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Multiverse’s ‘Best Places to be an Apprentice’ ranks areas using criteria from government and ONS data including the number of apprentices per business, growth in the number of new apprentices, the area's employment rate, and how affordable renting is across the towns and cities.

The analysis found that Wigan, Stoke-on-Trent, and Newcastle-under-Lyme are the top three areas to be an apprentice in England.

All three topped the list by scoring consistently highly in every category, particularly for the high number of apprentices per business.

The affordability of properties for apprentices to rent means that nine of the top 20 places are in the North of England, whilst London does not feature at all. Three areas are in the North East, three in the North West, and three in Yorkshire and the Humber. This compares to just four in the South East and one in the South West.

The analysis shows that the opportunity for apprentices stretches beyond big cities. Towns dominate cities in the ranking, with only five of the top 20 places being cities: Stoke, Plymouth, Hull, Southampton, and Sunderland.

Euan Blair, CEO at Multiverse, said: "Apprenticeships are an incredible vehicle for social mobility across the UK - and at Multiverse we’re proud to have apprentices in every corner of the country. Access to our apprenticeships has been unlocked by the use of tech to scale our offering nationwide and has allowed us to reach often overlooked areas.

"The spread of opportunities supports our belief in the ability for apprenticeships to be the tool that enables equitable access to economic opportunity, for everyone.”

We’re opening our entry-level apprenticeships to people of any age for the first time: enabling people in their 30s, 40s and 50s to restart their career, change direction, or even enter the workforce for the first time.

More than 50% of our apprentices are currently over the age of 30 on upskilling and reskilling programmes, and we know the benefit apprenticeships can have for those of any age.

That’s why, now, all of our apprenticeships are open to anyone: whether you’re entering the workforce for the first time, reskilling into a new career or industry, or uplevelling your skills.

Euan Blair, CEO of Multiverse, said: “There’s long been a belief that apprenticeships are only for young people. This isn't true: apprenticeships can support a broad range of people at multiple stages in their lives to control the trajectory of their careers.

“Our mission is to provide equitable access to economic opportunity for everyone. Supporting people of any age to access apprenticeships is another step towards delivering this.”

In December, our research found that more than 5m UK workers over the age of 50 are considering retiring early, creating a large risk to an already strained workforce: many of whom are concerned about not having the modern skills employers are currently looking for.

Blair said: “The changing tech landscape proves that people of all ages need new skills, and the opportunity to reimagine what their career can be. Whether someone is 16 or 60, we want to use apprenticeships to support them to build meaningful, sustainable, and well paid careers."

Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon said: “Apprenticeships are for everyone, at all ages and stages of their career. So, it is brilliant news that Multiverse is removing all age restrictions from their apprenticeships, enabling more people to retrain and upskill later in life. Multiverse understands the wealth of benefits apprentices bring to businesses across the country.

“Apprenticeships are crucial to giving people from all backgrounds the chance to gain the skills they need to unlock their potential while addressing skills gaps and helping to grow our economy. That’s why we’re increasing investment in apprenticeships to 2.7 billion available by 2024/25, extending the skills ladder of opportunity to all.”

Eimerman joins Multiverse from the online education company Pluralsight where he served for nine years, most recently as Chief Product Officer. Earlier in his career he helped build TrainSignal, which was acquired by Pluralsight in 2013. Throughout his career, Eimerman has excelled in combining learning expertise with commercial responsibilities, building on a strong foundation in product and tech.

Gary said: ‘Our mission couldn’t be more urgent. Right now people are either switching off from learning, or taking over a trillion dollars of student loan debt to the grave. It doesn’t have to be that way.

‘Applied learning combines the best of learning with paid work, and opens the door for people to get the education on tomorrow's technologies while earning money and becoming productive and motivated team members. This is a huge win both for the individuals and the companies in need of today’s most in demand roles.

‘It means our team isn’t just transforming careers by teaching people how to learn, we are delivering meaningful system change in the process’.

Multiverse works with over 10,000 apprentices and 1,000 businesses already, training individuals on programs in the tech, data and engineering skills needed to thrive across a variety of different roles. When inspected most recently by UK regulators, assessors praised Multiverse’s ‘outstanding’ provision for having an ‘ambitious curriculum that closely reflects what employers need so that apprentices make rapid progress’.

Our learning team is constantly innovating to give apprentices the tools to make an impact in their roles and careers. Just this month we launched an AI Jumpstart module, available to all apprentices at no cost, to give them the fundamentals to make use of AI tools in the workplace.

