Earn as you learn: the lowdown on degree apprenticeships

Main image: Gresham's

In February, the UK marked National Apprenticeships Week, an annual event designed to raise awareness about apprenticeships at all levels. This year, the event felt especially important: in the autumn term, UCAS finally added apprenticeship vacancies to its online portal, allowing school leavers to explore apprenticeship opportunities alongside traditional university courses, and, later this year, students will be able to apply for apprenticeships via the UCAS hub for the first time too. The move will – at long last – help put apprenticeships on an equal footing with university degrees, while streamlining the application process and giving greater visibility to the wealth of opportunities currently offered by hundreds of UK companies across all sectors.

Research conducted by UCAS shows that demand for apprenticeships is soaring – in 2023, the number of users searching online for apprenticeships grew by 62.4 per cent, compared with 2022. For school leavers worried about funding a traditional university course and graduating saddled with debt, a degree apprenticeship – where students study towards an undergraduate or master’s degree while they work – could be the solution: a recent report by the Association of Accounting Technicians found degree apprenticeship accounting graduates to be on average £100,000 better off than their peers at university. So what exactly is a degree apprenticeship, and what are the key pros and cons of earning as you learn? We asked higher-education expert Anna Rogers to give us a brief overview of the most important things to know, and then we spoke to a number of schools to find out what trends they’re seeing and how they’re helping pupils navigate the application process.

Degree apprenticeships: an introduction, by Anna Rogers

I meet many people who say that they would like to go to university and get a degree, but they’re put off by a number of things. Often, it’s the debt. Although I have a strong counter-argument (I believe it should be viewed as a graduate tax rather than a lump-sum debt), there is still a wide group of people who are debt-averse, and I get that.

An aspect often cited is that they don’t want to be bored, with very few contact hours at university and therefore not getting their money’s worth. They feel that if they just crack on and start work, they can get going sooner in life.

Another biggie is that they can’t see where a degree is leading – they worry that they’ll take the course and then not have a job to go to at the end.

Some are worried about the misguided perception of an ‘apprenticeship’ (more later).Lastly, there are those who are anxious about fitting into the ‘stereotypical student’ model of constant partying and relatively hard living and, yes, too much time on their hands.

Well, I have the answer. It’s a higher or degree apprenticeship.

Higher or degree apprenticeship?

Let’s unpick the difference. Having done your A-levels, you will have completed your Level 3 education. A higher apprenticeship covers Levels 4 to 7, so you might finish your apprenticeship after, say, Level 4 or 5, which would be equivalent to a higher education certificate/diploma or a foundation degree. A degree apprenticeship doesn’t finish until after Level 6 (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) or Level 7 (equivalent to a master’s degree).

It’s about your end goal, really. If you’d like to start with a diploma or foundation degree, go for higher apprenticeships (which can carry on and become a full degree) or, if you want to jump in and sign up for the full degree from the get-go, apply for degree apprenticeships.

All apprenticeships have significant advantages, but going forward, I’m going to refer mainly to degree apprenticeships.

This is why they’re amazing:

You get to study at an excellent university, working towards your degree in a specific subject area.
All fees are paid for you, so you will have no student-loan debt to repay upon graduation.
You simultaneously get on-the-job training and paid work.
You are almost guaranteed a relevant graduate-level job at the end – companies that have invested in you through your degree apprenticeship will want to retain you. Gov.uk says that upon completion of an apprenticeship, 77 per cent of apprentices are taken on full-time, 46 per cent receive a pay rise and 36 per cent get a promotion.

Making sure it’s right for you:

Choose something that interests you and in which you may have had some work experience or similar. This will help you make a strong application.
Don’t assume it’s an easy option. You’ll work hard and study hard, but you won’t be bored, and you will be paid.
You can have the double advantage of establishing yourself with work colleagues, as well as making new friends in the university setting. That requires quite a bit of fortitude and determination but will broaden your horizons and connections.
Although you won’t follow the same pattern of long university holidays, you will be rewarded with the benefits of working for a company and, of course, an annual holiday entitlement.
Make sure you can demonstrate the key skills that employers offering degree apprenticeships will be looking for. They are what you’d imagine: communication, problem solving, analytical skills, motivation and initiative. This can be through sport, hobbies or previous work experience or employment.

