Degree apprenticeships. They’re Skills Minister Robert Halfon’s “two favourite words in the English language” and we’re at the beginning of a whole week dedicated to raising awareness and celebrating the many benefits of apprenticeships at all levels (yes this year’s National Apprenticeships Week does clash with World Nutella Day, but that aside…).
I’m sure we can all recall a time observing in others – and (checks notes) ourselves – when scratching the surface of an issue led to an overestimation of knowledge and confidence began to outstrip competence. This is described by the organisational psychologist Adam Grant in his book Think Again as ‘Armchair Quarterback Syndrome’ – picture the person shouting at the TV that they know better than the coach. This is easy enough to do when trying to stay on top of the daily proliferation of HE policy publications and punditry, let alone everything else.
When it comes to degree apprenticeships, my colleagues and I have found that policy influencing involves a significant amount of myth-busting. So here are three reasons why higher and degree apprenticeships might deserve a first look, closer inspection, or further reflection.