Illinois-based Eimerman is one of a number of senior leaders to join the business this summer, including Alex Varel who has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer, and Ujjwal Singh, our Chief Product and Technology Officer.

AI will fundamentally change the way we work — putting some jobs at risk, but undoubtedly creating many more. In fact, our forthcoming research shows that nearly two-thirds of business leaders believe AI will create new jobs that require human skills and creativity. Ultimately, it’ll be important for all of us to learn and understand how to use AI effectively in the workplace.

We consider the ability to use AI a core skill for workers over the next decade, just as literacy and numeracy are core skills in today’s modern workplace.

That’s why we’re excited to announce that our apprentices will have access to world-class AI training through our first, full AI module: AI Jumpstart.

The AI Jumpstart training module will launch in September, and will be offered to every apprentice on a Multiverse programme – regardless of which course of study they are pursuing.

The module will equip learners with foundational knowledge of AI that will enable them to identify opportunities to leverage AI while staying aware of potential risks, utilise AI tools, and generate real business value for their employer.

It will cover the fundamental principles of how AI works, how to critically evaluate AI outputs for ethical considerations and accuracy, and perhaps most importantly, teach apprentices how to apply AI in their day-to-day work, for example through the use of effective prompts.

To deepen and stretch the skills and knowledge gained from this module, apprentices will also have access to AI Unlocked; a series of supporting content and events available exclusively through the Multiverse Community.

For many years, our apprentices on advanced programmes have been trained in machine learning and advanced data mining, but the new AI Jumpstart module will enable all Multiverse apprentices to go deeper into AI – regardless of what programme they are in. Whether it’s business, data science, or software engineering – we’re creating opportunities for Multiverse apprentices to learn how to harness AI and use it effectively in their roles, because we believe every worker will need these skills in the future world of work.

As we look ahead to the next decade, there will undoubtedly be an increased demand for AI power users. We recently polled over 1,000 business leaders, and 69% agreed that AI will create more demand for professionals specialising in it. And yet, when we polled apprentices earlier this year, about half were not using ChatGPT in their daily work – either because they don’t know how to use it, or did not have access to it via their employer. It’s a massive missed opportunity which, unless corrected, could leave them behind their peers, and companies behind their competitors.

Our AI Jumpstart module will build apprentices’ skills so that they can adequately use the AI tools of today and the future. And we’ll teach these skills on-the-job, in real-world settings, as they take on real projects — because active, in-context learning is the best way to set employees up for success.

The impact of AI on the workplace will be radical, but by learning how to use AI effectively in our roles, we will build a more skilled, and more strategic workforce.

He will be responsible for leading, developing, and growing Multiverse’s go-to-market team, who have successfully launched apprenticeship programs at 1,000 companies worldwide. Through their efforts, they have built strong partnerships with the world’s top employers, helping companies address skill gaps, diversify their early talent strategies, and prepare their workforces for the future of work.

In Alex’s own words: “The rapid pace of technological change requires relevant, up-to-date human skills. This requirement has never been more important. With AI, our workforce faces opportunities like augmentation and productivity gains, but we also face huge risks around the potential displacement of human talent. At Multiverse, we’re positioning our customers and their employees to succeed in the face of so much change.

Joining Multiverse is a unique opportunity to partner with a very talented team, grow our company together and drive forward a solution that has been tested again and again by the most demanding, high-expectation employers.

I’ve been fortunate to learn, on the job, from some of the most elite go-to-market teams out there. I’m excited to bring that experience to Multiverse. Our continued excellence in go-to-market will ensure a powerful customer experience for companies and apprentices.”

Alex’s experiences have made him one of the most in-demand leaders in tech. He has led sales teams across markets, regions, and segments at some of the most exciting growth companies in the world including: Udacity, MongoDB, and Zscaler.

Alex has a strong track record within EdTech and human capital. He ran enterprise sales at CareerBuilder and founded the enterprise sales business while at Udacity. His experience spans the start-up and scale-up ends of the tech company journey — spanning pre and post-IPO experiences.

At the start of 2023, Multiverse reached 10,000 apprentices, and continues to partner with a growing number of the Forbes Global 2000. We’re actively hiring in this team in both the US & UK. To learn more about life in Multiverse’s go-to-market team read Peppa Wise’s journey from Account Executive to VP in just 4 years.

