This week, National Apprenticeship Week, pupils from Kingsbury Green Academy in Calne, Wiltshire, have been exploring degree apprenticeships as an alternative option for their career paths after they leave school.
Degree apprenticeships combine paid employment with higher level study and so offer young people the best of both worlds when it comes to pursuing their careers. Available across a wide range of subjects and industries, they enable young people to have demonstrable job experience and skills as soon as they finish their studies, as well as meaning that graduates often don’t have the same burden of debt as their counterparts who would have followed a more traditional university-based route to the same qualification.
As part of National Apprenticeship Week (5-12 February) activities, pupils from Year 12 were given an introduction to higher and degree apprenticeships from the ASK programme, a Department for Education-funded programme that works with schools across England to increase awareness of apprenticeships and T Levels amongst students, parents, carers, teachers and career advisers.
The workshop covered the benefits of earning and learning at the same time, with information provided about what a higher and degree apprenticeship covers as well as how to apply.
Year 12 pupil Niall attended the workshop. He said, “I’m pretty split on whether to go to university or to do a degree apprenticeship. For the career I want, a degree apprenticeship is just as good as university as I want to go into film and TV production as it’s such a hands-on job.”
Fellow pupil Ben added, “University can be very expensive and leave you with debt but with a degree apprenticeship you’re making money too. I learnt that there’s a harder application process with degree apprenticeships but it’s worth it as you get the same qualification at the end but you’re working at the same time. It also looks good on your CV as you leave knowing how to work and what it’s like to be in the workplace.”
Cath Young, Careers Leader at Kingsbury Green Academy, commented, “Degree apprenticeships are a great option for young people who feel that a traditional university route isn’t for them but want to continue studying at a higher level. The opportunity to earn whilst you learn is very appealing to our pupils and quite often they’re surprised to find out just how wide a range of subjects are covered by higher and degree apprenticeships.
“Knowing all of the options available, both in terms of the routes to take and the different subjects on offer, is incredibly important to help our pupils make the right choices for their futures. The careers team at Kingsbury Green Academy works closely with pupils to help them think about what they would like to achieve in the future so they can then plan their paths to achieve this.”
Kingsbury Green Academy is part of the Ascend Learning Trust. For more information on Kingsbury Green Academy, visit www.kingsburygreenacademy.org.uk