How important are apprenticeships to Gen A?

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Universities need to accept that an undergraduate three-year degree isn't right for everybody, says Mark Garratt, director of marketing, communications and recruitment at Anglia Ruskin University. 

“There are still some people who are a bit sniffy about it,” he says. “So there's still a massive communications job to be had to prove to people that, actually, for certain cohorts, a degree apprenticeship is the right route.

“We know that younger people are starting to look at the different ways to achieve their goals and aims in the future, and whether they need to have a degree to do it.”

And so at Anglia Ruskin, they currently offer “a huge number of degree apprenticeship programmes”, including with the police force and other public services. The challenge, though, Garratt continues, is making sure that the organisations have the “ability and capacity” to operate effectively for apprentices. 

Are degree apprenticeships on the rise?

Leeds Beckett University has likewise offered quite a lot of degree apprenticeships, explains Charlotte Renwick, director of marketing, recruitment and admissions (acting), although she posits that “the level of demand that we're going to see in future is probably being overestimated. It is definitely a growing area, but I think the rate at which the demand will grow is not as high as what's predicted,” she says. “There is still a huge demand and role for a traditional university education, where you have the time and space to really change as a person and explore subjects in a huge amount of detail.

“And there's definitely a lack of awareness. Students often don't realise that they've got to be employed by the company to do a degree apprenticeship. And those are some of the most selective programmes because there aren't many, and they can set the barriers quite high.”

“As a result, they aren’t necessarily improving access for young people from less advantaged backgrounds in the way they are often touted as doing.”

Charlotte Renwick, Leeds Beckett University

But, she continues, there are undoubtedly big education changes coming in other areas that may well mean a different landscape for Generation A, particularly when it comes to learning online. 

“I think generally we will need to have a more flexible way of educating,” she says. “At the moment, online learning needs a bit of a rebrand. Our market research has found that people still feel it's a negative thing, especially after the pandemic. Online or hybrid teaching is still associated with the negativity of that, being a necessity rather than a proactive choice.”

Covering all bases

For Jane Oswald, head of marketing at the University of Sunderland, the key is ensuring that young people are aware of the many different options open to them, from traditional degrees, to degree apprenticeships and beyond - and this begins with ensuring the relevant stakeholders are aware too. 

“A big part of it is basic stuff about getting the prospectus out and into the careers library, making contact with those careers teachers as well as the heads of school in sixth form,” she says. 

“It’s about helping those teachers to help their young people to think about what is right for them, whether that’s going straight into the world of work, onto a degree apprenticeship or a traditional degree.”

Jane Oswald, University of Sunderland

“It’s not just educating the children but educating the staff because they are very often huge influences. We need to educate them not just in terms of what [those routes] have to offer, but what the university itself has to offer.”

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