Degree Apprenticeships

I’m about to sit my End Point Assessment a year after finishing my 5 year degree apprenticeship in Engineering. It was delayed due to covid, but as far as I’m aware, I’m in the first wave of those to finish.

Let me know what things specifically you’d like to know.

I’m about to sit my End Point Assessment a year after finishing my 5 year degree apprenticeship in Engineering. It was delayed due to covid, but as far as I’m aware, I’m in the first wave of those to finish.

Let me know what things specifically you’d like to know.

How did you find work and study balance?
As an apprentice, you have to do your university studies in your day/block release from work, and in your own time. However, you take less modules each year than full timer students. There didn’t appear to be any difference in scheduling on the universities side. This meant some months were super heavy with assignment work. It was especially difficult when exam time was approaching. It wasn’t uncommon to work/study 12 hour days for months on end at certain time of the year.

How flexible were they ? Especially during covid.
Deadlines are fixed unless you have extenuating circumstances such as bereavement or poor health. I stopped going into uni in final year before covid. I could self teach in reference to the slides more efficiently on my own by this point.

Were you able to work remotely during covid?
Yes, although some on-site work was required, I was shielding a family member and they were very understanding.

Was it stressful?
At times, extremely stressful. I lost friends and partners. I had physical symptoms and got rashes from stress. My personality was all over the place at times. There’s a lot of pressure to perform when there’s a company behind you.
Despite this, I made new friends and came out of it not only more competent academically, but also a much better well-rounded individual.
It’s not for everyone, but if managed properly and with an employer who will invest in you, it’s a life hack to vocational success.

Although I finished my degree apprenticeship with three academic publications, I wouldn’t say I’m particularly gifted. I got all C’s (6s) in GCSE - no A-levels. It’s the development opportunities my apprenticeship offered me that boosted my performance.

Do you think its was worth it?
Definitely, without a doubt. Although, I had an exceptional employer behind me. I could assume I might have been more fortunate than others.
My workplace is particularly high level and challenging specialised work. Many of my colleagues have PhD’s and some used to work as lecturers/research leads at universities.
Despite this, my apprenticeship has made me competent enough to work proactively and independently. I’m considered a subject matter expert in some areas, where colleagues will go to me for help.
My work also has a graduate scheme, and typically employ MSc/MEng students with a first class degree with honours. Despite this, I can say my apprentice colleagues work at a far higher level despite the lower level academia qualification (BEng).

Did you have time for a good work/social balance?
There’s a common misconception that you miss out on the “student life”. I joined my local universities student union as a guest (studied in a different city), joined lots of societies, and made friends with lots of other students. I was often out on weekends or some evenings with just like any full time student.
I’d actually recommend this over most other things, having something to take your mind of studies is paramount.

Is it overly time consuming?
It can be unbearable when approaching exam time, especially early on. But you improve your planning, discipline, and writing skills to become more efficient over time. There’s tricks and tips for completing assignments/exams quickly and with good grades, but I’m sure they’ll be a separate and course specific thread for that.

Can anyone share their experiences of doing a degree apprenticeship?
I’m currently in my first year of a levels on track to get AAA in philosophy, business, and English Literature. I have no clue what I’d do at uni or which apprenticeship, but I prefer the idea of the lack of debt and gain of experience in a degree apprenticeship. Anyone have any insight?

Damn this is non related to your question, but how the hell are you getting As in Philosophy? Do you mind sharing in dms. Also what apprenticeships are you looking at doing?

Yeah of course just send a message, and I have no clue, definitely degree apprenticeships I like the look of the business related ones since I don’t like maths like the KMPG ones for example

hehe same, i don't like maths either. So you're interested in things like a Chartered Manager apprenticeship then, consulting or marketing? Would you be interested in a digital apprenticeship like a kind of computer science one? As far as I know, you don't need computing.

Guys I had a question.

I have an offer for the chartered manager degree apprenticeship but also one for digital technology solutions degree apprenticeship.

I don't really know what I want to do in the future. Which degree would be better for me? I may go into consulting, banking, finance etc.

