Degree Apprenticeships pages

Degree Apprenticeships

University degree or degree apprenticeship: Whichroute is best?

‘Earn while you learn ’ .

Degree apprenticeships combine paid on-the-job training at leading organisations such as Rothschild & Co (banking), KPMG (accountancy), Denton ’ s (law) and IBM (tech) with part-time university study. There are no tuition fees to pay and you will have a strong business network to draw on in future, as well as a degree, when you ’ re done. Nearly all employers guarantee you a job at that point if you perform well. At that point, you also have at least three years ’ workplace experience - and no debt, whilst your peers are finding their feet in their first proper job,

So why isn ’t everyone doing a degree apprenticeship? Increasingly, they are highly regarded; top companies are pairing up with Russell Group universities

e.g. J.P. Morgan and Exeter University. On the downside, you may miss out on some of the advantages of attending a university full-time.

In order to decide what is right for you, you will need to analyse your personal priorities and motivations. Do you need financial security? Do you love your subject so much that you want to dedicate 3 or more years to it? Do you prefer theory or practice? How important is an active social life to you? Is there a prestige factor? These are just some of the questions you will need to consider.

Last year, Janita chose to apply to all the major audit firms for a degree apprenticeship. She was sitting on 5excellent offers while the rest ofher form were sweating andfretting overpersonalstatements.

21-year-old Lawrence Evans was expected to go to university but was concerned about debt. On track to obtain top grades at A-level, he was not convincedabout studying engineering for threeyears.

Despite achieving the grades to go to Brunel, he decided to defer for a year, taking a job at a firm of architects. He then decided to apply for a degree apprenticeship in Quantity Surveying at Mace, a global consultancy and construction firm.

With a starting salary of between £16,000 to £18,500, Lawrence viewedit as a " no-brainer " . He has no regrets - he considers QS apracticalskillbest learned on the job and doesn ’t feel he has lost out socially, as Mace is a young and vibrant company.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/atta chment _ data/file/699399/Higher _ and _ degree _ apprenticeship_ fact _ sheet-0904 18.pdf

Please speak with the Careers Department if you would like to explore degree apprenticeships in more depth, as you will need to follow the company-specific application process.