Degree apprenticeships: Information for applicants

By taking a higher or degree apprenticeship, you will be employed and spending 80% of your time at work and 20% studying towards a Certificate of Higher Education or an undergraduate or master’s degree. If you have a career in mind but would also like the opportunity to study for a degree while working, then one of our Higher or Degree Apprenticeships could be for you.  

Our courses are mapped to the relevant ‘Apprenticeship Standard’ which are nationally recognised and tailored to each individual profession. This ensures that you will be equipped with the right knowledge, skills and behaviours for your chosen career.  Our Apprenticeship courses also allow you to apply your theoretical learning to real life projects in the workplace, developing valuable, practical skills as you learn. 

You’ll be given time during your normal working week to study towards your course. Our courses are typically delivered as day release (one day per week), or in one-week blocks or a blend of both. You will be taught through a mix of face-to-face and interactive online learning, work-based projects, and independent study. We use our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Blackboard to support your studies, which can include recommended reading, case studies, video capture of lectures, online forums, and quizzes. For your work-based learning, you will also be asked to keep a learning journal and develop a professional portfolio of evidence.  

Your academic study can be assessed through assignments, project work and exams. Your learning journal and professional portfolio will be regularly reviewed to ensure it demonstrates that you have reached the required level outlined in the Apprenticeship Standard. You will also have Tripartite Review Meetings, which are three-way discussions between you, your University Apprenticeship Support Link Tutor, and your Line Manager / Mentor, at least every three months to monitor your progress. To complete your apprenticeship, you will undertake an End Point Assessment to test whether you have gained the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the Apprenticeship Standard 

In addition to the support offered by your academic tutors, you will have access to the Student Services offered by the University as well as all our other facilities such as the Library and the Sports facilities.

In order to apply for an apprenticeship, you must apply to an employer offering an opportunity.  Once you have been made an offer of employment, you can then apply to the University.

We will check that you meet the entry requirements and we consider work experience or certificated learning to assess both readiness for the course and exemptions from modules. You can find the entry requirements for each course on our website. 

It is a requirement that all apprentices at level 3 and above have evidence of achieving a minimum of a level 2 qualification in both maths and English before they can be awarded the apprenticeship.

However, whilst we can consider an application without a Level 2 qualification (GCSE or equivalent) in English and Mathematics for certain courses, you would need to study for these qualifications alongside your Degree Apprenticeship, and we would support you in doing this.

More information.

Apprenticeships are advertised throughout the year and there is no fixed application deadline, it will depend on the individual employer as to when the vacancy will open and close 

At this stage you need to apply to employers who are advertising these opportunities either by applying directly to their advertisements or through the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS).

The University will also advertise any apprenticeship vacancies from employers they are working with on this website.

Some employers may require you to have worked for the organisation for a specific period of time, before they support these opportunities.

Apprenticeships in the healthcare sector may be advertised via NHS Jobs.

Application tips for apprentices

The employer will want to know you are going to be a good employee for them, it’s not just about the apprenticeship.

Once your employer has offered you an apprenticeship, we will send you a unique online application link for you to provide the required information for starting the apprenticeship. 

At this stage you will go through several eligibility checks to ensure that you eligible for apprenticeship funding and meet the requirements of the apprenticeship course. Further information on these can be found in the information for each apprenticeship course. 

At each stage, you will be notified if we require further information from you. Once you have completed the required checks, you and your employer will be notified of the outcome.   

Further details of our Admission Policy.