Degree Apprenticeships BrieďŹ ng
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What is a Degree Apprenticeship (DA)? An Apprenticeship is a job that has a specific level of training attached to it, where the training is aimed at developing transferable skills, knowledge and behaviours that are assessed as achieving a ‘standard’ of competency. Standards are developed by employer groups named ‘trailblazers’. Apprenticeship standards differ by their achievement requirements, though there is only one standard per occupation.1, 2, 3 Degree Apprenticeships “combine both higher and vocational education and fully test both the wider occupational competence and academic learning, either using a fully-integrated degree co-
Apprenticeship Level
designed by employers and HEIs [Higher Education Institutions], or using a degree plus separate end-test of professional competence” (pp.1).4 A core part of a DA is a Bachelor’s (Apprenticeship Level 6) or Master’s (Level 7) degree qualification. DAs sit alongside Higher Apprenticeships (HAs), which cover Levels 4 to 7. The difference between a DA and a HA at Levels 6 and 7 is that a HA does not include a university Bachelor’s/Master’s degree as a directly incorporated component of the course.3,4, 5 The graphic below depicts the qualifications associated with apprenticeship levels:
Equivalent Education Level
Apprenticeship Type
Level 7 Level 6
Master’s Degree Bachelor’s Degree
Level 5 Level 4
Higher Education Certificate (CertHE) or Diploma (DipHE), Higher National Certificate (HNC), Higher National Diploma (HND), Foundation Degree
Level 3
2 A-Level Passes
Advanced Apprenticeships
Level 2
5 GCSE Passes at Grades A* to C
Intermediate Apprenticeships
Source: Adapted from various sources.
Degree Apprenticeships
Higher Apprenticeships
4, 6, 7
Why have DAs been introduced? Under the current government, a target of 3 million new apprenticeship starts is set for delivery by 2020.5 There are no specific targets for DAs or for other apprenticeship levels. For public bodies in England with 250 or more employees, a target of 2.3% apprentice starts per year is currently proposed, equivalent to 486,000 apprenticeship starts by 2020, or 97,000 per year.3, 8, 9 The overall boost to apprenticeships attempts to address the UK’s relatively low productivity on international standards and to reverse “the trend of employer underinvestment in training, which has seen a rapid decline in the amount and quality of training undertaken
by employees over the last 20 years” (pp.24).10 This is being achieved through placing employers at the forefront of reforming apprenticeship quality and design to ensure that those skills needs of industry which are critical for growth are being developed.11, 12 At the higher levels, “higher and degree apprenticeships enable the Government to drive economic growth by targeting specific sectors where advanced skills gaps have been identified” (pp.15).12 DAs are envisaged as being suitable for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) as well as larger businesses.13
How are DAs organised? 1. ENTRY A degree apprentice is first an employee of an organisation with an employment contract and as such employers are usually responsible for their hire. However, as all parties involved need to verify that the applicant meets their eligibility and entry criteria, recruitment can occur jointly between universities and employers.14 The apprentice can be a new recruit or an existing employee supported by their organisation to undertake the DA.3 Entry requirements for a DA will depend on the sector and the prior skills acquired and required.15
2. SALARY The apprentice must have the right to work and reside in the UK, be employed for at least 30 hours a week (including non-workplace training) and earn a salary, paid for by their employer.3, 5 Pay must be at least at the national minimum apprenticeship wage, currently of £3.30 per hour for an 18-19 year old in the first year of their apprenticeship, after completion of which the pay rises to £5.30 per hour for 18-20 year olds and £6.70 for an apprentice aged 21 and over.5, 15, 16 As DAs are associated with senior occupational job roles, higher market wage rates may be applied, at an employer’s discretion.17
3. TRAINING The salary of the apprentice also covers those periods where they are training as part of the apprenticeship, where they can receive a training salary.18 Training can be delivered through approaches including ‘day release’ or ‘block release’ grouped days according to programme and employer requirements. Training can also incorporate work-based, distance, and blended online/face-to-face learning.3 Paid holiday entitlement is at least 20 days per annum plus bank holidays and the apprentice holds all employment rights as per any other employee.5, 14, 19
4 . D U R AT I O N DAs are generally structured as a mix of core compulsory and elective modules, as well as work-based projects as set out by the employer. Elective modules enable the employer to tailor this component of learning to meet the needs of their business. The duration of the DA will vary, depending on the sector, though there is a minimum length of 12 months.3, 24 Typically, DAs last for up to 4 years; they can be shorter (3 years) or longer (6 years) than this since there is no fixed maximum length.4, 20, 21
5. COMPLETION A DA is awarded by the HEI upon successful completion of the programme – which either comprises a degree course where academic skills and on-the-job learning are wholly incorporated and tested or an existing degree course combined with an end of programme assessment of academic and occupational proficiency. The degree earned is of equivalent standard to that achieved under a full-time undergraduate pathway.14 The HEI can also consider partnering with other providers – including Further Education Colleges and private training providers – to ensure the learning requirements of the DA are delivered.17
6. FUNDING On the funding side, for apprenticeships based on Standards, currently “course fees and training costs are funded by the Government (two thirds) and employer (one third) so that apprentices can earn a university degree without paying tuition fees” (pp.11).5 The maximum government contribution cap is £18,000, though there are additional incentive payments for small businesses, for successful completion, and/or for recruiting a 16-18 year old as an apprentice.3, 5
