Degree Apprenticeships

Two articles

Middle classes put apprenticeships before degrees

Emma Yeomans

Monday January 02 2023, The Times

Middle-class teenagers are choosing apprenticeships over degrees because they want better value for money, a big graduate employer has said.

Kevin Ellis chairman of PwC, the accountants and consultants said a rising number of school-leavers were opting for apprenticeships over traditional university education, fearing the high level of student debt.

He said: “More sixth formers and potential graduates’ families will be worried about yet more debt.”

PwC hires roughly 2,000 graduates and apprentices every year, of which a growing proportion are school-leavers starting as apprentices. Writing in The Times as part of the Times Education Commission, Ellis said the schemes were attractive to recruits and allowed firms to ensure that young people arrived in the workplace equipped with the right skills to thrive.

He wrote: “These programmes also allow us to tailor degrees for particular business needs such as technology”

The firm works with universities on degree apprenticeships, which allow recruits to study without paying tuition fees. The first cohort of PwC technology apprentices graduated this summer from their four-year course with the University of Birmingham. The firm has also dropped its requirement for graduate recruits to gain a 2:1 or higher in their degree, in order to attract a wider range of talent.

Ellis told The Sunday Telegraph that the proportion of PwC’s new staff on apprenticeship schemes rather than in graduate roles was likely to grow He added: “Everyone who has gone to university at the moment, has gone to university in a previous world, pre-cost of living crisis.”

Degree apprenticeships from firms such as PwC, Rolls-Royce and Dyson are highly sought after, with some schemes receiving more applications per place than Oxford or Cambridge.

Ed Elliott, head of the Perse School in Cambridge, said one of his pupils turned down a place at Cambridge to join a Dyson degree-apprenticeship scheme. He expects more pupils to consider apprenticeships above university due to the rising costs of studying.

Ellliott said: “People are starting to say, well, hold on, going to university is really expensive I’ve got to start my adult postgraduate life with between £40,000 and £60,000 worth of debt. What are the long-term consequences [for] when I can afford my first house? When might I be able to retire?”

Why we chose an apprenticeship over a university degree

Sasha Nugara

Saturday August 20 2022, The Times

Despite his college’s push for university, Ben Shoesmith, 19, knew that it was not the right choice for him

The number of apprentices in the 2021/2022 academic year was 14.1 per cent higher than the year before An apprenticeship offers an opportunity to gain experience while being paid. Apprentices often spend 20 per cent of their time in the classroom and earn a nationally recognised qualification.

A survey by the apprenticeship company Multiverse, which was founded by Euan Blair, son of the former prime minister, suggests that 41 per cent of those questioned thought an apprenticeship was better for preparing young people for work. Just 17 per cent said that a degree was a better option. Some 67 per cent said they would consider an apprenticeship rather than going to university if they were starting out today

Naivasha Mwanji from Multiverse said: “The great advantage of apprenticeships is that young people are paid to learn. They don’t graduate with debt, and research shows that apprentice salaries are increasing. This gives them the freedom to focus on their programme and opens it up as a route for those from all backgrounds.”

Despite his college’s push for university, Ben Shoesmith, 19, from Eastbourne, knew that it was not the right financial choice for him.

“I feel like there’s an unspoken assumption that everyone’s just going to go to uni. But I knew that wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to do three years of studying to get a degree that I wasn’t sure would even help me in the future,” Shoesmith said. “With a degree you come out with a lot of debt, but with an apprenticeship you experience work in the real world, and earn a wage ”

Multiverse’s survey suggests that 58 per cent of people strongly associate apprenticeships with engineering and building, but only 15 per cent link them with IT jobs. The media, agriculture, architecture, law, nursing and teaching also have apprenticeship schemes.

Shoesmith got AAB in his A-levels and wants to fight the assumption that apprenticeships are a less academic option. He has completed one year working at Virgin Media and is on track to complete a project management qualification with the company. One day a week is dedicated to studying and the rest working within a team.

Virgin Media O2 is offering 70 new apprenticeships across England and Scotland with many of the roles requiring no qualifications, or five GCSEs at grades 4-9. The company took on more than 480 apprentices in the past year. Starting salaries are between £19,000 and £30,000, while the graduate starting salary is £30,000 plus a £2,000 starting bonus.

Multiverse offers apprenticeship roles with companies such as Barclays, the energy firm Octopus and the hotelier Hilton, with starting annual salaries of £18,000 to £25,000.

Shoesmith started on £20,000 and has just had a £3,000 pay rise. Although many of his school friends are loving university life, they are envious of the financial situation he is now in. “They’ve all massively enjoyed the social side, but there are obviously constraints when it comes to money. ”

Some 31 per cent of young people said they were worried they would struggle for money at university, and 28 per cent believe that rising costs mean that university is no longer a good idea, according to Virgin media O2.

What to know more about degree apprenticeships?

https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships/degree-apprenticeships