When our apprenticeship model works, it’s because it uses the transformational power of working and learning combined. Our apprentices learn in a meaningful way: developing skills on-the-job, and applying those skills straight away to drive business success.

But we aspire to truly world-class apprenticeships, available to everyone: and that depends on enhancing and building the technology that powers apprenticeships.

Our provision, which was ranked Outstanding by Ofsted, already uses technology platforms to personalize the learning experience, connect apprentices to the best opportunities and the most relevant content, and help our coaches have impactful connections with apprentices.

And now, we’re accelerating our investment into this part of our business.

Today, we’re delighted to be joining forces with Eduflow, one of Europe’s most dynamic education start-ups. The team at Eduflow have built a world-class education platform, used by thousands of learners.

The move represents our first acquisition and will mean we can give greater levels of personalization to apprentices, ensuring the skills that they learn are relevant and delivered more effectively.

Eduflow CEO David Kofoed Wind said: “When it comes to learning the skills needed to navigate the workplace, it’s clear that the future of learning isn’t lectures and textbooks, it’s delivered through the transformational power of working and learning combined.

“By integrating Eduflow's technology and team into Multiverse's existing stack, apprentices will benefit from more specialization to ensure their skills are directly applicable to their careers, and a greater level of peer-learning, to help build the connections, communication skills and teamwork necessary to thrive.”

This week, we’re also welcoming Ujjwal Singh to Multiverse as our first Chief Product and Technology Officer. Ujjwal joins us from Meta, where he led the development of Facebook’s suite of workplace tools, and has driven product innovation at Google and GoFundMe.

With our first acquisition and the appointment of our first CPTO, this marks our largest single investment into our technology stack to date, and one that we are confident will accelerate the learning for our apprentices, and the results that businesses see from their programs.

Ujjwal said: “Even after all the studying I’ve done, my best lessons came from the workplace, not the classroom. That’s why I was so driven by the mission of Multiverse, and the opportunity to build the future of applied learning.”

Technology has always been at the heart of how we deliver a brilliant experience to both apprentices and their employers. That’s how we scaled to reach 10,000 apprentices earlier this year.

Now, our ability to continue scaling applied learning relies on our ability to build the tools and technology that can underpin the future of apprenticeships.

This is an investment in our apprentices’ success - because we know that when we accelerate learning for our apprentices we accelerate results for employers.

As the first apprenticeship provider to be awarded these powers we are in a prime position to break down barriers to an excellent career, and rethink what outstanding education looks like in today’s world.

The first apprenticeships will enrol on Multiverse Degrees in September, with applications for all 16-24 year olds opening later this year.

We currently work with over 8,000 apprentices, and now an initial cohort of 170 apprentices will be enrolled onto Multiverse Degrees this autumn.

The Multiverse experience already rivals that of a university - with our active Community and careers outcomes. Now, degree apprentices can achieve exactly the same qualifications with meaningful work experience and without debt.

A Multiverse Degree will have the prestige and rigour of a traditional education with all the benefits of an apprenticeship: applied learning, personalised coaching, a paid job and no debt. Our world-class education takes place in the real world, not just in the classroom. 8000 apprentices have been on our programmes, and unlocked the doors to outstanding careers, promotions and pay rises can attest to that.

This is great news for those at the start of their career. Young people turning 18 have been faced with an artificial choice between getting a degree - still a prerequisite for many jobs - or starting a career and learning while they work and earn. Now, they can do both. A salary will replace the debt. A high quality job will replace the risk of being unprepared for the modern workplace.

Applied Degrees

The Multiverse offer is an Applied Degree. It will be taught and tested through personalised coaching and immediate application in the workplace, not theoretical lectures and outdated exams. Unlike a traditional academic degree it will signify what you can do, not just what you know.

Our degrees will offer training in areas that are fuelling today’s economy: like data and tech. The proof is in the impact: our tech and computing programmes, for example, have higher employability than computer science degrees. These Degree Awarding Powers will enable us to take this even further. We’re starting with two programmes this year: the Advanced Data Fellowship and Technology Consulting.

We believe that there should be no barriers for talented people to enter the workplace. Far too often, the existing education system is creating barriers, not breaking them down.

Creating opportunities

In degree apprenticeships at universities, just 12% of those aged 19-24 are from the most deprived areas. Among under 19s, degree apprentices are more than five times more likely to come from the most advantaged neighbourhoods.

We will create opportunities for those that are currently disadvantaged through this system. Of the apprentices we currently place, more than a third meet one or more indicators of socio-economic disadvantage. 52% are women, 23% are Asian ethnicity and 21% are Black. 28% are disabled or have additional support needs.

