BBC joins the expanding number of organisations choosing to partner with Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) to provide degree apprenticeships, a national flagship scheme launched by the UK government that offers the opportunity of studying for a degree while training on the job.
The ‘Degree Apprenticeship Programme’ allows participants to complete an apprenticeship within BBC’s Design and Engineering division and study for a degree at QMUL at the same time. After the four year programme, participants will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Digital and Technology Solutions. The format of the programme offers students a path to higher education while also receiving a competitive salary.
As well as BBC joining for 2017/18, QMUL also provides degree apprenticeships with Goldman Sachs, John Lewis, IBM, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and software company Sapphire Systems. Many of these organisations are accepting applications for 2017 entry.
There are considerable financial benefits for students who decide to study a degree apprenticeship as tuition fees are paid by the employer, and they are paid a salary for their employment.
Students are able to specialise in Software Engineering and learn about new technologies and modern innovators, programming techniques and innovative software design. They can then apply their academic knowledge and theory to a real workplace environment during their apprenticeship.
Holly Brazier, first year degree apprentice at Goldman Sachs, said: “Gaining real-life work experience seemed to be just as important as earning a degree – that’s why I chose to do a degree apprenticeship as it’s a unique way of continuing my education and working at the same time.
“I often use the concepts learnt at QMUL in the workplace meaning the course content is engaging and relevant.
“Also, this degree apprenticeship means I don’t lose out on the experience of attending university and classes with other students.”
Employers also benefit by providing new training opportunities to current staff and those from a non-traditional educational background, and the degree apprenticeship model allows them to tap into a broader range of technical expertise within the STEM talent pool in the UK.
Professor Rebecca Lingwood, Vice-Principal for Student Experience, Teaching and Learning at QMUL, said: “We're excited to develop new degree opportunities at Queen Mary University of London and build upon our track record of partnering with businesses. Graduates from this course will have the best of both worlds by learning from real-world situations and gaining the most up-to-date, technical knowledge from their courses and lecturers at QMUL.”
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