Uni open days despite wanting apprenticeship degree?

[Citygirlrurallife]

DS is in Year 12 and quite keen on applying for Apprenticeship Degrees in Cyber Security. One or two go through UCAS but most don’t, and I think he wants to look at Space Science Apprenticeships too.

i was thinking it might be worth touring and thinking of uni as well as apprenticeships are so competitive but he gets overwhelmed at the choice. He would love to do Astrophysics OR Computer Science and recently has started thinking about Maths more just because he loves it so much. In theory all these degrees can probably lead to similar jobs because of the crossover but does anyone have advice or where he can start his research as he’s just finding it all a bit much at the moment. College haven’t been super helpful so far, I think he needs some proper higher education/careers guidance. Can you get a professional for something like that?!

I’m at a loss how to help because I went to uni in the early 2000’s when it was just get into the best russel group one that will take you, and I did drama and English whereas his A Levels are Physics, CS, Maths and Further Maths so I’m not even sure what kind of questions to ask him to help him narrow it down. FWIW he’s likely to get A’s, maybe an A* in physics and/or CS if he applies himself

Personally I feel schools tend to leave it all a bit late, and to some extent it depends how independent and self motivated your child is. Mine needs me to help point him in the right direction!

I don’t think so but have to say I don’t know. I am a bit concerned that AD only seem to be offered by lower tier units but I don’t know if that’s my old fashioned thinking

Mine is generally very independent but upon realizing he needs to get his acf together and isn’t, I’m intervening more than I usually do

I asked him about it today and he reassured me 6th form are talking about these things.
I reminded him that open days happen in the summer and that if he wants to go we'll need to plan i.e. none of this teen "Mum, Mum, Mum can you take me nnnnn in 2 mins?" nonsense.

I've done it all before with his brother but that was 10 years ago and I know a lot has changed. It's all QR codes and Food Trucks these days!

Oh and he did tell me not to worry as he's going to be a professional footballer!
He's just starting training and playing the odd game for the Men's reserves and gets a tenner a match!

I think you have to view it as a different thing entirely. Mine had a place at Warwick but opted for the degree apprenticeship which is with Kent. He is being paid a very decent salary, gets his degree paid for and guaranteed a job if he does well. He is doing very interesting work, which will give him a range of experience beyond most graduates. I just think they are very different things.
Its not the right thjng for everyone or for every career path. My other one did uni and now is doing a masters. Horses for courses.

@Citygirlrurallife If he’s a high flyer he will do well anywhere! If his option is Kent or Warwick, I might take the option of Warwick if it’s a maths degree!!! Every time. If it’s a choice between similar universities, I’d not worry but the apprenticeship will be so much more competitive!

Warwick do degree apprenticeships. The choice is quite limited though.

Oh I’ve definitely had to check my judgemental approach! As I say I come from a time where you just got into the “best” uni you could and I was under a lot of pressure to get straight A’s.

i think he’s better suited to an apprenticeship degree, and he’s very keen for a multitude of reasons

@Citygirlrurallife There are still high flyers at Warwick and Imperial doing maths and may well get better careers than apprentices with a degree from Kent. League tables are compiled for a reason and you are not wrong in your original thinking. Don’t forget that apprenticeships are usually fiercely competitive and, despite what others say, a maths degree from a COWI uni gives broader employment options than one company can offer. It’s fairly standard for employers to recruit for a single career and offer a fairly narrow degree. Few will be at Warwick. JLR used to have a tie in with Warwick. Not sure if they still do but their apprenticeships are fiercely competitive. They do, of course, still employ grads.

JLR for JLR employees only.

https://warwick.ac.uk/study/degree-apprenticeships/

https://warwick.ac.uk/study/degree-apprenticeships/courses/

Be aware that the companies sponsoring these courses can be ruthless if an apprentice’s performance is below par. It is a different experience to a normal degree.

It sounds like he’s got a lot of different interests and doesn’t really know where he’d want to be - so I’d probably focus on trying to narrow that down. Do you have a local uni running an open day soon? Often worth going to something like that to spark interest

@Elbowpatch Yes, friends were JLR employees. My point was that getting into an employer like this gives access to the better universities. Being an employee at JLR is not just via apprenticeships.

