Apprenticeships: Opportunities to access higher education and gain skills for life
We can inspire more people into apprenticeships by working closely with employers, and provide qualifications to those looking for new opportunities or career progression.
What does the word apprenticeships mean to you? Brick layer? Hairdresser? Or a chance for individuals to earn while they undertake degrees at foundation, bachelors or masters level, paid for by their employer through the Apprenticeship Levy. Apprenticeships are all of those things! The National Apprenticeship Week 2023 #NAW2023 is an opportunity for apprentices, their employers and training providers to celebrate all things apprenticeships.
Through the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE), trailblazer groups made up of likeminded employers and training providers devise occupational standards for skilled occupations at levels 2 -7. These range from Bookbinder and Florist (level 2) through to Nuclear Scientist (level 6), Senior Journalist (level 7) and even Medical Doctor (level 7).
Higher and degree apprenticeship programmes open up higher education to those who may not have had the opportunity to undertake a degree before, had a bad educational experience in the past or allows others to return to education to upskill during their career.
How can we deliver higher and degree apprenticeships?
Here at the University of Leeds we work in partnership with a wide spectrum of employers, from GP practices and small start-ups, through to large NHS Trusts and multi-national organisations, to deliver higher and degree apprenticeship provision at levels 5–7. We train new talent or upskill existing talent within organisations in the healthcare, digital and leadership and management sectors, supporting organisations to address their skills gaps. Excitingly, we are about to launch a new level 7 programme — MSc Geotechnical Engineering (Degree Apprenticeship) — our first in the engineering sector delivered by the School of Earth and Environment.
Our modest apprenticeship provision, delivered across four schools (Healthcare, Computing, Business and the Lifelong Learning Centre) with over 135 employers, is an important part of our wider student education offering. Our recent Ofsted Inspection highlighted that ‘apprentices acquire significant new knowledge, skills and behaviours throughout their apprenticeship and learn the specialist skills required for their roles’ and the University ‘work collaboratively with employers to provide ambitious programmes that address employer demand for professional and higher skilled employees’.
Every apprentice goes through a different journey
Our apprentices are inspiring individuals ranging from 18–60 years old, all with their own personal journeys and reasons for undertaking higher and degree apprenticeship programmes. Read the apprenticeship stories of Angie Arnott (Chartered Manager apprentice) and Mark Llewellyn (Executive Leader apprentice). We are incredibly proud of all our apprentices, including our apprentices in the healthcare sector who continued with their training while working throughout the pandemic. In addition, Shamita Datta and Ranjodh Bains, apprentices on the Computer Science (Digital & Technology Solutions) programme we deliver in partnership with PwC. Sham was a finalist for Young Star award in the Women of the Future Programme awards 2022 and Ranjodh won Degree Apprentice of the Year in the Yorkshire and Humber region in the National Apprenticeship Awards 2022 and finalist at the Multicultural Apprenticeship Awards 2022.
Our apprentices are inspiring individuals ranging from 18–60 years old, all with their own personal journeys and reasons for undertaking higher and degree apprenticeship programmes.
The work of schools to redefine our educational offering through Curriculum Redefined provides a wonderful opportunity for educators to explore higher and degree apprenticeship opportunities within their disciplines. Fostering partnerships with a wide variety of organisations can also bring benefits to wider teaching and research activity.
The Learning Enhancement Team are here to support schools in understanding the apprenticeship landscape, how apprenticeships work and supporting colleagues through programme design, delivery and review. We also help employers understand how they can access apprenticeships and how then can work with us to develop their own staff.
If you would like to understand more about apprenticeship programme opportunities within your disciple or if you already work with organisations who might want to learn more about apprenticeships and/or send their employees on one of our apprenticeships programmes, please do get in touch, Learning Enhancement Team (apprenticeships@leeds.ac.uk).
Dr Izzy Whitehouse, Head of Learning Enhancement
