Degree Apprenticeships – a relatively new development in higher education – are a combined package of work and study, with the apprentice being both employee and student. These courses enable the development of high-level skills, providing an alternative route to a degree and a career. In fact, Gov.uk (2016) states that ‘employers in England rate qualified higher apprentices as 25% more employable that those who took an alternative route into work.’
But all the current debate about University fees, a life time of possible debt, and often poor graduate opportunities for the newly qualified – has meant that the pros and cons of higher and degree apprenticeships versus traditional degrees is currently a hot topic of discussion and a decision that both employers and parents are contemplating.
In April 2017 the apprenticeship levy was launched, enabling organisations to support employees during their studies. They spend at least 30 hours a week at work, and the rest of the time studying – with their employer paying for them to ‘earn and learn’.
Employers have the ability through this mechanism to attract and retain new talent, particularly school leavers, who are keen to capitalise on an opportunity to gain a university qualification without the debt whilst gaining valuable work experience.
But Degree Apprenticeships aren’t just for members of staff at entry level. They are also suitable for existing employees who are looking to upskill and progress within their organisation. Employers can use the levy to identify existing employees who have a track record of good performance with the organisation and will benefit from further development.
They can be existing supervisors, team leaders or first level managers that through appraisal and ongoing performance management have been identified as potential for career development and further progression within the organisation. The students can be managers in organisations who did not get a degree at the age of 18 -20 through either aspiration or opportunity.
This is an innovative approach to learning and development. Not only will apprentices have this opportunity to study, they will also be employed by the organisation and paid a salary throughout their programme of study. So students are able to gain a degree without debt and enjoying a head start in their career.
It’s still early days for the scheme, and for universities, there is need to ensure academic robustness, that the qualification is fit for purpose, and it leads to development of the correct work based skills for all students. There is also need for a discussion around the potential issue of survival of our traditional programmes and the sustainability of our standard degree and postgraduate programmes.
On the other side, there remains perception issues around the word ‘apprenticeship’. A Degree Apprenticeship is a university degree, but very often, the word ‘apprentice’ conjures up images of a hesitant 16 year-old working towards a level 2 qualification with an often indifferent training provider. Much needs to be done to change this image amongst both employers and potential apprentices.
Having said all that, my experience with corporate clients over the past eighteen months is that there is very much an appetite for these apprenticeship qualifications, and the paid levy is encouraging apprenticeships at levels 5, 6 and 7.
At Northampton, all our degree level apprenticeship programmes are validated and approved by rigorous quality checks before we are able to deliver these programmes. These qualifications will be dual awarded by the University and the Chartered Management Institute. This is the beauty of apprenticeships; not only the BA Hons Management but a CMDA Chartered Management Degree will be awarded.
Degree Apprenticeships combine both a University education with a vocational qualification which encompasses occupational skills and behaviours with academic learning using our standard degree template, plus end point professional assessment validated by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
My colleague Hayley Henderson and I recently presented to the Quality Approval Board the higher degree and degree apprenticeships based upon the Foundation Degree and BA Hons in Management. These were approved as our ‘Active Blended Learning’ approach to teaching is fit for purpose for these programmes and the contextualising of subject matter to organisations is something that our talented team of lecturers with extensive work experience are adept at.
Lydia Selby, Senior Lecturer of Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour at The University of Northampton. Co-author Hayley Henderson, MBA Programme Leader.