Degree apprenticeship

[Dus]

My DS is in his first year of A levels and is thinking of doing a degree apprenticeship. I don’t know anyone who has been down this route.

Can you let me know and advantages/disadvantages, if you or your children have done this route. Or maybe you’re an employer. I also don’t know if it’s an advantage or disadvantage in the future when he’ll have finished the apprenticeship. I know that the employer will pay his uni fees.

Thank you

DH’s employer offer these. Those that are lucky enough to be accepted onto them are delighted to have no debt at the end of their degree and be paid a wage while they are studying.

I think it’s a great deal if you can get one, as above, degree and work experience and no debt! What area?

If it's something like the pwc technology degree apprenticeship, they're amazing deals! Paid a wage, fees paid, work between university years, what's not to love? There are additional things to do, like extra portfolios and end of year projects/presentations because the apprenticeship has more requirements than just the degree, so there is more work to do.

Which one is he interested in?

My ds is doing the police degree apprenticeship.

Absolutely brilliant. He’s loving being a police officer and getting paid while doing his degree.

DC is in the second year of a degree apprenticeship.

It's very hard work - basically, they are doing a degree over four years, that is done by full time students over three years, whilst still working full time. The 20% time to study that they have, is taken up by four block weeks of lectures, 40 hours at a time.

They get minimum wage, and sometimes get treated as "just the apprentice" at work which infuriates them... but they have no debt and have savings.

I have a friend whose elder child has just finished one (construction management) and whose younger child has just started similar, with the same large construction company. No university fees, qualification, small salary and work experience all rolled into one. What's not to like? When my dc are old enough, I will be encouraging them to consider this route. The fiendish I suppose is that you don't get the "student life" experience.

Like others have said - getting paid whilst getting a degree rather than running up debt

It's more like working while studying then the full university experience - lots of children learn a lot from moving away and living independently, which makes our degree apprentices appear slightly less mature

It's hard work

Worth finding out if he'll be part of a cohort at the physical place of work - if there is a group doing the same thing it's a better community for them

Make sure it's a Reputable university also - they have reputation to protect so you will get a good rounded degree

Great for stem subjects

What industry is he looking to enter?

There are some amazing opportunities out there ( ie civil service/ GCHQ, as well as many other great companies)

There is great information on www.ratemyapprenticeship.co.uk/
as well as ucas ( there is an apprenticeship section) and NotGoingToUni
You can see which apprenticeships are possible by looking at the Institute for Apprenticeships ( not vacancies though).

For vacancies, it is best to look at a variety of sites- not just the gov apprenticeship site.

There are so many positives, but I don’t believe it is an easy option. They do have to juggle a job and studies. Although they get time off in the week, they may still have to spend significant time over and above their job to manage it.
Also, although some companies hire loads of apprentices, he may be primarily working with people who are much older. It would be a much different experience. Does he believe he is ready for that? Is he ready to work Mon- Fri, 9-5? Not every one is at 18.

If he is serious about an apprenticeship, it would be a good idea if he gets a part time job- otherwise it may be really hard to secure a place.

There are some ‘big name apprenticeships, and they can be competitive, but actually there are so many great opportunities with smaller companies too. Also, don’t discount level 4 or 5 apprenticeships- many employers start at lower levels, with progression to higher levels possible after.

Finally
Your son could apply to uni as a back up, but also he may want to give himself a year or two after college to secure an apprenticeship. It would give him more experience in the workplace ( assuming he’ll be working) and it will put him in a good position for the mid year vacancies

By the way, some employers ( including civil service) seem to partner with universities which are more ‘bottom of the tables’.

I’ve seen people on mn froth at the mouth over that, but I’m not sure it matters in all cases.

Thank you.

The idea of having a degree with no debt just seemed to good to be true.

He has been looking at rate my apprenticeship and thinking of doing a business apprenticeship, he won’t be applying for any until September so he’s trying to do some research before then.

If he goes to a university that isn’t classed as a top one because of the apprenticeship- do he think that would go against him in future?

