Course overview
Study at Teesside University International Business School
See what it’s like to study at our modern, enterprising and dynamic business school
This apprenticeship is designed to elevate your senior managers, transforming them into strategic leaders capable of driving your business forward. Accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), the Senior Leader Apprenticeship (SLA) equips your leaders with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to make strategic decisions that will have a lasting impact on your organisation. With a strong emphasis on real-world application, the programme ensures your leaders are prepared to manage unpredictability, foster innovation, and lead with entrepreneurial spirit.
Who this apprenticeship is for?
The SLA is ideal for those in senior management roles or those aspiring to such positions. It’s perfect for individuals who are responsible for leading teams, driving change, and making strategic decisions that shape the future of your business. Whether your apprentice is currently in a senior role or preparing to step into one, this programme ensures they are fully equipped to lead in today’s fast-paced business world.
Five reasons your business needs a Senior Leader apprentice:
- 1. Drive strategic success: your apprentice learns to think and act strategically, enabling them to propel your business towards its goals with clear, decisive action.
- 2. Foster innovation: with a focus on entrepreneurial leadership, your apprentice will cultivate a culture of innovation, inspiring new ideas and driving sustainable growth.
- 3. Expand global reach: by understanding global markets and trends, your apprentice will help your business navigate international opportunities and challenges with confidence.
- 4. Lead with excellence: your apprentice hones essential leadership skills, such as communication, decision-making, and problem-solving, to ensure they can inspire and manage teams to achieve outstanding results.
- 5. Champion sustainability: with a strong emphasis on sustainability and corporate responsibility, your apprentice leads initiatives that enhance your business’s reputation and long-term impact.
How it works
The SLA blends on-campus workshops with digital learning, offering your apprentice the flexibility to balance their studies with work commitments. With eight workshops per year and robust online support, your apprentice engages in learning that directly benefits your business. This experiential approach ensures they can apply what they learn immediately, driving improvement and innovation within your organisation.
The total cost of the Level 7 SLA is a maximum of £14,000. Organisations can fund £14,000 of the fees through their Apprenticeship Levy. Non-levy paying employers, such as SMEs, can request funding through the Apprenticeship Service. If accepted, this involves co-investment. The employer pays 5% towards the cost of apprenticeship training (a maximum of £700). They can apply to the government to cover 95% of the levy funding, up to a maximum of £13,300.
At Teesside University, all learners are offered the opportunity to gain recognised accredited qualifications supporting long-term career progression beyond the apprenticeship. While an MBA is not part of the Level 7 SLA, and therefore not eligible for Apprenticeship Levy funding, our SLA provides learners the opportunity to gain an MBA fully mapped to the apprenticeship standard, funded at no additional cost to the employer.
Please note, we can only respond to enquiries from employers, or individuals with agreement from their employer to undertake an apprenticeship.
Course details
Course structure
Core modules
Current Issues in Business and Society
In a rapidly changing world, businesses and society face many challenges, opportunities and dilemmas. You explore these issues, drawing on multidisciplinary thought leadership, including business, social sciences and the humanities. This approach develops your critical thinking and exposes you to different perspectives to enhance your managerial decision-making skills. The module takes inspiration from the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a basis for topical content, adapted to the dynamic nature of the global business environment and what is happening in the world at the time of delivery. In addition, this module provides inspiration and ideas for research with the hope that you take a much more critical approach to your research – given the exposure to a wider theoretical and contextual base.
You consider the nature of entrepreneurial leadership, with a specific focus towards structure, culture and strategy. You utilise a range of case studies and live examples and inspect selected strategy development concepts, linked to public, private and third-sector organisations. You evaluate the relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and organisational performance.
Global strategy: Challenges and Choices
As the global business environment becomes ever more complex and volatile, there is a need for organisations of all shapes and sizes to think and act more entrepreneurially, innovatively and creatively in order to be able to change and adapt. This interdisciplinary module provides you with an understanding of the internal and external factors that impact strategic decision-making. You are introduced to a variety of strategic theories, tools and concepts, all in the context of the external environment and its impact on strategic challenges and choices. You are exposed to a variety of academic and practical material that you apply to your own organisation, or a live-case organisation, in order to appreciate the importance of developing and implementing innovative strategic plans for the success of the organisation, its key stakeholders and society more broadly.
