A Senior Leader MBA Degree Apprenticeship was just the ticket for a new business, CUBE HR. The company, based in Burnley, provides a full human resource service to businesses and has already felt the benefits a Degree Apprenticeship can bring first-hand.
CUBE HR was less than two years old when the owner Lisa Sourbutts began her apprenticeship; since then it has doubled in size.
Lisa says: “As my career has progressed, I have needed different skillsets and when I heard that I could do the Degree Apprenticeship, incorporating the MBA right here in Burnley, I applied straight away. Exposure to the different subjects was imperative to my business success. Having worked in HR for 17 years, I have never owned a business before. Subjects such as Finance and Strategy have helped shape this growth.”
Lisa first became aware of the Degree Apprenticeship at a networking event. Once the course leader mentioned the funding available to SMEs, Lisa jumped at the chance as it was something she always wanted to do. Attending the University every Friday Lisa covered two topics per semester, such as Management Leadership in the morning, and Strategy in the afternoon. For most modules there are two assignments to complete, some are individual, and some are group ones.
Lisa noted: “It’s important to ensure your employer is on board with the time commitment and allows you the opportunity to use your new skills in the workplace. Modules such as Innovation really test your ideas into real workable solutions ensuring value for the student, and the employer. I’ve worked in HR for some time but never run a business so the new skills I have learnt in finance, strategy, innovation, and project management have been great when planning for future growth within CUBE. We have doubled in turnover and staff numbers since I started the MBA.”
After graduation, Lisa plans to continue to look for ways to improve and make her business service better. “We’ve never been bothered about being the biggest, we just want to be the best. We put people at the heart of all we do and that’s why we have been so successful in our growth journey.”
For anyone thinking about Degree Apprenticeships Lisa advises: “Think about why you want to do it, does the content meet those needs, do you have time, what will you get from it?’’