I agree that there are lots of positives. Just some points to consider:

Many are very competitive to get on.
There is no central application point like UCAS, so need to be very organised to keep track of all applications.
You don't get to choose which uni you study at, the employer does. It may be purely on line teaching.
As PP has mentioned, often lower end unis are used. This is fine if you get your qualifications and wish to continue working in your chosen area. However if you find that you want to change, a very specific degree from a lower ranked uni might make it difficult to find other graduate opportunities.
You miss out on the uni experience.
You may need to move away from home - this would be without the security and support found in uni halls used by other 18 year olds.

I know a few kids who have done these and they are brilliant, DD is doing A levels and while the subject she is interested in doesn’t offer these some of her friends are applying for them
They require very good grades and are hard work but if your son can get on one it’s a great way to get a degree with no debt

A family friend's dd is in her final year of a mechanical engineering degree apprenticeship. She has really enjoyed it, doesn't have any debt and a job with her sponsor at the end. It's a fantastic way to get a degree alongside learning practical, industry work skills.

My friends DS is doing an MOD/engineering one at Bristol

Disadvantage- it’s hard work. You’re working full time while doing a degree.

advantages - no debt, earning while you learn, getting valuable experience, more qualified than other graduates when you graduate, a guaranteed job at the end (unless you’re awful)

@Seeline My friend's dd is doing her degree apprenticeship at the University of Liverpool which I believe is a Russell Group university.

@FlamingJingleBells that's why I said some used lower end unis, not all of them

Agree with @Seeline - some seem to use ‘bottom of the table’ universities, not all.

OP asked if it would matter? I think it depends on the original company and the opportunities they offer.
I know many people who have done a degree apprenticeship. One example is a person who worked in a STEM role for a company which frequently works alongside civil service. He was able to get involved in so many interesting projects. He decided to leave after his apprenticeship and went on to an excellent role with a respected company and at over twice the wage. His degree is from a uni which is definitely not known for being ‘good’ in that area. It didn’t affect his future opportunities as he had such excellent real experience under his belt.

Another person I know did a degree with civil service. Again, bottom of table university but amazing experience. She is staying there for now, and it would be bonkers to think that the uni would negatively impact future opportunities. People go to the big universities so that they can GET the civil service and similar roles.

Also, some roles/ companies do not pair with a university, and apprentices do not gain a degree. Instead, they gain recognised industry qualifications

My husband did a degree apprenticeship (level 7), I did a standard degree and we work in the same industry. As he did a degree apprenticeship his earnings increased much quicker than mine, while I was just starting my professional training after university, he was three years in and already earning a good wage for a 21 year old. So despite being younger than me he outearns me as he is three years ahead in his career.

Obviously its a very different experience, as an 18 year old he was working 9-5 and studying, so he had very little time to socialise etc, which did mean he often missed out on things he really wanted to do and found it hard to find time to visit his friends who did attend university. He found his houseshare tough, as unlike university they weren’t all young adulta going through the same thing, they were older adults who had worked for years etc, so it was a big adjustment, especially as he’d been sent to boarding school so he had zero life skills.

Thank you all.

Lots for him to think about and questions to ask.

It seems that you're more likely to get a job directly as a result of these degrees as opposed to an academic degree.
Academic degrees, wonderful though they seem , on paper, do not guarantee a job/career.

Plenty of low paid industries will testify to that.

As an employer (construction consultancy), we have trainees doing graduate apprenticeships. They work full time, then do block release for studying. The current cohort are studying at the top two best -rated universities in Scotland for their particular courses. As others have said, it is hard work, and in our industry's case, takes 5 years rather than 4.

However, if they get decent results, our trainees are kept on at the end of their degree. It's keeping them at that stage that is the problem currently, although they're generally a year older than full time course graduates, they've already got 5 years good industry experience when they graduate, which is priceless in the current market.

I did my degree via work sponsorship. Bloody amazing!

Only downside was I had to sign a contract to keep work8ng for the Local Authority for 4 years after completion of the degree.