Many universities are still grappling with how best to integrate apprenticeships into their wider provision. When students are spending the majority of their time at their workplace, how can a university ensure it provides them an authentic academic experience?
Since the introduction of apprenticeship standards in 2017, the number of degree level apprenticeships has grown steadily, representing 13.1 per cent – 37,800 – of all apprenticeship starts in the first three quarters of the 2021-22 academic year, a 10.3 per cent increase on the previous year.
Having recently left a school with no apprenticeship provision to become dean of the school of built environment and architecture at London South Bank University (LSBU) – which teaches around two-thirds of the institution’s 2600+ apprentices – the question of how to create a genuine academic experience for degree apprenticeship students is one that I have been spending a significant amount of time pondering over the last few weeks.
