Degree Apprenticeships in the UK have grown significantly in recent years and have attracted increased interest from students and employers alike (see Nawaz et al., 2022; Rowe et al., 2016).
While many universities are keen to grow their degree apprenticeship provision, according to a 2023 briefing, only 10% of undergraduate entrants to degree apprenticeships study at Russell Group universities (Russell Group, 2023). Given that students who enrol in degree apprenticeship programs are more likely to have work experience and come from non-traditional academic backgrounds, there is an increased need to adapt to how their learning is facilitated at these universities (Abrassart & Wolter, 2020; Furlong et al., 2017) and consider how higher educational providers can support students in skills development (Edge Foundation, 2023).
This article includes reflections and insights from a qualitative study exploring support and skill development across degree programs. We conducted three focus groups that matched students (n=26) across academic level and study focus. Each focus group consisted of students enrolled on degree apprenticeship and non-degree apprenticeship programs at the same Russell Group university (level 6 management, level 7 management, and level 7 human resources). Note that for the purpose of this discussion, all students who are not on a degree apprenticeship will be referred to as being enrolled in a ‘traditional’ program, with the acknowledgement that this captures a range of experience including internships, study abroad or even part-time learners. In comparing these two groups of students (degree apprenticeship and traditional degree), this research brings attention to a divergence in academic and employability skills, as well as a nuanced student identity, and a call to facilitate learning communities that build on the diversity of skills and experiences.
Academic and employability skills
Having working students on degree apprenticeship programs means that they bring advanced skills into the higher education environment (Abrassart & Wolter, 2020; Furlong et al., 2017). Many of the focus group apprenticeship students were leading and managing teams, meaning that what they learned about influencing, time management and communication skills could be strengthened through work experience. These skills are shown and expanded upon in the “Competencies across Management and Human Resources Disciplines” infographic below. Communication skill development was supported through peer and experiential learning, as apprentices could apply peer learning directly into the work environment. As one Level 6 Degree Apprentice in Management said,
Communication is one of our strengths… because, I feel like we’re working together to communicate our ideas and our understandings to each other. It enables us to see different perspectives of what we’re learning and then use that in our day-to-day lives at work.
It appears that this mixed peer and experiential learning could be very empowering for students, but as Degree Apprenticeships are still in their nascence, this reflection needs empirical backing. Students in traditional programs discussed employability development as well, but shared concerns about how lacking experience (or perhaps the assumption that experience was lacking amongst them) affected their learning.
I found it was a lot of theory and not a lot of like asking if anyone had had experience of that, or talking about kind of the experience people had had in the workplace and perhaps that is because some people have come straight from degrees and don’t have the experience [traditional degree student in a level 7 human resources program]
While those on degree apprenticeship programs may have this experience as well as employability skills, as one degree apprentice pointed out, this does not mean that they necessarily have all the academic skills that they need,
And I think it is an interesting sort of paradox that you know we are in a working environment. You would assume we have the skill that is necessary to be in that workplace. However, I think what we’re saying is we have the skills for our roles, but what we’re not getting is necessarily the skills that we need to study, because they are quite different things [degree apprentice in a level 7 human resources program].
Indeed, degree apprenticeship students across all the groups shared the challenge of gaining academic skills. Initial orientation to IT systems and navigating academic expectations and university resources appeared to be noteworthy challenges. As one student said,
So, one of our assignments for examples is a narrated PowerPoint… but we haven’t had any exposure to how to prepare or go about and erase a PowerPoint and how that might be different from what we normally would do in an academic context and referencing that sort of thing [degree apprentice in a level 7 human management program].
What is notable but perhaps not surprising, is that the skills degree apprentices felt they were lacking, were a strength identified by traditional students,
And one of the things I would say I learned… was how presentations work both in an academic situation … and then in a formal situation where it’s slightly different [in the workplace] [student in a level 6 management program, traditional degree].
These quotes highlight a pattern that emerged in the discussions, where something that was a strength for those on a degree apprenticeship programs was a development area for those on traditional degree programs and vice versa.
Student identity
Being in a career is not a clean category exclusive to degree apprenticeship students. Even in this small focus group a handful of the traditional degree students had returned to education while working, which created a point of discussion. Some students pointed out that they had developed careers, were working towards promotions, and applying theory to practice, all while studying traditional programs.
I think for me, any competencies I have kind of developed before joining the MBA have very much kind of been on the job, kind of by accident and then reflecting on those as I’ve gone along. But one thing I think the MBA has done really well at is giving us lots of opportunities in lots of different settings to work on those things [student in a level 7 management program, traditional degree].
This feeling of not fitting into a category was also present for some of the degree apprenticeship students. One aspect highlighted was also a mis-belonging that degree apprenticeship students expressed related to feeling like a student. This included references to the number of years out of education and how systems have changed. For instance, the example below highlights the challenge that this can bring:
And we’re trying to be recognised as scholars but not having the same level of support to be scholars because it has been so long [degree apprentice in a level 7 management program].
One of the most striking aspects of this growing landscape is how students navigate their identity between being a student and an employee. For those engaged in degree apprenticeships, the lines between their roles as employees and students often blur, creating a complex identity.
Recommendations
A take home message from our focus groups is an awareness of the opportunities that there are between apprenticeship and traditional degree programs for collaboration that build on the unique skills that different types of students bring to the table. The diversity of experiences, perspectives, and talents among students is an invaluable learning resource. The students voiced this sentiment themselves, with desires to build networks. For instance, a level 6 management student in a traditional degree program shared,
If there was a way to strengthen the ability to practise communication at depth, or reflect with a trusted group, self-development within the emotional quotient space.
This was supported by the focus groups, with students in both degree apprenticeship and traditional programs suggesting there were valuable opportunities to learn from one another. For example, through sharing experiences from the workplace with those who do not have the work experience.
Importantly, the student also had shared topics of interest, where they wanted to go deeper into discussions to develop a specialist expertise. Topics that came up were in relation to specific employability and academic skills. For instance, a degree apprenticeship student in a level 7 management program stated,
Sustainable finance is massive. It’s a really, really big agenda item for a lot of organisations. And I work in the finance industry and a lot of my clients are talking about it and it’s something that I would absolutely want to be able to have kind of a very informed intellectual conversation with him rather than kind of not being able to provide any value add.
By fostering informal mentorship opportunities and creating new communities that facilitate collaboration, students would have new opportunities to collaborate and explore the learning that these new skills bring.
Final thoughts
For universities seeking to grow their degree apprenticeship provision, this is an exciting space to be working within and we are looking forward to watching this space grow. With the changing landscape of higher education, the complex identities of students, and the added skills we are seeing in our student population, there is a need to rethink how we approach education. Through embracing opportunities for student-led collaborations and support, we think we could empower students to learn well as create a feeling of belonging.
The Edge Foundation are exploring the experiences of Degree Apprenticeships further and the findings of the research will be published in early 2024.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the University of Exeter Faculty of Environment Science and Economy for the Education and Pedagogy Research and Innovation Fund that supported this research. We would also like to thank the contributions of Professor Rachael Johnstone, Nicky Thomas, Dr Will Stahl-Timmins, Morin Akeredolu-Ale, Victoria O'Sullivan, Sarah Tudor and Karen Squire.
