Built Environment – Degree apprenticeships

1. Built Environment – Degree apprenticeships Andrew Ross Faculty of Engineering & Technology

2. A definition • Apprenticeships A New Definition: • An Apprenticeship is a job, in a skilled occupation, that requires substantial and sustained training, leading to the achievement of an Apprenticeship standard and the development of transferable skills to progress careers.

3. Higher education and Degree apprenticeships “Higher apprenticeships are an important solution to the sub-degree gap, and there are already some superb schemes, for which entry is as competitive as getting into Cambridge... The kind of programme, including a sponsored degree, has huge advantages both for employers (who gain staff with theoretical as well as practical knowledge tailored to their specific needs) and for individuals (who gain a career-focused degree, earn good money while they study and graduate free without student loans). Previous governments did not support this route effectively. Higher apprenticeship funding is difficult to claim and poorly administered. We are changing that by routing funding directly to employers, enabling them to purchase training…apprenticeships can include full undergraduate and masters degrees, funded through employer and government co-investment. This is an essential step to making higher apprenticeships the norm rather than a niche in the overall skills programme – making it as plausible to complete a degree via an apprenticeship as to go to university for 3 years. This is a huge opportunity for universities, who think of their customers in terms of employers as well as individuals. Doing so can attract significant investment, as well as Introducing cutting-edge practice into their degree programmes…” Vince Cable, Cambridge Public Policy Lecture on the Future for HE & FE, April 2014

4. School Context • Oldest Built Environment School in UK • 1830s Origins • Centre of Excellence for Engineering, Surveying and Construction • 1300 Undergraduates • 150 Postgraduates • 60+ PhD Students

5. School Overview • HNC to PhD • Property, Construction, Engineering, Surveying • High employment • Strong links with industry • Local, Regional and National recognition • Excellent Research Department

6. School of the Built Environment • Extensive HE provision • All programmes professionally accredited • All programmes have Industrial Advisory groups • Long history of flexible learning programmes- Part time (Day release and Block), Distance learning

7. School of the Built Environment’s involvement with Degree apprenticeships • Academic contributor to trailblazer consultative group from 2014 • Curriculum • Assessment • Delivery modes

8. Standards • Key principles • Knowledge, skills and behaviour ( derived from the relevant professional bodies’ education competency standards) • A final assessment which includes the professional body’s assessment e.g. RICS APC • The educational qualification within the standard is required- i.e an accredited degree

9. Standards and levels • Level 3- pre degree • Level 4- First year degree-Cert of Higher education • Level 5- Second year degree-outcome- Diploma of HE • Level 6- Final year of degree- outcome- degree

10. Degree apprenticeship standards • Construction site manager (CIOB) • Civil Engineering site manager (ICE) • Construction Quantity Surveyor (RICS) • Construction Design Manager (CIAT) • Building Services Engineering site manager (CIBSE) • Chartered Surveyor (RICS)

11. Standards and degree

12. Standard exemplar- Contracting Quantity Surveying-Knowledge

13. Skills

14. Behaviours

15. Timetable for a Sept 2015 entry • Induction commences w/c 21 September 2015 • Teaching commences w/c 28 September • Typical per time student timetable • One day per week (Sept- end May) • 5 years to complete honours degree from level 4 entry • Advanced entry possible with HND/FDSc- usually level 5

16. Typical programme A level entrants HND/FDSc Entrants Degree Professional body assessment

17. Pragmatics • Ensure your proposed degree apprentice has the required entry qualifications for the appropriate programme. • If you are offering a part time opportunity and are considering a degree apprentice- let us know, we can let our admissions team know and direct candidates who have the necessary qualifications to you. • If the trailblazer is not accepted by BIS by Sept 15, likelihood it will be by Feb 16 and the advice received is that existing students can transfer • If you don’t have professionally qualified staff who can sign the log book for the appropriate professional body the school can make arrangements. • If you feel that a consortium approach to the other training activities is required let me know as the school could arrange this with other partners.

18. Costs • Apprentices will not have to pay for training costs and student fees. Apprentices must be paid a wage during the duration of their apprenticeship by their employers. • Employers will be required to pay their apprentices a wage, make a contribution towards the cost of the apprentice’s training and cover the cost of any professional body membership fees. The government has announced that from April 2015 all under 21 year olds under the upper earnings threshold will be exempt from Employer National Insurance Contributions. From April 2016 this willbe extended to all under 25 year olds. • Under the Trailblazer funding model which is be trialled during 2014/15 and 2015/16, the government will contribute two thirds of the total cost of training, up to a cap, with employers contributing the other third. Government funding will cover fees for the Associate Assessment and APC, but cannot be used to pay for professional body membership fees. • Note: LJMU part time degree fees are £6750 p.a.

19. Thank you for your interest Andy Ross School of the Built Environment A.D.Ross@ljmu.ac.uk T: 0151 231 2840 Helen McCormack Faculty of Engineering & Technology h.mccormack@ljmu.ac.uk T: 0151 231 2482