What are diverse degree apprenticeships?
There are many incredible benefits to a Degree Apprenticeship (DA) – no fees paid by the student, the opportunity to earn whilst you learn, industrial support throughout your studying, and evidence that DA graduates tend to get high degree classifications and good professional level jobs.
Yet, unlike our non-DA programmes, we have low representation from minoritised ethnicity students within Degree Apprenticeships. This is not a local phenomenon but a national one: across the country, Degree Apprenticeships in Engineering tend to be taken up by students who are from more affluent backgrounds and less likely to be an ethnic minority.
We have developed a steering committee to discuss the data around representation of minoritised ethnicity students in Degree Apprenticeships from a range of contexts and perspectives to help us understand some of the reasons why we might be seeing this outcome. We want to use what we learn to develop a suite of initiatives and actions that will make a difference.
Who are we?
Co-chairs
- Lee Woods (Associate Dean Students, Faculty of Technology
- Yvonne Howard (Director of Race and Equality)
Steering Group
- Jenny Walden (Associate Dean Academic in the Faculty of Technology)
- Simon Lee (Senior Teaching Fellow, School of Civil Engineering and Surveying)
- Claire Middleton (Degree Apprenticeship Manager)
- Manoj Ponugubati (Faculty of Technology Lead for Degree Apprenticeships)
- Jovana Radulovic (Director of Education Strategies)
Events
Past
Wednesday 13 December 2023
The initial event took place at the end of last year, we explored the data around representation of minoritised ethnicity students on our apprenticeship courses, which is in stark contrast to the diversity we see on our other courses. At this event we were lucky enough to have a panel of speakers from a range of contexts and perspectives, and the panel discussions helped us to understand some of the reasons why we might be seeing this outcome. Based on what we learnt from the event, we developed a survey to understand more about this.
Upcoming
Friday 21 June
1:30pm - 4:00pm, Portland Building 2.33 a,b,c
At this event we now want to use what we have learnt to develop a suite of initiatives and actions that will make a difference. The workshop will be structured around small group activities to mind-map ideas to address the specific challenges we have identified, followed by a shortlisting of the most impactful suggestions. We also aim to use the materials generated to produce a best practice toolkit for employers, looking to recruit new degree apprentices.
The session will take the form of a structured set of roundtable discussions and workshops. During each session, groups will be asked to develop ideas to address a specific barrier or issue to some people in applying for and securing apprenticeships. Some barriers and issues were identified at our first event in December 2023. Materials and contextual information will be provided to help guide the discussions and development of ideas. Although discussing some of the issues
About Degree Apprenticeships
Degree apprenticeships allow you to work as an employee while you study part time. They combine academic study from a traditional university degree with practical on-the-job experience and employment skills you need for a successful career.
As they're developed between the Government, employers and universities, you’ll learn skills that will be in high demand in the future. They're suitable for anyone over 18, whether you've just finished school or college, or you're already well into your career.
There's no tuition fees payable, because the Government and your employer pay your tuition fees. Degree apprentices are employed by a company and paid a salary, and they get the same rights as other employees, including a contract of employment and at least 20 days paid holiday per year.
Degree apprenticeships take 1–5 years to complete, depending on the course you take. You'll typically go to university 1 day a week for around 30 weeks every year. On the weeks you don't go to university, you'll spend a minimum of 6 hours per week studying outside of work.
Browse our degree apprenticeships here.