Referring back to an earlier comment, there is one issue I’d like to address. The word ‘apprenticeship’ has a lot of history attached to it, and in the early days of its revival it was often dismissed by those who didn’t know as something merely practical, and not truly academic. Nothing could be further from the truth and, to prove my point, have a look at the new medical doctor degree apprenticeships. They have been introduced via medical schools in certain areas as part of a drive to make the profession more accessible, diverse and representative of local communities. They haven’t started yet, but they underline the power and value of degree apprenticeships and demonstrate the key advantages.

Get started
It's not the purpose of this introduction to go through the nitty-gritty of the application process, but let me get you started. The best way to look for an apprenticeship is to jump on the gov.uk website, and another brilliant place to look is the UCAS website.

Why not?
I know you’re wondering about the disadvantages, but to be honest, if you don’t want student debt but do want a degree, would like to get stuck into a bit of paid work and get your career started on a sure footing, and you are happy to spend the next few years establishing yourself, then there aren’t any!

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‘Degree apprenticeships are the new post-sixth-form hot ticket in town,’ says Caterham School, which has been well ahead of the curve since it launched its dedicated degree-apprenticeship sixth-form programme six years ago, designed to help guide pupils through the application process and connect them with alumni who are on or have completed a degree apprenticeship. The school is on a mission to recognise that pupils considering this route should be offered the same level of support as those applying for the UK or overseas university route.

St Benedict’s School has also been actively promoting degree apprenticeships as an alternative to traditional university courses since 2018, when it held its first parents’ information evening about the pathway. Since then, pupils have secured roles across a number of sectors including accounting and finance, mechatronics and mechanical engineering.

St Benedict's School

Many schools we spoke to note a real upward trend in favour of degree apprenticeships. ‘Whilst each cohort is individual, we are seeing a notable increase in interest for this route, especially from our current Year 13 students,’ says Julie Hayes, Ipswich School’s careers officer. ‘We already have a student who has secured a Level 6 apprenticeship with a local accountancy firm, and other recent successes have included a civil-engineering apprenticeship with WSP and digital technology and solutions with BT.’ Cranleigh School agrees: ‘The majority of our pupils chose to go to university; however, a growing number are exploring more options around apprenticeships.’

Uppingham School adds that ‘over the last two years, we have had half a dozen students show concrete interest in the process’, and Surbiton High School tells us that with a growing number of pupils interested in apprenticeships, a former student has recently joined IBM’s junior management-consultant apprenticeship, while another has taken up a role at Dyson. Natasha Fenwick, Queen’s College London’s director of enterprise and partnerships, adds: ‘Over the past few years, we have seen an increased number of pupils exploring degree apprenticeships as an alternative to university – and one former pupil is now on an economics degree apprenticeship at the Bank of England, working there as a junior analyst while she completes her degree at the University of Kent.’

It would appear, then, that UCAS’s efforts to assist both students and employers by bringing all applications under one roof has come at a pivotal moment. ‘For pupils who are ready to get into the world of work, degree apprenticeships offer the best of both worlds,’ says Lancing College, which works closely with the wider Lancing community to offer pupils work experience opportunities and mentorship and help guide them in their decision-making. And although it’s still early days for some schools (‘several pupils have shown great interest in the degree-apprenticeship pathway and followed up with thorough research, before ruling in favour of university directly,’ Downe House tells us), there’s clear evidence of growing momentum.

Perhaps the most compelling factor behind this explosion of interest is financial. ‘With the cost of living crisis in full force, accompanied by increasing tuition fees, students are looking at alternative paths,’ says Wolverhampton Grammar School. The school recently welcomed back an alumnus currently working as a degree apprentice at PwC, and his key message of ‘Get paid to do your degree – why wouldn’t you?’ will certainly resonate with many.

Wolverhampton Grammar School

Degree apprenticeships are a clever choice for those with a clear idea of the career path they’d like to pursue. ‘Students are attracted by the option of getting early industry experience in tandem with a competitive degree – but without having to pay university tuition fees – and they are seeing degree apprenticeships as a way of fast-tracking their career,’ says Deborah Franks, head of careers and employability at Bede’s.

And for those keen to get on-the-job experience from the get-go, they’re a fantastic alternative. ‘The apprenticeship route is perfect for students who have decided that they want to go straight into the workplace when they leave school,’ says Nancy Kenward, head of careers at Truro School (a recent leaver is currently on Barclays’ prestigious apprenticeship programme). Chigwell School adds: ‘They can suit students who prefer to learn practically rather than in a lecture-based setting.’

