The rise of Degree Apprenticeships

In 2022-23, 42,060 people began Higher-level Apprenticeships in various fields, from policing and social work to sales and retail. That number is dwarfed by the 560,000 accepted on to traditional degree courses. However, Universities Minister Robert Halfon, wants Degree Apprentices to make up half of all university-enrolled learners in the future, and Ucas is to display them alongside degree courses from next year. Currently, about 100 universities offer such apprenticeships. Greg Wade, policy manager for UUK, said, “Degree Apprenticeships are in a good place. More universities are engaging, we’ve seen more employer demand and increased recognition of their value among policymakers. We see this as an opportunity to assess the barriers, ask what would encourage institutions to deliver Apprenticeships and then reflect that back to ministers.”

Don't underestimate the earning power of technical qualifications

A review of post-18 education and funding showed that only 66% of graduates were in high-skilled employment in 2019 and we have a smaller proportion of people with higher-level technical qualifications in this country compared to competitors like Germany and Canada, for example. Research shows that in the UK men with a higher technical (level 4) qualification earn on average £5,100 more at age 30 than those with a degree (level 6). For women achieving a higher technical (level 5) qualification, the difference is £2,700. [ source DfE ]

Extra funding for Apprenticeships

Employers are being invited to apply for cash incentives to help them take on new apprentices and get more people into work, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, Gillian Keegan has announced. As part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs, employers are being offered £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire, aged under 25, and £1,500 for each newly recruited apprentice aged 25 and over. This includes taking on an apprentice who has been made redundant.

More details of 'T levels' released

UCAS has announced how T levels are to be graded. T-levels contain a mixture of classroom learning and ‘on-the-job’ experience, including a placement in the workplace of at least 315 hours. Candidates will be awarded one of four overall grades, ranging from Distinction* to a Pass. They will also get a nationally recognised certificate which will show their overall grade and a breakdown of what they have achieved across the T-level programme.

Apprenticeship opportunities at Ferrari and Amazon

Ferrari has announced that all twelve of the UK’s official Ferrari Dealers will be holding an “Open Day” at their aftersales facilities to showcase Apprenticeships opportunities. Each Dealer will be inviting students from selected local schools to visit the workshop and learn about Ferrari technology and potential job opportunities. Candidates will need at least 5 GCSEs. The following roles are available: 

Service Technician – 3 year Apprenticeship

Service Adviser – 2 year Apprenticeship
Parts Adviser – 2 year Apprenticeship.

Amazon has announced plans to create over 1,000 Apprenticeships over the next two years. Nine different programmes, lasting between 13 months and four years will be on offer, ranging from IT, safety and HR through to software engineering, robotics, leadership and technology. Over 90 new Amazon Bachelors and Masters degree-level Apprentices will also be available, focused on software development engineering, senior leadership and automation.

More about Degree Apprenticeships

Degree Apprenticeships are set to revolutionise Higher Education as a credible alternative to a "straight" Bachelor's Degree. What's the difference? Well you get your fully accredited Bachelor's Degree over your (typically) four year course but also get your professional accreditation in, law, accountancy, management, &c as well. The more expensive alternative is to go the traditional degree route and add your professional accreditation on afterwards as a post-graduate course (with the further student debt that goes with it). Oh, and your tuition is free and you earn £15-30k annual salary (with holiday and sick pay) as you go! And if that wasn't enough to convince you, you are much more employable at the end of it because you've got the relevant work experience employers crave. Is there a down-side? Well expect the courses to be competitive, you may well need higher 'A' level grades than the equivalent "straight" degree to get on the course. But if you've got an ongoing salary and pretty much guaranteed job (as opposed to an estimated £67k debt) at the end of it, it's surely worth it!

Find out more from this video.

See what opportunities our out there from the UCAS website here.

Degree Apprenticeships at Herts Uni

The University of Hertfordshire is currently advertising Degree Level Apprenticeships in Business Admin and IT at Vauxhall and Software Engineering at Sagoss Ltd. The fifteen Business Administration and I.T. Apprenticeship opportunities will be based at Vauxhall in Luton and will combine degree level academic study at the University of Hertfordshire with job-related learning and experience within the car-manufacturing industry. Find out more here.

Degree Apprenticeships: a success story

A report by Universities UK (UUK) says that England is 'on the verge of a significant success story' in Degree Apprenticeships, with 'at least 60 universities and other Higher Education institutions currently implementing, or planning to implement, Degree Apprenticeships'. The report says that most growth is in 'chartered manager, digital and technology, and engineer related Apprenticeships', with major employers, such as Mercedes Benz, Nestle, IBM and Airbus already offering them.

