{"id":2382,"date":"2017-03-09T02:00:23","date_gmt":"2017-03-09T02:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chief-exec.com\/?p=2382"},"modified":"2017-03-30T13:56:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-30T13:56:11","slug":"major-rise-in-degree-apprenticeships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chief-exec.com\/?p=2382","title":{"rendered":"Major rise in degree apprenticeships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands more opt for university apprenticeship courses but it is important that quality is not sacrificed in a rush to expand them further, Aban Contractor<\/em> writes.<\/span><\/h4>\n

The number of people opting for degree apprenticeships (DAs) in England has risen 658 per cent \u2013 from 640 in 2015-16 to 4,850 in 2017-18, according to a report to be published today.<\/p>\n

Degree apprenticeships: realising opportunities<\/em><\/a>, compiled by Universities UK (UUK), is based on a survey of 66 universities. Just over 90 per cent of respondents said they were actively involved in DAs with a range of employers, including Mercedes-Benz, Nestl\u00e9, IBM, Airbus and Transport for London.<\/p>\n

First introduced in 2015, DAs allow apprentices to split their time between university study and the workplace and, as with other apprenticeships, course fees are shared between government and employers \u2013 not paid by the student.<\/p>\n

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Credit: EngineeringUK<\/p><\/div>\n

However, Chief-Exec.com<\/a><\/em> was told late last year that government plans to provide up to 1,000 nursing degree apprenticeships a year will cost NHS trusts in England about \u00a3200 million annually.<\/p>\n

A Department of Health spokesman said then that each trust would help fund the Nursing DAs programme through the Government\u2019s new apprenticeship levy scheme \u2013 applied equally to public and private sector organisations \u2013 that comes into effect in April. The trusts would then be expected to contribute 0.5 per cent of pay bill.<\/p>\n

UUK said yesterday that DAs addressed key skills shortages, with chartered management, digital and technology solutions, and engineering representing the top three subject areas.<\/p>\n

Chief executive of EngineeringUK, Paul Jackson, told Chief-Exec.com<\/em> that engineering is a growth industry that has the potential to continue to drive the UK economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the industry is at a tipping point. The greatest need for apprenticeships in engineering is at level 3 and above, and with projections pointing to an annual shortfall of at least 20,000 engineers it\u2019s encouraging to see that engineering features in the top three most popular degree apprenticeships,\u201d he said last night.<\/p>\n

\u201cEngland has seen the highest number of engineering apprenticeship starts for 10 years and degree apprenticeships should help boost this number even further. The apprenticeship levy could create a perfect storm for diversifying the talent pool and driving up the number and profile of apprenticeships in engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n

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England has seen the highest number of engineering apprenticeship starts for 10 years and degree apprenticeships should help boost this number even further.<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

University and College Union (UCU) general secretary, Sally Hunt said it was encouraging to see from the report that so many universities were already working with employers to deliver degree apprenticeships, but it was important that quality was not sacrificed in a rush to expand them further.<\/p>\n

\u201cUCU and others have raised concerns about some employer-led apprenticeship standards being narrowly drawn, so it\u2019s vital that educators have a voice in developing new standards and qualifications,\u201d she said yesterday.<\/p>\n

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Credit: EngineeringUK<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cUniversities must also support staff to ensure that workloads are not increased further as a result of growing the number of these qualifications.\u201d<\/p>\n

Universities UK said DAs provided opportunities for people who might not have considered university \u2013 including part-time and older students whose numbers had dropped drastically in recent years.<\/p>\n

Universities were also asked to list the benefits and challenges of delivering degree apprenticeships. The fact student fees were paid and employers\u2019 skills needs more closely met were listed as benefits. However, there were concerns about the continuing lack of awareness among some employers and the public about DAs.<\/p>\n

President of UUK and vice-chancellor of the University of Kent, Dame Julia Goodfellow, said universities constantly strove to be flexible in the types of qualifications they offered to meet the needs of students and employers.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people feel they have been left behind in the drive to increase higher level skills in recent years. Degree apprenticeships are an excellent way to get to these harder-to-reach groups while, at the same time, ensuring that what we deliver on campus meets the needs of students, the local area and its employers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe report shows that there is still a long way to go in communicating to students and employers how degree apprenticeships work and the mutual benefits. We would urge the government to work with us to do more here as part of its industrial strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe artificial dividing line between academic and vocational education is gradually disappearing. Degree apprenticeships build on the work that universities already do to deliver skills that employers need.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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