What does Newcastle University do?
Newcastle University exists for the public benefit to advance education, learning, and research. We aim to work collaboratively with our many external partners to shape brighter futures, grow the economy, and champion social justice.
While studying with us, our graduates and apprentices develop skills designed to meet industry needs, learning through our high-quality training in engineering and advanced manufacturing needs. We partner with businesses to deliver practical learning opportunities and support workforce development, as well as supporting innovation and R&D within engineering and manufacturing sectors.
What makes Newcastle University great?
Newcastle University has earned a strong reputation for academic excellence in its industry-relevant courses. We are a founding member of the Russell Group – an association of 24 leading UK public research universities – and hold 5+ QS Star rating for overall excellence (2024) and Awarded 5 QS Stars for Employability (2025). In 2026, we ranked in the QS World University rankings global top 140.
Our apprenticeship provision has been rated good by Ofsted (2023), where it was highlighted that our apprenticeships have been instrumental in meeting a skills gap in the North East.
Our higher and degree apprenticeship programmes provide outstanding teaching and skills development delivered by leaders in their field:
- a globally recognised qualification
- opportunities for apprentices to network with market-leading professionals, sharing ideas and best practice
- access to our state-of-the-art facilities and online resources
- a training pathway that meets the demands of your business
- monthly one-to-one meetings with a dedicated skills coach to support and monitor apprenticeship progress.
What is your five-year plan?
Over the next five years, we offer:
- A focused engineering apprenticeship – we deliver a small number of high-quality higher and degree apprenticeships, aligned to our strengths and the skills needs of regional employers
- Clear routes to develop talent – our programmes support progression from early careers through to advanced roles, helping you build and retain skilled engineering teams
- Flexible Apprenticeship Units – short, targeted learning options funded through the Levy, designed to upskill staff quickly without committing to a full apprenticeship
- Practical CPD for today’s skills needs – modular courses in areas such as digital, AI and sustainable engineering, tailored to support immediate workforce challenge
- An opportunity to make your Apprenticeship Levy work harder – we help you get real value from your levy, investing it back into your workforce and the wider North East economy
What are you looking for from your EMN membership?
We’re always looking for opportunities to connect and enhance workforce development. Collaborating with others can offer insights into emerging trends, tech, and skills needs, and provide a platform to showcase opportunities, events and success stories.
What are you going to offer back to the community?
A collaboration with Newcastle University means gaining access to apprenticeship programmes and structured learning opportunities.
What information do you want to get out to members?
Applications are now open for our September 2026 cohort for our L6 Product Design and Development Engineer Apprenticeship.
We’re continuing to develop new apprenticeship programmes each year across a range of subject areas, in partnership with employers, and work with organisations to create programmes that fit business’ need.
If there’s something we don’t currently offer that would be of benefit to your organisation and addresses a skills gap in your sector, please get in touch by email (apprenticeships@ncl.ac.uk) to discuss how we can help and tailor a programme to meet your needs.
Explore our higher and degree apprenticeships and our professional development focused cpd programmes.
