provides:

Flexibility – typically taught in one-day block sessions monthly with support from your employer
Tailored support through one-to-one coaching opportunities
Weekly online support from tutors with full access to additional online learning
Expert speakers and optional involvement of your employer’s executive teams
Focused ‘solve and evolve’ learning activities, driven by work-based project assessments based on a particular organisational challenge to deliver impact
Professional accreditation designed to provide a progression pathway for Chartered Manager Status with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) - dependent on work experience.

How will I study

The learning, teaching and assessment strategy are designed to encourage and support you as an independent learner. These start with a diagnostic assessment of your knowledge, skills, and behaviours as a Senior Leader as part of your onboarding and induction process. Your progress is reviewed and assessed regularly during your course.

Your learning and assessment will be extended into the workplace/ real-work activity with support from your employer and line manager, and you are expected to commit at least 20% of your contracted working hours to new learning on the course. The sequencing and tailoring of your learning will be monitored and co-ordinated through Progress Reviews to ensure support is provided during your learning journey.

As part of the global citizenship agenda and the professional development elements of the Ofsted Framework, professional values will be linked to CMI’s accreditation and Code of Conduct (consistent with EDI principles, British Values, and Sustainability).

What do apprenticeships offer

The development of your knowledge, understanding and skills to work across your organisation to access resources and gain the support of other functions.
Enable your personal transformation through enhancing your ability to make a positive impact on your organisation.
To develop the ability to support the unlocking of customer value and subsequently value for your organisation at large.
You will be given opportunities throughout the course to explore and practice your interdisciplinary skills, culminating in a unique opportunity in the final module of the course to work on a key initiative that is interdisciplinary, cross-functional and results in evolving your organisation’s business model and operations, driving business transformation.
The result is your own personal transformation in becoming a senior leader in transforming business.

Course specification

Download the course specification for the Senior Leader Apprenticeship course.

Course specification

Entry requirements

Entry requirements are as per university regulations and will be based on qualifications gained and experience as follows:

A second-class honours degree (or equivalent, including professional qualifications), not necessarily in a business-related subject, plus at least 3 years of work experience at a professional or managerial level.
Alternatively, apprentices without formal qualification, but with a minimum of 5 years management experience are eligible to apply.
All applicants must successfully complete a formative assessment as part of the interview process.

Applicants must have GCSE at Grade 4 (previously a Grade C) or above in English Language and Mathematics. Please check the transferable skills document from Apprenticeship Certificates England to see if your qualifications meet the requirements for a Higher Apprenticeship. 

How to apply

You will need to apply for the Senior Leader Apprenticeship through your organisation, and your application will be assessed by both your employer and the academic team at Birmingham City University.

Entry as per university regulations will be based on qualifications gained and experience as follows:

A second-class honours degree (or equivalent, including professional qualifications), not necessarily in a business-related subject, plus at least 3 years of work experience at a professional or managerial level.
Alternatively, apprentices without formal qualification, but with a minimum of 5 years management experience are eligible to apply.
All applicants must successfully complete a formative assessment as part of the interview process.

Facilities & Staff

There are a wide range of support services available to you at Birmingham City University to support your learning journey.

Our staff

Dr Chinny Nzekwe-Excel

Associate Professor – Enterprise and Corporate Development

Dr Chinny is an experienced academic with expertise in the areas of Management Development Initiatives/ Repositioning Strategies; International Business; Leadership Concepts; Teaching and Learning Innovations; Work-based Learning; and Construction Management.