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Conoco's Trailblazer™ Program, a “corporate university,” integrates personal development with individual and company business goals.

Considers the new Trailblazer apprenticeships being offered by Barclays and Santander.

Examines the reasons for the programs and the results they are expected to achieve.

Explains that the three-year Trailblazer qualification enables young people to achieve the sixth-level apprenticeship, equivalent to a university degree.

Demonstrates the wide range of career options open to successful candidates.

Highlights a useful route into training and employment for young people, some of whom have spurned conventional higher education and training.

Shows how two banks are implementing the government’s Trailblazer apprenticeship scheme.

The role of management control is frequently emphasized in connection with inter-organizational relationships and value networks. For example, boundary-spanning cost and accounting control techniques have been studied in multifaceted empirical settings. The prevalence of such techniques is, however, currently unknown in conjunction with companies’ interests to increase inter-organizational integration in general. Additionally, also the nexus between the internal state of cost management and the company’s willingness to develop inter-organizational relationships requires further investigation. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The study is based on an extensive survey that was responded to by more than 1,500 CEOs and CFOs from large, medium-sized and small Finnish enterprises in a variety of industries. As the authors chose the mixed-methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected for the study.

The findings suggest that companies can be allocated to five clusters: “the cost experts,” “the trustful,” “the holdouts,” “the trailblazers” and “the uncertain”. When the networking-oriented clusters, “the trustful” and “the trailblazers” are combined, the authors can conclude that 40 percent of the studied companies are interested in increasing inter-organizational integration. However, only 7 percent have boundary-spanning techniques in use. There is also a correlation between interest in integrating and developing cost management.

This paper contains several theoretical implications, although further research, e.g. comparative studies, is required to verify the findings. The scarcity of managerial implications can be regarded as a limitation.

This paper fills several untapped research gaps by studying inter-organizational integration in the cost management context from multiple, complementary perspectives with a particularly large set of data.

The employees of merging firms typically adopt an unproductive “us” and “them,” “mine” and “yours” mentality. Here's how to get to “ours.”

Apprenticeship education in England has undergone dramatic change following the “Richard Review” (Richard, 2012), trailblazer apprenticeship standards development and the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. University College of Estate Management’s (UCEM) new Level 3 Surveying Technician Apprenticeship programme was developed using a novel approach of flipped-blended learning, with assessment by e-portfolio and computer-marked assessments. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges faced by UCEM as it moved into Level 3 provision with a new delivery approach and explains the lessons learned.

A wide range of programme stakeholders – including UCEM’s senior leadership team, apprentice-management team, academic delivery team, surveying apprenticeship trailblazer group and learning designers – were interviewed to gather data for the study.

A considerable volume of work was needed to implement the envisioned flipped-blended approach in the first phase of delivery. This was due to time constraints, unforeseen challenges of the new approach and compliance requirements. In addition, difficulties around communicating learning expectations with the apprentices regarding the flipped-blended model added an extra level of pressure in the delivery phase.

UCEM has undergone several internal reorganisations to adapt to the uncertain political and educational landscape surrounding apprenticeship education. UCEM was the first provider of the new standard-based surveying apprenticeship and has the largest number of apprenticeship students on its programmes. The journey UCEM has taken and the problems it has overcome will be valuable to individuals and institutions looking to enter this market segment.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the knowledge and insight gained building a work-based learning (WBL) degree apprenticeship developed through the Higher Education Funding Council for England Catalyst Fund. Requirements of the funding stipulated that, in addition to work WBL provision, the course should be offered as a two-year fast-track. This was required to help reduce the increased financial burden placed on students, which arose from the substantial rise in HE tuition fees sanctioned by the UK Coalition Government in 2010.

The paper presents a case study detailing the advantages and pitfalls of integrating WBL into fledgling but rapidly expanding creative industries, such as web media production and social media. The development and composition of WBL model was adapted from an existing and successful three year, traditionally structured, BA (Hons) web media production course. It adopted a model whereby partnerships between external organisations and educational institutions are established through a contractual agreement.

Growth of the web media sector, while rapid, is still embryonic. Consequently many employers, particularly in social media, remain small or micro businesses, many capable of only employing one student. This caused several accumulative and administrative and issues along with funding implications. While for many micro businesses the WBL model was appealing by provided employers with an appropriately skilled workforce that addressed the technical and digital skills gap, government funding and partnership initiatives proved to be more directly suitable for larger businesses.

The author considers the case study to be a distinctive insight into the development of creative and vocationally orientated subjects. The paper examines degree apprenticeships and WBL from the perspective of creative industries employer partnerships, particularly in the area of web and social media micro businesses. These are crucial areas for expansion as higher-level degree apprenticeships are rolled out in the UK.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the needs and receptiveness of the creative industry sectors, in particular small and micro businesses, in respect of the adoption and development of degree apprenticeships. In addition, the paper aims to identify employers' barriers to entry into such programmes.

Due to the lack of knowledge of degree apprenticeships, an ‘explain and respond’ method was adopted, where a comprehensive explanation of degree apprenticeships and the process for delivery was given to respondents. This enabled them to ask questions and give informed and knowledgeable response to interview questions.

Participants in this research were generally positive about the integration and adoption of degree apprenticeships into their businesses. However, they suggest that the rigid procedure set by the Institute for Apprenticeships makes embarking on the process of developing standards and adopting degree apprenticeships difficult, time-consuming and impracticable for businesses of their size and in these sectors. This has implications for addressing skills shortages and diversity that stands to endanger the continued success of the creative industries.

Little research has been conducted into the viability of degree apprenticeships for creative industries, particularly non-levy paying small and micro businesses.