Higher and Degree Apprenticeships Strategy refresh recruitment strand

Dr Darryll Bravenboer

Institute for Work Based Learning

Higher Apprenticeship Frameworks

•  The Specification of Apprenticeship Standards in England (SASE) – 2011 •  Higher Apprenticeships at Levels 4 and 5 only

•  Separate competencies and technical knowledge qualification, each of which must carry at

least ten credits on the QCF: or an integrated separately assessed,

•  A competencies qualification which must carry at least ten credits on the QCF and a separate

Foundation Degree or HND or HNC as the technical knowledge qualification; or

•  A Foundation Degree which combines competence and technical knowledge elements

where the competence element is at least 50% of the Foundation Degree and at least 50% is

delivered through on-the-job training.

•  The Issuing Authority •  Usually a Sector Skills Council, specified job role, employer demand

Higher Apprenticeship Frameworks

•  Higher Apprenticeship Fund •  £25m, 47 new frameworks, diverse professional sectors – 2011- 2013

•  The Specification of Apprenticeship Standards in England (SASE) – 2013

•  Levels 4, 5, 6 and 7 (Bachelors and Masters degree levels)

•  Alignment with HE qualifications – at least 90 credits at level 4 / 5 or 120 credits at levels 6 / 7

•  Separate ‘technical knowledge’ and ‘competence’ qualifications or

•  An ‘integrated’ knowledge and competence qualification – eg a work-based Bachelors degree

•  Qualifications can be QCF, FHEQ or credit rated professional awards

•  The Issuing Authority

•  Usually a Sector Skills Council, specified job role, employer demand

•  Funding

•  Up to 50% funded by SfA (19+ learners) but not for HE qualifications

•  Apprentices undertaking HE qualifications eligible for Tuition fee loans

Apprenticeship reform

•  The Richard Review •  Conducted during and just after the consultation on the revised SASE – seemingly conflicting

policy initiatives

•  Did not include a review of Higher Apprenticeships, focused on level 2 and 3

•  The outcomes affected all apprenticeships including Higher Apprenticeships

•  Key shift to Standards set by employers (not SSC/issuing authorities/providers etc)

•  Inclusion of final synoptic end-test assessment requirement

•  Maintained alignment with professional body recognition from the 2013 SASE

•  Aim for major simplification and parity of esteem with university qualifications

•  Employer Driven - Employers designing Apprenticeships to meet their needs

•  Simplicity - Replacing complex Apprenticeship Frameworks with short, simple Apprenticeship

Standards written by employers

•  Quality - Improving quality through more rigorous testing and grading at the end of an

Apprenticeship

•  Giving Employers Purchasing Power - Government funding for the training of Apprentices

will involve routing funding through employers.

Apprenticeship Standards

•  Trailblazers •  Employer Consortium (at least 10 inc 2 SMEs) submit an Expression of Interest to BIS

•  BIS invite Employer Consortium to develop Apprenticeship Standards in the specified sector

•  Employer driven design, simple, high quality and purchased by employers

•  Apprenticeship standards •  A two page description (written by employers) of the knowledge, competence and behaviours

required to perform an identified job role – Needs to be approved by BIS

•  An assessment plan that describes how the ‘end test’ will assess the achievement of the

apprenticeship standard – Needs to be approved by BIS

•  The Standard may or may not be delivered through a qualification

•  Provider Reference Groups / Trailblazer Provider Groups – HEIs and other providers

•  Change from Frameworks to Standards •  Dual funding arrangements, last Framework intake 2017 or by the end of this Parliament

Degree Apprenticeships

•  A sub group of the ‘apprenticeship family’ – Frameworks and Standards •  Integrated Bachelors or Masters degrees that are listed in existing Higher Apprenticeship

Frameworks

•  Bachelors or Masters degrees that Integrate occupational competence and academic

learning, have been co-designed by employers and HEIs and deliver an Apprenticeship