7. LEVY Supporting funds for the overall target of 3 million apprenticeships by 2020 is being raised through the introduction of a levy on both private and public sector large employers in the UK with pay bills of over £3 million, including HEIs. The levy is due for roll-out in April 2017. It is expected that the levy will raise over £3 billion per year by 2019-20 and £2.5 billion of this is due to be spent on apprenticeships in England.3, 5
8. VOUCHER All employers will be able to access government funds for apprenticeships irrespective of whether they have paid into the levy or not. In England, the scheme for doing so for levy contributors is a digital Apprenticeship Voucher, due to be implemented by 2017. An employer will use a voucher to buy the HE training component of a DA from providers.3, 5, 22
Where are DAs being developed? September 2015 saw the running of the first university-business co-developed DA programmes in the digital, automotive engineering, banking relationship manager and construction fields.13 As at March 2016, Apprenticeship Standards are ‘ready for delivery’ at the DA level in the areas shown in the table below.23 Those shown in dark green are standards that have been approved and are awaiting delivery. To date, 70 universities are registered as able to deliver HAs and/or DAs.24
Sector
Field within Sector
Level
Accountacy
Professional Accountant
7
Aerospace
Aerospace Engineer; Aerospace Software Development Engineer
6
Automotive
Control/Technical Support Engineer; Electrical/Electronic Technical Support Engineer; Manufacturing Engineer; Product Design and Development Engineeer
6
Construction
Building Services Engineering Site Management; Construction Quantity Surveyor, Civil Engineering Site Management, Construction Site Management; Construction Design Management
6
Digital Industries
Digital & Technology Solutions
6
Electronic Systems
Embedded Electronic Systems Design & Development Engineer
6
Financial Services
Relationship Manager (Banking)
6
Leadership & Management
Chartered Manager
6
Nuclear
Nuclear Scientist and Nuclear Engineer
6
Surveying
Chartered Surveyor
6
Note: Only those Apprenticeships with a Standard that clearly states the attainment of a Degree are listed above. Source: Adapted from various sources. 25, 26
References 1. HEFCE/UVAC (2015). Higher and degree apprenticeships: A strategic overview for higher education providers.
15. S FA (2015). Higher and degree apprenticeship fact sheet (PDF; last updated 22/02/16).
2. SFA (2014). Apprenticeship standards (last updated 22/02/16).
17. W e are very grateful to Adrian Anderson and Mandy Crawford-Lee of UVAC for these comments in particular.
3. UVAC (March 2016). Higher and Degree Apprenticeship – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (last accessed 21/03/16)*. 4. SFA (2015). Higher Apprenticeship and Degree Apprenticeship Delivery from April 2015 to April 2016; Higher Education Institutions Fact Sheet; March 2015 Version 1 – Revision Date 1 June 2015. 5. Delebarre, J. (2016). Apprenticeships Policy, England 2015. House of Commons Library Briefing Paper 03052, 08-03-16 (last accessed 21/03/16)*. 6. SFA (2014). A parent’s guide to apprenticeships. 7. Careers Advice For Parents - Qualifications for School Leavers (webpage) and House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility (2016). Overlooked and left behind: improving the transition from school to work for the majority of young people (pp. 16; latter last accessed on 08/04/2016)*. 8. HEFCE (16 March 2016). Policy Guide: Degree apprenticeships: FAQ and When the levy breaks – facts and the future of degree apprenticeships (webpages) (both last accessed 04/04/2016)*. 9. BIS/DfE (2016). Consultation on Apprenticeship targets for public sector bodies (last accessed 04/04/2016)*. 10. H M Treasury (2015). Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation. 11. H M Government/BIS (2015); English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision (last accessed 04/04/2016)*. 12. N ational Apprenticeship Service (2016). Employer Guide to Apprenticeships and Traineeships.
16. N ational Minimum Wage rates (webpage).
18. T ech Partnership - Degree Apprenticeships - Employer FAQs (webpage). 19. B ecome an apprentice (webpage). 20. F or examples, see (a) Degree Apprenticeships Programmes available from BPP University: Chartered Manager (PDF factsheet) and (b) Manchester Metropolitan University Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship (webpage). 21. T hese lower and upper durations are taken from The Times Guide to Elite Apprenticeships supplement (27 January 2016), table on pp. 3 entitled ‘The Times Guide to Higher & Degree Apprenticeships’ (available by subscription). 22. F or further details on the Apprenticeship Levy, see Delebarre (2016), pp. 4-5; and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (2015). Apprenticeship Levy - Employer Owned Apprenticeship Training: Government Response, pp. 32 (PDF). 23. ‘ Ready for delivery’ means that the Standard and the apprenticeship Assessment Plan have been approved nationally by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and a government funding cap (of up to £18,000, plus incentive payments) has been allocated (see 3. above). 24. U niversities UK (2016). The Future Growth of Degree Apprenticeships (a full list of universities that are registered with the Skills Funding Agency’s Register of Training Organisations (ROTO) is shown on pp. 26) (last accessed 21/03/16)*. 25. S FA (2015). List of apprenticeship standards ready for delivery (excel file; last updated 26/02/16). 26. S FA (2015). List of all the apprenticeship standards (PDF; last updated 26/02/16).
13. P ress Release: Government rolls-out flagship Degree Apprenticeships (webpage; first published 12 March 2015). 14. U CAS - How and where to study - Degree apprenticeships (webpage).
All web links last accessed on 02/03/16, *unless stated otherwise.
With thanks for input from BIS, HEFCE, UVAC, UUK and NCUB colleagues. For further information on NCUB work on Degree Apprenticeships and this Briefing please contact: Dr. Joan Wilson, Research Analyst: joan.wilson@ncub.co.uk
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