Indeed, the fact that each day brings something different makes a change from the often-monotonous student schedule – and is endorsed by former Bede’s pupil Nicolai, who is currently on a degree apprenticeship with Ernst & Young: ‘Each day is varied; there is normal work in the office, the option to work from home, training days and college days where I study towards my accountancy qualification.’

More opportunities are slowly opening up, too. This autumn, the government will launch a new teaching apprenticeship, offering an alternative route to becoming a qualified teacher. ‘The landscape for these apprenticeships is widening, and businesses are offering a broader variety of roles including marketing, sales and operations, as well as traditional apprenticeship routes into finance and engineering opportunities,’ says Bryanston School, which regularly invites business experts in to talk about their careers and the routes into these positions.

There are, of course, benefits for employers, too. ‘Firms are very keen to train young people so they are more moulded to the requirements of the company, and because we get to work within their structure, trainees start to know more than the law graduates who have studied at university for three years,’ says former Chigwell student Alice, currently a solicitor apprentice with DLA Piper.

But while there’s no denying the perks, there is still a long way to go before degree apprenticeships become the norm rather than the exception. ‘We are huge fans of apprenticeship degrees and promote them to the sixth form at every available opportunity, not just through our rich and varied careers programme,’ says Charlie Bennett, head of sixth form at Frensham Heights School. ‘But it surprises the sixth-form leadership team how few students chose this path.’ So why aren’t more pupils considering degree apprenticeships as an option?

Clifton College

Perhaps it’s because awareness of the opportunities available is still lagging, despite the government’s recent commitment to invest £40m to help facilitate degree apprenticeships and raise awareness of their potential. ‘We need to reshape the narrative around apprenticeships being purely for vocational, lower-level jobs and start conversations about some of the amazing degree apprenticeships that are available in finance, law, engineering, technology and many more sectors,’ says Ruth Davis, head of universities and careers at Tonbridge School. ‘Some parents may be surprised at the calibre of the companies that recognise the value of a degree apprenticeship.’ Michael Doherty, the head of careers and higher education at Canford School, agrees: ‘Degree apprenticeships are still not an option that many pupils or their parents are aware of, so the information does need consistent reinforcement through their Canford years.’

There’s another catch: the convoluted and complicated application process. ‘Unlike university courses, which are all listed in one place from the same date, degree apprenticeships are advertised by individual firms at different times throughout the year, usually from October through to March,’ adds Doherty – and it’s a stark contrast to the much more streamlined university UCAS application process. While UCAS’s move to include apprenticeships on its platform will go some way to alleviate this issue, students certainly shouldn’t expect an easy ride. ‘I love apprenticeships and have championed them for years, but I am increasingly feeling that there is an unnecessarily difficult and lengthy application process compared to the UCAS system,’ says Louise Rapple Moore, head of careers at Shiplake College. 'We've had great success with pupils securing degree apprenticeships and they willingly come back to speak to our current pupils about their positive experiences, but pupils can often be put off by the number of hoops they need to jump through for each application.'

Bethan Ferguson from Godolphin – where alumnae are currently working as degree apprentices at prestigious companies such as Thales, PwC, Dyson and Roke – says: ‘It’s intricate and time-consuming, requiring candidates to navigate a series of interviews and assessment events amid the challenging months of Year 13 study and revision.’ In short, pupils need to be highly organised and on the ball in order to be in with a chance.

Godolphin

While more and more sectors are helping widen the breadth of opportunities out there, there’s still a supply-and-demand factor at play. ‘The biggest issue is the relative lack of suitable opportunities currently available,’ says Melanie Szener, a careers-pathway adviser at Exeter School, where pupils have been known to apply for positions at the likes of Deutsche Bank, Airbus and Rolls-Royce.

It's worth noting the nuances of the student lifestyle for degree apprentices. ‘Many students want the full university experience and don’t see the degree apprenticeship as something which can offer that,’ says Sally Rowley, the head of sixth form at Wells Cathedral School. Victoria Liggett, Claremont School’s director of sixth form, says: ‘You won’t get the long holidays that other students enjoy, and employers will expect you in the office in between study sessions at university. Is it going to bother you if you cannot join your friends on an extended trip around Thailand in the summer holidays?’