Standard at levels 6 or 7

•  Existing or new Bachelors or Masters degrees plus a separate ‘end test’ of professional

competence (eg such as might be conferred through professional body membership) and thereby

deliver an Apprenticeship Standard at levels 6 or 7

Current funding model for Trailblazers

Core Government Contribution (CGC) Cap - £2 for every £1 from employer

Cap 1 Cap 2 Cap 3 Cap 4 Cap 5

£2,000 £3,000 £6,000 £8,000 £18,000

Additional incentive payments

Recruiting a 16-18 year old £600 £900 £1,800 £2,400 £5,400

For a small business (<50) £500 £500 £900 £1,200 £2,700

For successful completion £500 £500 £900 £1,200 £2,700

Maximum total Government contribution £3,600 £4,900 £9,600 £12,800 £28,800

The Apprenticeship Levy

•  Designed to tackle the under investment by employers in skills and the negative impact this has on productivity

•  Planned to be introduced in April 2017

•  To help fund the target for 3 million apprenticeship starts this Parliament

•  No specific targets for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships but c40% of Apprenticeship

Standards developed are at HE level.

•  Both public and private sector ‘large’ employers, with payrolls of over £3m, is set at

0.5% of payroll and will apply to all sectors – including universities!

•  Calculated on employee earnings and collected through the PAYE system

•  Expected to raise £3bn per annum across the UK (£2.5bn will be used to fund

Apprenticeship in England).

•  Also public sector procurement requirements and proposed statutory targets for the

employment of apprentices in public bodies (over 250 employees).

Higher and Degree Apprenticeships in Construction Management - Levels 5 and 6

Higher Apprenticeship in Care Leadership and Management – Level 5

Degree Apprenticeship in Professional Aviation Pilot Practice – Level 6

Higher Apprenticeship in Retail Management – Levels 4 (5)

Creative Skillset - Exploring Higher Level Apprenticeships in Higher Education

Advantages for Middlesex

•  HE sector leading experience and expertise in professional and work-based learning and workforce development

•  The facility to accredit in-company learning/training activity and build into HE programmes

•  The flexibility afforded by the innovative University WBL Curriculum Framework

•  Lloyds / Halifax Bank, eastJet, Logan Air, Asda, Marks and Spencer, Bovis Construction, the

Royal Mail, SAP, Nationwide Insurance, Toshiba Tec and Sony Mobile

•  HE sector leading experience and expertise in Higher and Degree Apprenticeship development

•  Recognised by BIS, HEFCE, SfA and NAS as a leading University in this field

•  Middlesex has influenced national policy – integrated knowledge and competence qualifications;

development of the revised SASE and BIS guidance; funding for HE qualifications

•  Briefing HEFCE national and regional teams on the Apprenticeship agenda

•  Sought out by BIS to gather our view of barriers and opportunities for university engagement

with the Apprenticeship agenda

•  Registered with SfA as a Higher and Degree Apprenticeship provider

Opportunities for Middlesex

•  Middlesex as a large employer will pay the Apprenticeship Levy •  Graduate Teaching Assistants - level 7 Higher Apprenticeship - PG Cert in Higher Education

Teaching Assistance

•  Administrators - level 6/7 Degree App for HE Administrators - at level 6 BA (Hons) Higher

Education Administration (with up to 240 credits via APEL). At level 7, PG Cert/Dip/MA Higher

Education Administration

•  Facilities Management

•  Human Resources Management

•  IT services

•  Other employment sector areas…

•  Collaboration with other universities •  Formation of Employer Consortia to establish HE sector Higher and Degree Apprenticeships

•  Use of existing networks – UVAC, UALL, Linking London…

Opportunities for Middlesex Schools

•  School of Art and Design / School of Media and Performing Arts •  Degree Apprenticeships in VFX at level 6 and 7 - need consortium (min 10) of employers.

•  Creative Industries Leadership and Management, Digital Publishing, other skills needs areas

identified by Creative Skillset.

•  Other employment sector areas…

•  School of Health and Education •  Care Managers - largest number of Higher Apps but v low for MDX specialist Higher Diploma -

how can the potential be tapped? Develop new Degree App based on progression from existing

Higher App. Need consortium of employers who back the need for this.

