Degree Apprenticeships - a definition

As an apprenticeship training provider, the University operates within the terms and conditions of its funding contract with the ESFA. These terms and conditions affect all staff and students involved in apprenticeships. The Degree Apprenticeships Office has been set up to provide advice and guidance on issues of compliance and quality.

Degree Apprenticeships develop knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) required for a specific job role and combine this with academic learning at the appropriate level. Degrees offered as part of the apprenticeship are aligned to the qualification descriptors and relevant subject benchmarks.

Degree apprenticeships are available at the University at levels 6 and 7, equivalent to a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree respectively. They combine work with study, and apprentices will typically work full-time and study part-time. The programme tests both occupational competence and academic learning and is set up in one of two ways:

• Integrated degree apprenticeship: this type of degree includes an end-point assessment (EPA), that marks both the end of the apprenticeship and degree programmes, and the student must pass this to achieve both (i.e. the EPA is credit bearing);
• Non-integrated degree apprenticeship: this has a separate EPA, which tests the occupation’s duties, along with the KSBs and is separate to the assessment of the degree.

Any degree apprenticeships developed must align with the apprenticeship standards. You can find the apprenticeship Standards that are approved for delivery, in development or proposed on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website.