I was thinking that Chartered Manager Degree apprenticeship would give me a degree in business management which is much easier than digital technology solutions as I don't have much interest in software. At the same time would I be limiting myself with a business degree?

I only just started my degree apprenticeship so I might update as time passes.Some things I can tell you:

1. It's very hard to get in. Often you're up against people with better qualifications, more experience or better interview skills. You need to learn how to outshine them if you want to stand a chance. No half-assed efforts will get you a degree apprenticeship because the competition is so high.

2. Prepare for 40 hours a week.This was a slight shock to me, going from the meek 12 hours of my BTEC to over 40 hours of work and study. There are different arrangements for this of course. You might be on block release or day release, or might even spend the entire first year at college or uni before going to your company. The exact hours will depend on your contract and timetable (for example, I'm contracted to work 39 hours per week. I'm at college for about 43, but instead of getting the 15 30 minute breaks I would get at work, I get about 1.5 hours).

3. Humble yourself but be confident.You will go to your company and you will understand **** all. You have to ask questions - they know you're new, they know you're inexperienced. Don't be scared to look stupid. You're there to learn.

4. Travel.Be very mindful of where you choose to do your apprenticeship because believe me, travelling for 3-4 hours a day will kill you within a couple weeks. It might even be smart to think about relocating. Also keep in mind that the company and your training provider are unlikely to be located in the same place, so your travel times will differ.

5. Work-life balance.This might take you a while to get a hang of. You leave in the morning, you come back in the evening. Where do you fit your friends, family, hobbies, gym etc? That's up to you to resolve. I've been doing my degree apprenticeship for over 4 months now and I'm only getting a hang of how much time and when I can afford to spend on whom and what. For example, I know that if I go out for a drink on a Wednesday because that's coctail night at my favourite bar, I know I absolutely can't go over a certain limit and have to get myself into bed by max 12 - otherwise I will be dead the next day which is my longest day of the week (9am-8pm). Your company might also offer you the possibility of overtime. Once again, up to you to test and decide how much you can take and is it worth it.

6. You have to work hard.This should be a no-brainer. Degree apprenticeships are hard. I am doing the same workload as uni students in a fraction of the time they get (I only get one day for uni lectures, plus they have to fit 6 subjects into that time frame over the course of the year). I get much less time with the lecturers, and essentially less time to do my assignments (since you know, the 40 hours per week travel). This brings me to my next point.

7. Organise your time well.Do not - I repeat - DO NOT leave your assignments for the last minute before the deadline. Sometimes you will run into trouble, whether that be some technical problems (e.g. I had to use Microsoft Project which I didn't have access to) or sometimes it might be an issue with the brief (the questions are phrased in a way that might not necessearily be clear) or your own skills and knowledge (not knowing or remembering how to do something). You don't want to run into any of these problems 2 hours before you're suppose to submit the paper. Is it possible to pull of a good assignment the night before? Absolutely. I wrote a report worth a quarter of my final grade the night before submission. Finished it at 3 am, sent it to the prof and passed out. I created an entire powerpoint on something I had no idea about 2 hours before presenting it. I got 85%. So it is do-able, but only if you get lucky. And the sheer stress it will give you is just not worth it. Do your assignments on time. If you run into any issues you can always ask your prof (preferably) or your classmates.

8. Much bonding with people from your company but not outsiders.You will be put in groups with people from other companies. And whilst I'm not saying you shouldn't or can't befriend them, everyone mostly stick to the people from their own company. That's the same people that might mentor you or help you resolve problems you might be facing so it's important to be on good terms with them.

Thank you so much, this is really helpful. Which apprenticeship are you doing and which what provider if you don’t mind me asking?

I'm glad you found it helpful. If you have any other questions about apprenticeships ask away.

I'm doing a level 6 apprenticeship in Manufacturing Engineering for a company designing and manufacturing hydraulic products. The training comes under Birmingham City University and is partially delivered by BMet.

Do you ever regret choosing the degree apprenticeship route as opposed to going to university?