Multiverse has had an extraordinary 12 months. In August, our first Ofsted inspection saw us receive ‘Outstanding’ in every category, making us the only provider of our size and sector that can claim this accolade. As the inspectors put it: “Apprentices are inspired to have high aspirations by exceptional coaches who are experts in their field.”

We’re also building our unique, world-class model to continue to scale: raising two record breaking rounds of investment. In September, we announced a $130m Series C. And in June, we announced a $220 Series D - making us the UK’s first EdTech unicorn.

Big problems need big solutions - and Multiverse is at the forefront of reinventing the systems of education and work with diversity, equity and inclusion at their heart. Having these powers will give us the flexibility to continue to reimagine what education can be. Our admissions system will test for potential. Our assessment will mirror real-world work demands, not the exam room. And we’ll give learners a route to a debt-free degree: in fact, apprentices will earn while they learn.

Young people have been faced with an artificial trade-off between getting a degree or starting a career and immediately learning real-world skills. Now they can do both. We have a vision for Applied Degrees that allow people to obtain a quality education - but where a salary replaces debt. A high quality job from the start replaces the risk of being unprepared for the modern workplace by the time they graduate. And applied learning and personalised coaching replaces theoretical lectures and outdated exams.

Our degrees will offer training in the areas fuelling today’s economy: like data and tech. Already, our tech and computing programmes have higher employability than computer science degrees. Multiverse’s degree awarding powers enable us to take this even further.

Elisabeth Barrett, VP Learning

By closing $220m of Series D funding, Multiverse is now valued at $1.7 billion – double what we were worth just eight months ago.

The latest round of funding was co-led by StepStone Group, Lightspeed Venture Partners and General Catalyst. We’re also delighted to welcome Founders Circle Capital as a new investor, alongside returning investors like Audacious Ventures, BOND, D1 Capital Partners, GV, and Index Ventures. This combination of new and returning investment is an endorsement of the work we’re doing, the progress we’ve made, and our scope for even greater impact.

With the funding round complete, now is the time for action. Our record-breaking investment will be put to work expanding our suite of learning programs and opening even more doors for a new generation of future leaders. It will also help us accelerate our growth in the US. Here, we’re committed to tackling the toughest challenges facing those who seek jobs – and those who provide them.

Matching demand with untapped supply

For a country known for its educational institutions, it’s perhaps surprising that two-thirds of Americans don’t have a degree – despite 65% of jobs requiring either a Bachelor’s degree or at least some college. It’s a disconnect that disproportionately excludes Black and Hispanic Americans.

That’s one challenge. Another is the struggle across all sectors to hire and retain tech talent. By providing an alternative, more equitable, route to training and hiring workers, we can solve both. Our professional apprenticeships unlock tech careers for more individuals while training workers in the jobs our modern economy desperately needs.

Multiverse apprenticeships offer tuition-free programs in areas like software engineering, digital marketing and data analysis. Typically lasting 12-15 months, their unique combination of on-the-job training and education helps individuals kick-start their career or enter an entirely new field – all while earning a competitive salary.

The demand is clearly there. In the past year our software engineering program has seen a 260% increase in enrolments, while maintaining a completion rate of 85%.

We’re also making greater inroads into the financial services industry, another sector previously out of bounds for the majority of the US population. Over the past year, we’ve grown our number of partners by 105%. Together, we’re closing digital skills gaps while opening up rewarding, fulfilling careers for those without costly degrees.

Capping a year of unprecedented growth

Our new funding will allow us to open up more career paths than ever. We’re building from a position of strength too.

Since 2020, we’ve grown nine times in size and now train professional apprentices with over 500 organizations globally, including Verizon, Cisco, Visa, and Box in the US.

Of the apprentices we’ve placed, 56% are people of color, more than half are women, and 34% hail from economically underserved communities.

At Multiverse, our mission is to create a diverse group of future leaders. So we focus on tracking apprentice outcomes – and the findings are extremely positive. 68% of our apprentices are promoted either during their program or at its conclusion. On top of this, 90% find permanent employment, either at their employer or within their industry.

Adding expertise to our Board

Our Series D isn’t the only exciting news of the moment. We’re also proud to announce that the esteemed Youngme Moon has joined our Board of Directors as our first external appointment.

