Prof Sally Smith S.Smith@napier.ac.uk
Head of Graduate Apprenticeships and Skills Development and Professor
A multi-institutional exploration of the social mobility potential of degree apprenticeships
Smith, Sally; Taylor-Smith, Ella; Fabian, Khristin; Zarb, Mark; Paterson, James; Barr, Matthew; Berg, Tessa
Authors
Dr Ella Taylor-Smith E.Taylor-Smith@napier.ac.uk
Senior Research Fellow
Dr Khristin Fabian K.Fabian@napier.ac.uk
Lecturer
Mark Zarb
James Paterson
Matthew Barr
Tessa Berg
Abstract
This mixed-method study at six universities asked degree apprentices about their trajectories into the apprenticeship, to better understand the social mobility potential of apprenticeships. The degree apprenticeship offers a route to a degree for apprentices, who are employees studying for a degree. As a new model, little is known about the apprentices: who they are, their journey towards this degree, and whether they fulfil the social mobility aspirations expressed by apprenticeship policymakers. Computing and IT apprentices at six universities in Scotland, UK, were surveyed (n=160) to ask about their background and previous experience. Interviews (n=28) were carried out with apprentices studying with one of the institutions, to enquire how their backgrounds impacted on their journey to this point. By taking a multi-institutional approach, the study reports findings across different degree apprenticeships and geographical locations. Apprentices were found to be drawn from all socio-economic groups and represented those new to work and upskillers, already in work. For upskillers, the degree apprenticeship offered a belated opportunity for degree-level study. However, young people recruited into the apprenticeship were disproportionally from more privileged groups. We make recommendations for recruitment and selection processes to increase equality of access to degree apprenticeship places.
Citation
Smith, S., Taylor-Smith, E., Fabian, K., Zarb, M., Paterson, J., Barr, M., & Berg, T. (2021). A multi-institutional exploration of the social mobility potential of degree apprenticeships. Journal of Education and Work, 34(4), 488-503. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2021.1946494
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Mar 26, 2021 |
Online Publication Date | Jul 10, 2021 |
Publication Date | May 19, 2021 |
Deposit Date | Mar 30, 2021 |
Publicly Available Date | Jun 21, 2021 |
Journal | Journal of Education and Work |
Print ISSN | 1363-9080 |
Electronic ISSN | 1469-9435 |
Publisher | Routledge |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 34 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 488-503 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2021.1946494 |
Keywords | degree apprenticeship, graduate apprenticeship, social mobility |
Public URL | http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2756913 |
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A Multi-institutional Exploration Of The Social Mobility Potential Of Degree Apprenticeships
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This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
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