•  Early years - existing degree can become a Degree App - need consortium of early years

employers (currently Higher Apprenticeship Standards up to level 5)

•  Other employment sector areas…not to mention…Nursing

Opportunities for Middlesex Schools

•  School of Law •  College of Policing - As a large employer, the Met Police will pay the levy, developing Degree

Apprenticeships at level 6 and 7 will help them recoup.

•  Chartered Legal Executive (CILEx), level 6

•  Solicitor, level 7

•  Other employment sector areas…

•  Business School •  CMI - Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, level 6

•  CIPD – Degree Apprenticeship? Only level 5 Standard at present

•  Professional Accountant, level 7

•  Other employment areas…

•  School of Science and Technology •  Tech Partnership - Digital and Technology Solutions Professional, level 6 - Software Engineer, IT

Consultant, Business Analyst, Data Analyst, Cyber Security Analyst, Network Engineer

•  London Sports Institute, many opportunities with employer partners…

•  Other employment sector areas…

Opportunities for The Institute for Work Based Learning •  Collaboration with Schools

•  All the above either is already or could be developed in collaboration with IWBL

•  Opportunity to mobilise IWBL expertise to respond to employer demand in any employment sector

•  Potential development areas •  Retail - Asda model – would be an ideal Degree Apprenticeship

•  Construction - existing Framework and forthcoming Standards

•  Aviation – existing Framework – CTC Aviation, Helicentre, Tayside Aviation

•  Flight Instructor Degree Apprenticeship

•  Helicopter Engineering Degree Apprenticeship (in collaboration with Science and Technology?)

•  Other employment sector areas…

Other opportunities

•  Collaboration with FEC partners •  Area Reviews

•  FEC focus of Higher (level 4 / 5) Apprenticeship delivery

•  Focus on key employment sector for the local area – eg Retail, Construction, Care, NHS Trusts,

Local Authorities, other large local employers

•  Collaboration with LEPs •  London LEP

•  Swindon and Wiltshire LEP - City Deal – Middlesex is a ‘Pathfinder University’

•  Other areas...

•  Possible developments •  Funding model for Degree Apps and Higher Apps may emerge as different (Non-SfA/SfA)

•  Key focus on integrated Degree Apprenticeships for universities

•  BIS preferred model for Degree Apprenticeship will be where “employers, universities and

professional bodies come together to co-design a fully-integrated degree course specifically

for apprentices, which delivers and tests both academic and on-the-job learning.”

Suggested strategies…

•  Build on the Middlesex advantage •  Position Middlesex as the University of choice for Degree Apprenticeship development and

delivery with major employers

•  Engage in significant established network initiatives - eg CMI and Tech Partnership

•  Engage in existing Higher and Degree Apprenticeship Trailblazer Provider Groups

•  Ensure all communication channels consistently promote Middlesex engagement and expertise

in Degree Apprenticeships

•  Develop high profile Degree Apprenticeship(s) to maintain momentum •  Existing large employers – private corporate and public sector

•  Work with LEPs to provide the Degree Apprenticeship solutions to their priorities

•  Establish an Employer Consortium for an HE sector Degree Apprenticeship

•  Internal development •  Deploy the IWBL as a source of expertise to support School Degree Apprenticeship developments

•  Identify one or two deliverable Degree Apprenticeship areas per School for fast track development

•  Build Registry team to support Degree Apprenticeship administration

•  Develop and offer Degree Apprenticeships to Middlesex Administrators / support teams

How to find out more?

•  Higher and degree apprenticeships website •  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sfa-higher-and-degree-apprenticeships

•  Apprenticeship Standards •  https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/apprenticeship-standards

•  Apprenticeship Frameworks Online •  http://www.afo.sscalliance.org/frameworkslibrary/

•  Apprenticeship Vacancies website •  https://apprenticeshipvacancymatchingservice.lsc.gov.uk

Questions?