Higher Education & Degree Level Apprenticeships

Higher education & degree apprenticeships combine work and study. Apprentices will be employed by a company, paid a wage, and entitled to the same rights as other employees.

Higher education apprenticeships are available at levels 4 to 5. Levels 4 and 5 are equivalent to a Higher Education Certificate/ Diploma or a foundation degree. Degree apprenticeships are available at levels 6 and 7. Level 6 is equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree and level 7 is equivalent to a Master’s degree.

Typically, higher and degree apprentices study part-time at college, university or with a training provider. These apprenticeships take between one and five years to complete.

What are the entry requirements for higher education and degree apprenticeships?

Entry requirements vary between programmes, the sector, and prior skills.

What will I earn as an apprentice?

Applicants aged 16–18, and aged 19+ in the first year of your apprenticeship, will earn the minimum wage for apprentices (£3.90 per hour from April 2019).

Some companies may pay more, especially for higher-level apprenticeships. For example, a software engineer apprentice can earn around £14,500 per year.

What sector can I work in?

There are hundreds of different apprenticeships on offer and new apprenticeships are being developed all the time. Arts, Media, Publishing, Health, Public Services, Care, Legal, Finance, and Accounting are just a sample of the sectors available.

Is a university degree better than an apprenticeship degree?

The degree you finish with from a degree apprenticeship will be as valued as any other would. It will be awarded by an accredited university and will be an Honours Degree.

Will I be more employable with a degree apprenticeship or a university degree?

It’s not guaranteed that your employer will offer you a permanent job at the end of your degree apprenticeship but you are far more likely to remain employed for them as you have been trained exactly how they want.

A university degree does make you highly employable but they’re typically less vocational and most graduates who have been to university will still require job-specific training.