A first-ever international conference on the subject of Degree and Higher Apprenticeships is to be held at Staffordshire University.
Expert views will be shared about the best way to teach and deliver the “earn while you learn” apprenticeships, which provide unique new workforce opportunities.
Apprentices/students on the courses are full-time employees spending around 20 per cent of their employment hours at a provider of higher education and the rest in on-the-job learning activities.
A variety of key players will attend the First International Conference on Delivery and Policy of Degree and Higher Apprenticeships on 22 June, and there will also be input from employers and apprentices.
The audience – which will include business leaders – will hear about the initial findings of a ground-breaking collaborative project run by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) to examine the challenges and good practice of teaching Degree Apprenticeships.
The project examined the development of apprenticeship programmes, motivations behind teaching processes and strategies enabling student success.
The free-to-attend conference will be hosted by the University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Digital Transformation, Professor Raheel Nawaz, who helped launch Degree Apprenticeships across three continents and was awarded a National Teaching Apprenticeship for his ground-breaking work.
Raheel, pictured above at a previous Staffordshire University event, said: “We are delighted to be hosting the Conference. It’s a fantastic opportunity for anyone interested in the ‘earn while you learn’ progression pathway to hear from senior policymakers and researchers in the field as well as hearing directly from employers and apprentices in a session moderated by Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Chief Executive Sara Williams OBE.
“The government has recently confirmed an additional £40m investment for Higher and Degree Apprenticeships to help increase participation in what is already a vital component of the education sector, and a crucial route to addressing current skills shortages for employers in Staffordshire and our wider region.”
Speakers include: Tom Bewick, CEO, Federation of Awarding Bodies, Dr Rachel Cooper, Strategy Director for Institute Apprenticeships and Technical Education, Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee FRSA, CEO of UVAC, Ernest Edifor, Director of Digital & Technology Solutions Apprenticeship, Manchester Metropolitan University, Jane Goodyer, Dean, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Maighréad Hegarty, Associate Dean – Apprenticeships, Staffordshire University, Rachel Hewitt, CEO, MillionPlus – The Association for Modern Universities, Lucy Kidson, Apprenticeship Programme Manager, AJ Bell, James Mackay, Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Pilot Manager, Otago Polytechnic, Clare Marchant, CEO of UCAS, Rob Stroud, Director – Assessment Services and Access to HE at QAA, Greg Wade, HE Policy Advisor, Universities UK and Paul Warner, Director of Strategy & Business Development, Association of Employment and Learning Providers.
To register for a free place at the Conference, which will be held in Staffordshire University’s Catalyst Building, go to: https://lnkd.in/eat7_EGn