National Apprenticeship Week 2017

There are lots of videos on You Tube from a wide range of employers and government organisations explaining the advantages of taking an Apprenticeship course, including a very colourful guide from vlogger Megan Jane!

• This clip explains Apprenticeships in 30 seconds.

• This clip tells you more about how they work.

• This three and a half minute clip explains how to apply.

• This link takes you to a collection from the government website.

If you want to learn more, use the links on the left hand side of this page or look at the information on local Apprenticeship opportunities on the Youth Connexions website.

Get in, go far ...

Nursing Apprenticeships announced

The launch of a new nursing degree apprenticeship has been announced by Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, with the first apprentice nurses possibly working on wards from September. The government said that once the programme is established, up to 1000 apprentice nurses could join the NHS each year. Aspiring nurses will start the Apprenticeship at different stages, depending on their qualifications and experience, though the course will not require GCSE English and Maths. Before they start training, Apprentices will have their numeracy and literacy skills assessed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council Approved Education Institution to ensure they meet a minimum of Level two (GCSE equivalent).

Need a "Plan B"?

If your GCSE results were not what you expected and you need to re-think your options, DON'T PANIC, help is at hand! There are lots of things you can do. Start by reading this ...

• Talk to someone at school. Senior Staff will be available in school on Results Day (Thursday 25th August, 9.00-11.00am.) and you can book an appointment to speak to someone to get advice about what you can do next, for example, if you need to change your Sixth Form courses.
• Talk to our Youth Connexions Personal Adviser, Claire Blanchard. She will be in school on Results Day and you can also contact her through the St Albans Youth Connexions website. She can work with you on a late application to College or help you with other pathways such as entering employment, training or an Apprenticeship. 
• If you have an offer from College but need to change course or your level of entry visit Oaklands on Results Day and talk to the tutors there  - they are expecting visits from potential students.
• Visit the Youth Connexions "one stop shop" in Catherine Street. You can find out the details here. It will be open on and after Results Day  -  details here.
• Think about an Apprenticeship. You can find all the information you need at Apprenticeships.gov. You simply fill in your details - like a mini CV - and then you can search the opportunities available and applying is easy as your information is stored.
• Think about applying to Oaklands College. They have Open Days this month for late applications. You can find the details here as well as on the Oaklands website. 
• Check out ChannelMogo for general information and advice.
• Use the 'search' tool on this blog to explore further options.

Keep calm and talk to someone to get the impartial advice and guidance you need ... Good luck!

Rise in success rates of Apprenticeships

Latest figures from the Skills Funding Agency indicate that the apprenticeship success rate has risen by 2.8% to 71.7%. 

In related news, the Sutton Trust has published research that suggests that apprentices with a Level 5 qualification could earn £50,000 more in their working lifetime than those with an undergraduate degree from a non-Russell Group university.

The Government's Apprenticeship "Vision"

The government, in its report, English Apprenticeships: our 2020 vision, has said it would create 200,000 new public sector Apprenticeships. It is also outlining plans to improve the quality of Apprenticeships and achieve a target of 3 million Apprenticeship places by 2020. The Apprenticeship Levy will be introduced in April 2017, set at 0.5% of the employer’s pay bill. Providers and colleges are expected to benefit from an increase in apprenticeship spending to £900 million by 2019-20. 

The government also said that it will establish a new ‘Institute of Apprenticeships’ to regulate their quality, which will be led by an independent chair, supported by a small board made up primarily of employers, business leaders and their representatives.  [ source: GTAssociates ]

Apprenticeships in Hertfordshire

Here is an update (provided by Youth Connexions) of Apprenticeships within Hertfordshire in December 2015: 

Apprenticeship vacancies:

• 236 Employers offering 312 opportunities
• 81% Intermediate Level
• 19% Advanced Level

Wages: 

• Average wage £154 per week
• Approx. 94% paying above the National Minimum Wage (NMW)
• Wage ranges from NMW (£3.30 per hour) up to £350 p/wk.
• Highest paying: £350 (AA Retail Agency Department Apprentice with Collins Grice Long Ltd in Baldock)

Most Popular Sectors: 

• Business, administration and law (38% of vacancies) 
• Retail and commercial enterprise (28% of vacancies)

The Government's 'Vision for Apprenticeships in 2020'

On 7th December the government published it’s Apprenticeship Vision for 2020 and how they plan to achieve the 3 million Apprenticeships over the next five years, including forcing large public sector bodies to employ apprentices – and make sure that they make up at least 2.3% of their workforce – creating an extra 200,000 apprentices by 2020.