You develop your self-reflection and self-leadership skills and engage with 360-degree analytical tools to help identify your personal leadership strengths and areas for development. In a fast-paced 21st-century organisation, leaders need to be adept at navigating internal and external challenges, therefore a creative and entrepreneurial approach to leadership is essential to organisational agility and success. Through action learning sets and working with peers, you develop skills in coaching and mentoring to develop the teams in your organisation.
The MBA Dissertation module gives you the opportunity to apply your academic knowledge and practical skills to address a significant business issue within an organisational context. This module enables you to integrate your learning and critically analyse a real-world problem, demonstrating your ability to bridge theory and practice effectively.
You undertake a major research project focused on a business challenge relevant to an organisation, developing in-depth insights and offering practical solutions. Through this process, you’ll refine your analytical, problem-solving, and strategic thinking skills, all while contributing valuable knowledge to the organisation.
Key elements include:
• research proposal presentation (20%) – develop and present a detailed proposal outlining your research objectives, methodology, and anticipated outcomes
• dissertation report (80%) – produce a 15,000-word dissertation that critically evaluates your findings and provides evidence-based recommendations.
By successfully completing this module, you will demonstrate your ability to tackle complex business challenges, preparing you to lead and innovate in a global business environment.
You are introduced to the concept of the sustainable organisation, with a particular emphasis towards socio-economic impact. You analyse the relationship between various stakeholders and evaluate the relationship between entrepreneurship, philanthropy and sustainability. You gain an understanding of business in society and contemporary issues relating to philanthropy, and consider the role of government and policy-makers in shaping the legal, fiscal and cultural context for philanthropy and classical economics, and the role of the rational economic organisation.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
The apprenticeship is delivered as a blended model with eight workshops on campus each year. Apprentices are also supported through our digital learning offer. This flexible experiential learning approach fits with busy work and life schedules.
The apprentice learns authentically with their peers to develop solutions to strategic challenges in organisations. They also actively participate in online discussion groups and virtual seminars, with access to a variety of other digital materials to shape their learning.
How you are assessed
Your apprentice's progress is assessed through a range of practical, real-world tasks, ensuring they apply their learning directly to their role. The end-point assessment evaluates their knowledge, skills, and ability to meet the apprenticeship standard, confirming they are ready to lead with impact and drive your business forward.
Entry requirements
To be accepted on to an apprenticeship course you must have support from your employer and meet the course entry requirements.
The apprentice must be an honours graduate of any discipline, with a minimum of a 2.2 obtained from a recognised University, or hold an equivalent professional qualification acceptable to Teesside University International Business School.
Before starting their Teesside University apprenticeship, learners must hold Level 2 qualifications in English and maths. Find out more.
Job role responsibilities
Apprentices must have a minimum of two years’, graduate level, full-time work experience in a relevant role, such as management, administration, professional or a supervisory capacity.
The apprentice may still be considered for entry if they do not meet the criteria, if they have significant management experience or a record of achievement in business and leadership.
Given the work-based approach to assessment that underpins this apprenticeship, the apprentice should be currently employed, preferably in a management role and refer to their roles and their organisations in the completion of their assessments.
The employer must confirm to the University that you will support the apprentice on the apprenticeship before the application can be progressed.
Advanced standing
Apprentices who have completed a recent level 7 business-related professional qualification may be offered advanced standing onto the apprenticeship. Given the diverse range of professional qualifications and the diverse range of credit value for these qualifications, applications are considered on an individual basis following the University’s Recognition of Prior Learning process.
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
Employability
Career opportunities
Successful apprentices typically progress in their organisations. They could move into general or senior management, strategic leadership, internal consultancy or project leadership roles. The apprentice builds on their existing work experience and skills, and the programme enhances their ability to lead and manage change.
Senior Leader Apprenticeship (Master of Business Administration) MBA
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