Youngme is the Donald K David Professor at Harvard Business School and a big believer in apprenticeships: “Widening access to great careers is one of the most urgent issues of our time, and essential to solving both the war for talent, and the inequities of the current labor market. I’m truly excited about the potential of tech apprenticeships, and the system we can build through them.”

Armed with our new funding, we’ll now embark on this journey together. Working confidently towards our mission of creating a diverse group of future leaders through the power of professional apprenticeships.

At Multiverse, we’re driven to solve some of the most important issues facing society. We’re bridging the opportunity gap and ensuring companies can access the most diverse, talented individuals with the digital skills needed to drive their growth. Our $130 million Series C not only proves that this is a mission worth getting behind, it ensures we are well set up with the resources and capacity to continue doing extraordinary things.

This new funding will enable us to continue to drive their growth and adoption across the US and UK: ensuring that we’re reaching talented individuals from a range of backgrounds, while working with the top companies - and delivering outstanding education.

This mission is global. Just this month we opened our US Headquarters in New York, allowing our growing US team to meet and work together for the first time since the pandemic began.

Turbo-charging the outstanding alternative to university and corporate training

We’re proud to be a company going through hypergrowth - growing nearly 4x in 1 year, to build a community of over 5,000 apprentices and alumni. We now take more new apprentices than Harvard takes freshmen, and we’re continuing to get much bigger.

Within six months of launch in the US, we've begun training professional apprentices with organisations including Google, ClassPass and Adyen.

Working with incredible, forward-thinking organisations like these enables us to give our apprenticeships the best possible starts in their careers, at the very best companies.

But it also means we’re helping businesses address some of their most pressing challenges. A shortage of data skills, for example, is costing businesses on average 10% of their revenues. Professional apprenticeships offer a solution to closing that skills gap: by equipping existing and new staff with the right skills for their job.

Incredible impact at scale

We know that talent is everywhere, but companies can only access the very best if they reach beyond traditional sources. As we grow geographically, across the US and UK, we have the opportunity to reach even more talented individuals from every part of society.

We're committed to widening access to apprenticeships for individuals currently underrepresented in the sectors we work with. Reaching these individuals is at the core of our mission, delivered through innovative outreach programmes, and our bespoke matching platform. As a result of our efforts, 53% of apprentices placed in their roles by Multiverse are people of colour and 36% are from economically disadvantaged communities.

What’s just as exciting is improvements in the quality and breadth of the applied learning experience our apprentices enjoy.

Our apprenticeships were recently given the seal of approval from England’s education inspector, Ofsted, who judged us to be an ‘Outstanding’ provider - the highest ranking available.

As the inspectors put it in their final report:

“From apprentices’ very first interaction with staff at Multiverse, they are welcomed into a kind and inclusive environment. Apprentices are inspired to have high aspirations by exceptional coaches who are experts in their field"

It’s this exceptional coaching that meant - this year - our apprenticeships had a 100% pass rate.

And we know that high quality education is about more than what happens in the classroom. We’re developing a community experience that replicates and rivals the best of university - including socials, mentoring, leadership opportunities, and inspiring speakers.

Not only will we maintain and improve the quality of our teaching, we’re also expanding the range of programmes we offer. This year, we launched an innovative program that enables apprentices to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Data Analytics and Data Science alongside their roles.

Tackling society’s biggest challenges

At Multiverse, we’re on this mission because we believe professional apprenticeships can tackle the biggest challenges facing society today.

Whether it’s race, gender, geography or socio-economic background, too many people face significant barriers to a great education, great opportunities and great careers.

At the same time digital transformation has put fresh pressure on the lack of skills, particular in digital, tech and leadership.

Relying on the one-size fits all approach of university, the 4 year college degree, topped up by sporadic corporate training, won’t solve the problem.

We have some of the world’s best investors backing us to change the system.

Our Series C was led by D1 Capital Partners and BOND. D1 Capital Partners has invested in world-changing companies like Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix. The team at BOND are renowned for their insights on future trends and shrewd investments in companies like PayPal, Google, and Apple.

Our ambitions are just as vast: professional apprenticeships offer a one-off chance to distribute opportunities based on talent, character and grit, while preparing people for the changing world of work.

They are simply the best way to equip people with the skills that employers need today - and we’re just getting started.

To learn more about professional apprenticeships as a solution to broadening access to opportunities and deepening digital skills, join us at 9am PT | 12pm ET | 5pm BST on 26th October to hear from one of our investors - Nakul Mandan, previously Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and now, founder of Audacious Ventures.

Register here >