The report promotes the “employer-led” approach and introduces a new independent “Institute for Apprenticeships”, made up of employers, business leaders and their representatives who will regulate the quality of Apprenticeships.

The report further clarifies English and Maths qualification requirements within Apprenticeships levels: “We must ensure apprentices have the literacy and numeracy skills they need for employment…That is why all apprenticeships include English and Maths at their heart, through a choice of GCSE or Functional Skills qualifications depending on what is most appropriate for the apprentice and their programme, if these are not already achieved:

• Level 2 apprentices are required to achieve Level 1 in English and Maths to complete their apprenticeship and then must work towards Level 2;
• All Level 3 and 4 apprentices must achieve Level 2 in English and Maths prior to taking their end-point assessment.”

British Intelligence Apprenticeship

British Intelligence Higher Apprenticeship - IT, Software, Internet and Telecomms

£17,539 pa - Cheltenham

This is a Technical Apprenticeship like no other. On top of developing unique technical skills, you'll be at the heart of British Intelligence. Working on some of the world's most sophisticated technical systems and equipment, you'll help to protect the UK against cyber threats, terrorism, espionage and organised crime. 

This exciting programme starts in September 2016 and offers a mix of classroom learning and practical experience, including a variety of research, development and project work. You'll be taking on real business challenges that will stretch and develop your expertise in areas such as cyber security, engineering, signal processing and telecoms. In the second year, you could have the chance to work in London at MI5 or MI6.

On completion, you'll have a Foundation Degree in Communications, Security and Computing (with the option to convert to a BSc at a later stage) and a Level 4 Diploma in IT Professional Competence.

To join us you'll need a strong interest in programming and technology and will either have, or will be expecting to gain three A-levels at grade C or above, or equivalent, including at least two in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths related subjects. 

To find out more and apply, visit www.mi5.gov.uk/careers

Unusual Apprenticeships

The Daily Telegraph has compiled a list of "unusual" Apprenticeships. They range from training to be a crime scene photographer to becoming a fashion and textiles technician. Read more about them here.

Apprentices set to out earn some Graduates

The Boston Consulting Group has modelled the earnings potential for Apprentices and concluded that school-leavers who take the best apprenticeships should earn about £1.4m over their working life, which is £51,870 more than the projected earnings of a graduate from a non-Russell Group University. The modelling estimated that Oxbridge graduates would earn almost £1.8m over their lifetimes, and graduates from other Russell Group universities £1.6m. The next group was Higher-Level Apprentices who take a level 5 qualification equivalent to a foundation degree, who were slightly ahead of graduates of non-Russell Group universities. These graduates were only fractionally ahead of higher-level Apprentices with a Level 4 qualification, who were projected to earn £8,160 less over their working lives.

Advanced Apprentices with level 3 qualifications had much lower projected earning power, estimated at just over £1m, but were forecast to earn more than those who just had A levels. When the forecasts were expressed as average annual sum, rather than lifetime earnings, graduates did better than the best Apprentices. However, apprentices typically start earning three years earlier than university students.

Thinking about a "Plan B"?

If your GCSE or AS results were not what you expected and you need to re-think your options, DON'T PANIC, help is at hand! There are lots of things you can do.  Start by reading this ...

• Talk to someone at school.  Senior Staff will be available in school on Results Day and you can book an appointment to speak to someone to get advice about what you can do next.
• Talk to a Youth Connexions Personal Adviser. Our Beaumont PA, Claire Blanchard will be in school from the start of term and you can also contact her through the St Albans Youth Connexions website.
• On GCSE Results Day, Thursday 20th August, Simon Stothard from Youth Connexions will be available to talk to in school. He can work with you on a late application to College or help you with other pathways such as entering employment or an Apprenticeship. 
• Visit the Youth Connexions "one stop shop" in Catherine Street. You can find out the details here. It will be open on Results Day.
• Think about an Apprenticeship.  You can find all the information you need at Apprenticeships.org. You simply fill in your details  -  like a mini CV  -  and then you can search the opportunities available and applying is easy as your information is stored.
• Think about applying to Oaklands College. They have Open Days this month for late applications. You can find the details here as well as on the Oaklands website. 

Check out ChannelMogo for general information and advice.
Use the 'search' tool on this blog to explore further options.

Keep calm and talk to someone to get the impartial advice and guidance you need ... Good luck!

Apprenticeship success story.

How did a young Hertfordshire resident get from finishing her GCSEs to a £30k salary, working in IT at Harrods? Read Charlotte's story (and some other case studies on Apprenticeships) here.