Degree Apprenticeships

[Radical0live]

Please can anyone tell me whether these are a good option or whether employers prefer normal degrees?

My daughter is autistic, not good social skills but good at programming and bright. I'm trying to work out whether she would even get into one of these, are they very competitive? In which case her social skills will be a big disadvantage.

Just wondering if people have any knowledge or opinions they might be able to share

DH works for a very large IT company - they employ 80% of staff through apprenticeships. No debt at the end and being paid a wage seems like a good option

Oh really? That's very interesting and useful to know. Thank you

I work in accountancy we much prefer apprenticeships to just normal degrees when recruiting.

Do you mean a sponsored degree?

What industry? I did a sponsored degree, worked full-time for the company for 4 days and studied for one day. It wasn't a particularly competitive recruitment process. I had to attend a day of tests and interviews.

A lot of companies aim to recruit a set number each year. I think they might even get funding from the government for it. I don't think a lot of industries would be particularly competitive to get a sponsored degree.

I know a few DC on them and some of DDs friends are applying at the moment.
They are very hard to get onto, DDs BF is predicted all As and he has got through to stage 3 on just 2 out of 6 he applied to. The application process has been long and quite difficult, he is about to have interviews

No. Degree apprenticeships are different. And competitive! But great for the right person.

They are very hard to get onto, DDs BF is predicted all As and he has got through to stage 3 on just 2 out of 6 he applied to.
Companies hiring into degree apprenticeships aren't just looking at academic qualifications. It's essentially a job interview. Is he getting help with his CV/application forms/ interview technique etc?

Where are the best places to look for these apprenticeships, I've not heard of them and I'm currently supporting a young lad and I'd like to help him.

It is a "normal" degree, they get a BA/BSc at the end of it.

My DC is going a BSc over four years whilst working full time, and goes for four block weeks of lectures a year. It's very hard - because they are working 37.5 hours a week plus doing assignments etc, and when they go to Uni it's 40 hours of lectures.

Yes they don't have debt, but it's definitely the harder option.

Here:
https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch?ga=2.2838391.618395121.1679438401-1899717088.1677358883&gac=1.229678574.1678463444.Cj0KCQiAx6ugBhCcARIsAGNmMbhIP7crdrkJgJ7tNm1Gy-juoVNEsAXFIA0YUOO0Q1cRIK0yhBxPEaAl1FEALw_wcB

Thank you @titchy

My DS did this, it worked well for him as he has great practical skills but not hugely academic. He worked for a local company 4 days a week and went to uni 1 day a week. At the end of the course he had a degree, 4 years paid work experience under his belt, a job offer and no student debt. Win win!

Degree apprenticeships are an excellent option, sponsored throughout your studies while working, and a guaranteed job at the end of it. But they can be very difficult to get; for those reasons there's a lot of competition. Apprenticeships are no longer for those who weren't considered academic enough for uni.

He is now, I have been coaching him on interview techniques.
As he’s very academic he can be a bit over confident in his abilities and refused help from him Mum and even his brother (who is currently on a degree apprenticeship) but getting rejected by 4 has given him a reality check and he seems to be taking it all a bit more seriously now..
Hes a lovely boy, just had a bit of a charmed life

I work in HE and we offer many degree apprenticeships, including at Masters level. Some are offered in partnership with local FE colleges, so apprentices complete the first 2 or 3 years at a college and then the final year at university.
I heard last week that the government wants 50% of students at university to be apprentices in the next few years.
They are an excellent option for people wanting a degree, but won't give the traditional university experience, which is not for everyone anyway.

Yes, as long as they are hard working and able to dedicate themselves to studying in their spare time. Sil did one, took 5 years rather than 3 but graduated with no debt as company paid all university fees plus paid a reasonable wage.

I work in a university department that runs these programmes. The advantages are that students work for a top employer (Goldman Sachs, civil service, proctor and gamble etc), the work experience is second to none, access to world class research-led teaching, they are paid a competitive salary and after 4 years they have a degree with no student debt and 4 years of relevant work experience, which places them in an extremely strong position in the graduate market.

The disadvantages are that they are very competitive to gain a place (it's definitely not for those who are less academically able) and the student experience is not the same as those on the degree programmes. Ours come in for blocks of week long teaching and due to timetabling logistics these take place at times of the year when the regular students are not in university (reading weeks, out of term time) so university is quieter at these times and there is no mixing between the degree apprenticeship students and the regular ug students. The cohort of the degree apprenticeship students is quite tight, but it's definitely not the "normal" student experience.

@Hoppinggreen that's good to hear. Very often, academic high performers, whether applying for degree apprenticeships or graduate roles, think they'll be selected based on their academic success. They don't realise that they will be competing with others who are their academic equals. The academic qualifications simply allow them to be considered for opportunities, so investing in employability skills is massively important.

I have drilled it into DD and she has been working in her chosen field as well as starting a related business and volunteering.
I have warned her that loads of kids will get 3 As so she need to have something extra

They’re a great option but so competitive - think multiple stage interviews and assessment centres

@Radical0live You asked about an autistic teen applying for an apprenticeship. My DD is on the autistic spectrum and secured a degree apprenticeship a couple of years ago. The recruitment process was during covid so all the assessments were online, which in hindsight, were to her advantage. She’d probably have struggled at a face to face assessment centre for the day (one of the many stages). They are very competitive. She applied to around 6-8 and got to the final stage with two, and made it to one - her favourite luckily. A couple she was rejected from at the first stage.
She’s thriving in the workplace and passing the exams. It’s hard work as others have said. She struggles socially but the workplace environment suits her well. There’s an adult atmosphere. She would have struggled at university socially, sharing a flat and all that goes with that. Work are not aware of her diagnosis as she doesn’t want special treatment - I think this is a shame but…
She’s matured massively and developing the needed social skills as she goes along. It’s definitely been the right choice for her. She’d have loved the academia of uni but none of the social stuff. She’d probably cope ok now actually but it’d be exhausting and likely prone to being bullied and/or left out etc. I think she chose well.
Just to add that she had university places, which she turned down in order to do the apprenticeship. From what I’ve read I think it’s quite usual to still apply to university as a back up plan to the apprenticeships as they are quite tricky to get on.
What industry is your DC considering?

@ComplexNeeds thanks so much for the reply. She is looking at software programming or something along those lines.
I'm glad you mentioned about the university places, I had been wondering about that. I am concerned that she wouldn't get through all the interviews for the apprenticeships and end up with nothing! So you can apply for several of each? Did you help with personal statement etc?
She will struggle with selling herself but she is bright, predicted all As. I just worry that with no eye contact etc, people won't see past that.
I'm glad your daughter is thriving. My daughter does have good friends and can make friends so I think she'd be okay at uni if she found her crowd.
Can I ask when did you start applying? And what industry she is in?

All these replies are so useful, thank you

I’ve sent you a private message.

I keep hearing that apprenticeships are competitive, but does this mean that in reality you need all As or is it just that they're judging people on work-readiness/other things so those with high grades don't necessarily get through?

Ds (year 12) is definitely not wanting to go to uni, he's bright but has ADHD and slow processing (and is very laid back) so unlikely to get more than ABB at the most. I've noticed that most of the business apprenticeships I've seen ask for somewhere between BBB and BCC so I thought he'd be ok as he's mature, very business-minded, already has a job where he's well thought of and is very comfortable relating to adults. He thinks he'll take a gap year and apply for apprenticeships at some point after sixth form which might also give him the edge, having more work experience?

But if he will really need AAA i will need to convince him of this - if he felt he needed As I suspect he'd be motivated to put in loads of work, as he's like that generally. If he buys into something he really goes for it!