The value of an apprenticeship

Your experience on a higher, or degree apprenticeship gives you a fantastic opportunity. You are part of a growing community of ambitious, resilient individuals on a journey to becoming rounded professionals and playing a important part in your community, your sector and society. Get involved by visiting this section of AIIR: Your Community.

Here are some quick facts about apprenticeships.

  • Apprenticeships are thought to have started in the 12th Century in Britain (source: Wikipedia).
  • Born in 1475, Michelangelo, considered to be one of the greatest artists of all time, learned his craft as an apprentice (source: Encyclopedia Britannica).
  • England’s National Apprenticeship System was introduced in 1563.
  • Over the years apprenticeships have undergone various re-purposing and rebranding, moving into ‘modern apprenticeships’ in 1993 (source: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/).
  • Germany consistently outperforms European neighbours in terms of productivity and employment rates – nearly two thirds of school leavers progress through apprenticeships (source: BBC News 2011).
  • Higher Apprenticeships 2010-11… and then Degree apprenticeships introduced in 2015, Institute for Apprenticeship and Technical Education. After finishing, 77% of apprentices stay with the same employer, 46% received a pay rise, and 36% reported getting a promotion (source: gov.uk). And your lifetime earning potential increases by around £150,000 (source: University Education).
  • Check our webpages for real stories of how Degree Apprentices at Sheffield Hallam University are making an impact right now.

 

‘Sometimes apprenticeship can be as simple as asking a senior executive to interview a few VP level candidates on your behalf and observing, learning from the process, and starting the process of developing judgement. Figuring out how to become an apprentice time and again is a key to developing great judgement.’
https://bit.ly/30PnfU7

 

‘Once an Apprentice can ‘step into that kind of identity, and realise that everything that happens every-day in the workplace is an opportunity, and everything we offer them here is a framework for that… the degree apprenticeship becomes an extremely powerful learning device.’
https://bit.ly/2DOGlRs