Wells Cathedral School

Pupils on a degree apprenticeship aren’t eligible for a student loan, either. That said, there are still plenty of aspects of the student experience ripe for picking. For St Peter’s York Year 13 pupil Harry – who is in the midst of applying for finance-related positions at Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and State Street – that includes the opportunity to play sport for a university team, and to get stuck into the social life that comes hand in hand with a typical university journey.

What, then, are the experts’ top tips for those who want to give a degree apprenticeship their best shot? Research widely: gov.uk and the UCAS websites are both great starting points, as is Unifrog. Start preparing early by throwing yourself into work experience and co-curricular opportunities. ‘Having a wealth of experience helps, and getting any exposure to your desired sector is really important,’ says former Chigwell School pupil Cameron, who is undertaking an apprenticeship at Jaguar Land Rover while studying for an engineering degree. ‘Employers can throw any curveballs at you, so it is important to have examples and be passionate.’

Be prepared for an incredibly rigorous selection programme. ‘Expect to have online interviews, attend assessment centres, sit a psychometric test and attend network events where you will be evaluated by top executives. These tests are tough for anyone, let alone a 17- or 18-year-old,’ says Deborah Franks from Bede’s. Make sure you have a back-up plan, too, and don’t put all your eggs in one basket by focusing solely on degree apprenticeships. ‘Remember, even if you are not at first successful, it is all great experience and you will learn skills just from participating in the application process,’ adds Victoria Liggett.

There’s no doubt that schools are going above and beyond to help pupils secure coveted degree apprenticeships. ‘Students have had sessions run with employers that have signposted their vacancies and stages of applications, while recruitment agencies have delivered sessions around preparing for interview and application/assessment centre hints and tips, as well as building an online profile,’ says Amy Penney, head of careers at Clifton College. ‘We publicise employers offering degree apprenticeships, and arrange mentoring and talks with alumni, parents and local businesses on opportunities,’ adds Sue Osborne, head of careers at Gresham’s School, where recent leavers have taken up degree apprenticeships with the likes of Savills and Jones Lang LaSalle.

Gresham's School

‘Degree apprenticeships represent a formidable opportunity for students, businesses and universities to define the future of student employability and link the needs of students with those of both employers and universities,’ says Paul Schoonenberg, head of careers at DLD College London. ‘We are making DLD students fully aware of the opportunities presented by degree apprenticeships, so they can make informed choices as to which type of degree is most suitable and align such choices with potential careers.’

Bedford School has set up a dedicated Degree Apprenticeship Academy, which pupils cantap into for one-to-one support, mock interviews and application advice, while Stonyhurst College runs monthly sessions for sixth-formers considering an apprenticeship. Its dedicated alumni network, Stonyhurst Link, connects pupils with alumni and mentors, helping them win places on apprenticeships with the likes of BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Airbus.

‘A highlight in the journey is the annual National Apprenticeships Week, a huge celebration in school with resources delivered by tutors and teaching staff, and a week-long competition for students to participate in,’ says Kelly Odell, careers lead at Queen Anne’s School, Caversham. ‘As part of our approach, we invite guest speakers into school – and over the years, we’ve been privileged to host names like Cogent Skills, Coca Cola, Mott MacDonald, Vertex and Cisco, offering our students a first-hand look into the diverse opportunities available in the apprenticeship landscape.’ At Tonbridge, Ruth works one to one with students to look at application skills such as CVs, psychometric testing and interview techniques – and last year, the school hosted its first-ever degree-apprenticeship information evening.

Queen Anne's School, Caversham

All this isn’t just reserved for school leavers. The Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai has gone one step further by teaming up with the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM) and the Jumeirah hotel group to create a programme for 16-to-18-year-olds, giving them access to real-life industry experience while they are still at school. Pupils do on-the-job training for one day a week alongside their academic studies and a BTEC in business management and hospitality, and sign up for various internships at Jumeirah hotels during term time and school holidays. The end result is that students can either join EAHM for their degree course, or head to Switzerland for hospitality courses at the country’s top universities – and leave school with a real competitive edge when pitched against their peers.

Alice Smith School

Alison Cantrill, Alice Smith School’s higher-education and careers-guidance counsellor, sums up the degree-apprenticeship landscape nicely: ‘At a time where young people are faced with so many different options and are increasingly conscious of their employability in a competitive world, as well as the affordability of obtaining a degree today, we are watching this space with interest and continuing to develop our provision to accommodate diverse pathways.’ Happily, it looks as though any school with its eye firmly on the future is following suit.

Earn as you learn: the lowdown on degree apprenticeships

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