The Edge Foundation Research Team held a session at the UVAC conference in Manchester on the 23rd November 2022. The session delivered the early findings of the Degree Apprenticeship (DA) research, a large scale research project in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Oxford, University of Huddersfield and the University of Bath.
The project explores stakeholders’ perspectives of degree apprenticeships, including large employers, SMEs, apprentice providers and policy makers. It aims to gather deeper insight into:
- How degree apprenticeships are working in practice amongst various stakeholders; their motivations for engaging with DAs, and the challenges and opportunities moving forward;
- The extent to which DAs are widening participation into higher learning; and
- Whether or not DAs are helping meet challenges in relation to skills shortages and the needs of the economy.
During the session we posed three scenarios to the audience to capture insights and recommendations on the challenges that the study has found so far. Each scenario elicited constructive responses and potential ideas to solve these challenges.
Apprentice Scenario: How can we improve degree apprentices’ sense of belonging to their university and help them build more meaningful relationships with peers and staff?
Responses:
- Providers should continuously keep generating integration activities between peers throughout apprentices’ journeys, beyond the intro week inductions
- For example, providers might explore opportunities for residential and summer schools
- It is important for employers to tap into and help foster communities for apprentices, whether these are existing employer communities and digital spaces and forums
- It was important to remember the local context of apprentices, and social events in local areas were important.
- Providers and employers should set realistic expectations of apprenticeship experiences, and each learner has a different way of learning and different personality
Employer scenario: How could employers and universities co-ordinate their enrolment and hiring requirements better?
Responses:
- Highly variable enrolment times are disruptive for universities and difficult to plan for
- Employment doesn’t need to start the same time as the apprenticeship. Earlier starts to employment would also mean apprentices have more experience in the workplace before starting their apprenticeship.
SME/Employer Scenario: How can learning content better fit the requirements of the workplace, particularly taking in the needs of SMEs?
Responses:
- Curriculum design should involve SMEs. This might include a consortium approach and/or peer to peer discussions between employer stakeholders to learn from each other
- Apprenticeship standards might not be the best fit considering Levy incentives on SMEs. Universities may have alternative and more suitable ways in which they can support SMEs
- A joined-up approach is needed to elevate SME voices
- There could be opportunities to integrate SMEs through the supply chains of large employers.
We are very grateful for the input we received at this session and we look forward to sharing our full report. We will be publishing a report on this research in early 2023. Subscribe to our newsletter here to be the first to hear about our research.
