What is Higher Education for an Apprentice?

Apprenticeships equip young people with the relevant skills and knowledge to help them climb the career ladder.  There are hundreds of opportunities on offer at training providers, colleges and universities that can help young people progress into their chosen career. More and more advanced level apprentices are now going on to obtain higher qualifications.  An Apprentice has a number of options:

Foundation Degrees

Foundation Degrees are Higher Education qualifications designed to equip learners with the knowledge and skills needed by employers.

• They contain a mixture of academic and work-based learning
• They will take two years full-time study but may take longer if you study part-time
• Many Foundation Degrees are now offered on a distance learning or flexible study basis, allowing learners to study whilst in employment with minimal disruption to work and home life

They are available through local colleges and universities throughout the country.  On successful completion of a Foundation Degree there will be an opportunity to progress onto the third year of a specified degree programme.

Higher National Certificate/Diploma (HNC/HND)

• HNCs/HNDs are a Higher Education qualification
• HNCs/HNDs are offered full-time or part-time in most colleges or training providers
• Learners are able to relate their job roles to an assignment based programme
• Completing a HNC/HND will enable learners to access a degree or an equivalent professional qualification

This is a typical route for a number of skill areas including business and engineering.

Level 4/5

• These qualifications are a continuation of the Level 3 completed as part of the Advanced Level Apprenticeship
• Level 4 and 5 are commonly based around management roles and may be more applicable as your career progresses

Higher Apprenticeships (not as yet nationally available in all sectors)

• A Higher Apprenticeship can include a Foundation Degree and lead onto a full Honours Degree
• Progression onto new job roles, such as Management and Technical Specialist
• A learner can progress to this level of Apprenticeship after completing an Advanced Level Apprenticeship or at 18 after A Levels or equivalent qualification/s
• Higher Apprenticeship programmes are currently available in IT, accountancy, engineering, purchasing and supply sectors, enabling apprentices to study for a Foundation Degree, learn valuable new skills and earn a living at the same time.  New sectors are being introduced all the time and can be found on www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Professional Qualifications

• Professional qualifications are written and accredited by the professional society
• Professional qualifications are common in the accountancy and insurance sectors amongst others
• Gaining this type of qualification will enable you to gain membership to the relevant association or institute

UCAS Points

• UCAS allocate points to qualifications used for entry to Higher Education.
• UCAS are working to extend this system to ensure that the qualifications gained during an Apprenticeship count towards an individual’s university application

Why study for a higher qualification?

Listed below are a few reasons why apprentices should continue their study on completion of their Apprenticeship:

• Graduates tend to earn more money over their lifetime. As an example, it has been calculated that those in engineering can earn at least £200,000 more, over their lifetime, than an engineer without a degree
• Graduates are also less likely to be unemployed later in life than those without degrees. This is partly because their higher-level skills allow them to do a range of jobs
• Graduates tend to work at higher levels in a company so degrees certainly help in career progression
• To enable career progression there may be a requirement for a higher-level qualification, for example, to gain chartered status in subjects such as engineering or accountancy, or to do certain jobs where the higher-level qualification is a requirement

If apprentices want to gain a higher qualification such as HNC, HND, Foundation Degree or Honours Degree and they have a supportive employer, they can continue to study on a part-time basis while continuing to receive a wage.  In this way they can avoid the huge debts that full-time undergraduates face.  There are an increasing number of HE courses that are run part-time at Further Education (FE) colleges and universities in and around Lancashire. There is no centralised admissions process (like ACAS) for part-time applicants, they must apply to each individual institution that they are considering.

Higher Education costs less than you think

All part-time undergraduate students, regardless of age, can apply for part-time student finance.  For each year of the course they can apply for a Fee Grant and a Course Grant.  The course must last at least one year, and not take more than twice as long to complete as the equivalent full-time course.

For more information
www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance
or phone customer helpline
0845 300 5090