Rebecca Hopwood
Apprenticeship Lead, UCAS Media
Compare higher or degree apprenticeships with full-time undergraduate degrees to understand what’s the right route for you. But remember to get a proper view, you need to put in the legwork.
Make the most of open days and taster sessions, attend events where you can meet employers and universities face-to-face, and make sure you hear the experiences of the apprentices themselves. It’s the only way to get to know the ins and the outs of your options.
Focus on what you love
Higher and degree apprenticeships cover a range of subjects and sectors – carefully think through what interests you. You don’t need to have your career path mapped out. If you are passionate about what you do, you’ll get more out of the experience.
If an apprenticeship feels like it might be right for you, you won’t be alone. Of the 200,000 students who signed up to get advice from UCAS about applying for higher education in 2018, almost a third were considering a higher or degree apprenticeship as well as university.
Earn while you learn
While the appeal of earning while you learn is obviously a real pull, for the organisation you join, you’ll bring fresh thinking, a new take on challenges, up-to-date theories and insights, and, because you’ll be working for them, a commitment to the organisation. That all adds real value for your employer. Everyone wins!
February 2019