Just to add most degree apprenticeships offer lower a level entry, but as everyone has said they are hugely competitive. My DS had A*AA.

@BringBackCatsEyes open days aren’t t really in the summer. Last year DS went to Exeter at the end of May in year 12 then did a few in early September - mid October of year 13. There are also some in late October and November.

I took DDs in the summer and I think the Oxford subject day was in the spring. I’d always check.

Yes he’s going to Surrey next week as they’re having a fair which is focusing on Russell Group unis and apprenticeship degrees. Thanks to advice on this thread I looked at Warwick and suggested going to their June open day as it will kill several birds with one stone - info on apprenticeship degrees, they also run “normal” degrees in the subjects he’s interested in and it’s a campus uni which he hasn’t seen before so I think a good idea to check out

i do think he is motivated by not being saddled with debt, with essentially working straight away, getting onto a career trajectory. I’m trying to get him to focus on how he would truly like to spend the next 3-4 years as career wise there’s quite a lot of crossover in his interests - it’s not like he’s trying to weigh up being a doctor, economist or actor

My DD (Y12) wants to go for an apprenticeship too so I'm grateful to hear of others pursuing the same route. I've signed up to apprentice job alerts on LinkedIn and we have a spreadsheet to note down anything interesting and when it was advertised this year in the hope they follow a similar pattern next year. She'd like a degree apprenticeship but would be willing to do a level 4 if it is a foot in the door. She's also wanting something creative, which are a lot more rare (her favourite is the Christie's programme). We are under no illusions that it is going to be difficult. Would an apprenticeship thread be useful (plenty of uni ones here)? A central gateway would be great. We've done all the legwork ourselves …

My ds has applied to 7 graduate apprenticeships but I expect the competition to be fierce because it is effectively the same as uni but without the fees.

Ds has also applied to 5 universities, with four offers so far.

One of the graduate apprenticeships uses one of the same degree courses but provides work experience during the summer and Easter holidays.

Better to cover all bases.

@SingingAvocado I'd be interested in an apprenticeship thread. Dc2 looking at engineering (most likely mechanical) but university as backup. Is also willing to do a level 4 or above for the right place.
Off to our first open day tomorrow (reluctantly) and popping by the apprenticeship stand to see if we can get any information that may help. Infact dc would just like to do that and not look at the rest!

Link to thread here if anyone is interested: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/5496753-apprenticeships-support-group

Oh great thanks, will take a look at this.

@Dontlookup1Level 4 take 16 year olds and upwards. That’s a very slow route to a degree. Yes, it’s going to be paid, but it will take years to get a BEng and even more years to be IEng. No CEng without a masters. Is this what he wants?

Yes but it is a foot in the door, my DS started off with an internship and proved himself. Lots of companies rarely recruit straight from school. Again I really can’t empathize enough the value of work experience. We were certainly open to our DS starting at a lower level. You seem to have a negative view of apprenticeships and an obsession with Uni. Have you seen the unemployment rates for graduates? Even Imperial, Oxbridge etc is no guarantee of a glittering career anymore.

Don’t diss an Internship either. Thats how my DS started off and applied internally for the degree apprenticeship.

@User5667887765544331 Absolutely fine with apprenticeships but it is fair to point out what stumbling blocks might be. As indeed there are on many uni courses.

Many dc simply are not getting them because the competition is very very fierce. The effort to get one can be enormous. It’s is significantly easier to get on a degree course. Dc must stay wuth the employer and need to make work choices from a very early age. This suits some dc but not others. It’s therefore not a case of everyone wanting a job via an apprenticeship gets one. Many get nowhere near an apprenticeship so these dc are added to the uni figures. So all the students with no jobs are in the uni sector, inevitably.That doesn’t mean they will be unemployed though. The good ones won’t be.

Yes, of course work if you can. Of course do an internship if you can. Not everyone gets lucky with that either. Certainly not the fiercely competitive London finance, law and business services ones. So what then? I think we know why some grads cannot get jobs but there’s a myriad of reasons for that. Mostly lack of growth in the economy and employers finding employment too expensive. Of course every student needs to wise up but the idea that all apprenticeships are better is definitely incorrect.

Regarding volunteering, it’s a good idea in some sectors. Environmental science for example. Students need to do what they can.