- Increasing the number of universities offering degree
apprenticeships will help more employers address skills
shortages, create opportunities for learners and widen talent
pool for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Simplifying and streamlining regulation will help encourage
growth and ensure investment and the best use of resources.
- Better collaboration between SMEs, universities and
government will promote the value of degree apprenticeships to
potential apprentices and employers.
Business leaders, vice-chancellors and political stakeholders
came together today at Universities UK’s (UUK) Degree
apprenticeships and higher technical education conference, to
discuss the benefits of degree apprenticeships. The one-day
conference aimed to highlight the importance of degree
apprenticeships and the role they can play in developing new
skills to boost economic growth.
Offering the ideal combination of paid work and learning
practical skills, degree apprenticeships give students the
opportunity to ‘earn while they learn’. Under the current system,
however, growth is being held back due to issues like complex
regulation and a lack of awareness.
During the conference, UUK, which represents 140 universities
across the UK, also revealed its 10-point plan for degree
apprenticeships, which aims to lay the foundation for future
growth. The strategy is calling for the foundations for future
growth to include reviewing and simplifying regulation and
ensuring more universities and employers are engaged in order to
widen talent pools.
One area for improvement is the number of institutions involved
in the scheme. Initially set up in 2015 under the government’s
plans to bring together the best of higher and vocational
education, degree apprenticeships have been well received by
universities however the overall numbers of students taking them
remains small compared to the potential opportunities that could
be available to learners.
With around 100 institutions now offering degree apprenticeships
there is growing interest, but many higher education providers
from across England are yet to get involved. UCAS data found that
there has been a 22% increase in the number of apprenticeship
views on Career Finder, proving more young people are looking for
apprenticeship opportunities than ever before.
Through its 10-point plan, UUK is calling for more to be done to
support universities delivering degree apprenticeships and to
encourage more universities to take the programme onboard, by
re-opening the register of degree apprenticeship providers and
encouraging all universities to take this first step to
delivering degree apprenticeships.
Currently, sectors offering degree apprenticeships, include
business and administration, health, digital, engineering and
manufacturing. With a stronger partnership between the Institute for Apprenticeships
& Technical Education (IfATE), government, universities,
and employers, degree apprenticeships can be developed in
sectors that have yet to recruit them. A recent survey by
IfATE exploring the
experience of apprentices at SMEs found that 64% of apprentices
working in an SME were positive about how successfully their
employers and training providers worked together.
There are major skills shortages in England especially in fast
changing sectors such as tech and finance, and with the
advancement of AI, there is a greater demand for these
specialised skills from employers. Degree apprenticeships are
already playing a pivotal role in filling the skills shortage,
building on this success by getting more universities and SMEs
involved could be a major boost to the government’s levelling up
agenda.
Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education
said: “I have two
favourite words: ‘degree’ and ‘apprenticeship’ and it’s really
great to see universities and businesses coming together to
discuss how we can grow these fantastic qualifications.
“We’re backing degree apprenticeships with an additional £8
million of funding this academic year because the opportunity to
earn a salary and get practical experience while studying for a
university degree is a game-changer, opening up higher education
and extending the ladder of opportunity to the less advantaged.”
Vivienne Stern MBE, CEO of Universities UK said:
“Degree apprenticeships have proven to be successful due to their
joint development between employers and universities and the fact
they enable students to learn while they earn. With further
collaboration between the government, the higher education sector
and employers, degree apprenticeships could be developed further
and can play a key role in plugging the skills gap in the UK.
Through our 10-point plan we hope to highlight ways in which this
already successful programme can be improved upon, ensuring
future success and growth.”
