What will it take for universities to achieve growth in Degree Apprenticeships?

Last week it was National Apprenticeship Week and it was great to see some success stories in the Higher Education sector. However, I found myself wondering if universities will ever be able to realise the true potential of Degree Apprenticeships.?

Why?

Sitting in an undergraduate marketing seminar some 25+ years ago, my favourite lecturer advised:

‘it’s far better to self-cannibalise than let another organisation eat you’.

They were, of course, pointing to the companies that deliberately launch products even if they directly compete with their traditional portfolio. They create that product rather than allow a competitor to steal away a part of their market.?

The same could be said for Degree Apprenticeships. Last week, UCAS announced that from 2024 visitors to ucas.com will be able to search and apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees. That means that prospects will be able to assess, potentially side-by-side, a university degree against a degree apprenticeship. The only (perceived) difference is that one comes with a salary.?

There is a reported huge demand for apprenticeships but not enough apprenticeships on offer. That may well change in time. And for universities to capitalise on that demand they will need to be comfortable with scaling up a ‘product’ that steals ‘customers’ away from their existing offer.?

As you might expect, I’m coming at this from a marketing angle – but all too often this is the forgotten, but crucial, piece of the apprenticeships puzzle. Head over to?WonkHE?for a great article debating whether the policy incentives stack up for universities taking part in apprenticeships. However, in my view, even if all of the incentives did work in the sector’s favour, there are still some blockers:

1.?????The?B2B marketing (and sales) model?is completely different to the model employed by existing university student recruitment functions. In this case the employer does the recruiting – but first, the employer needs to find a suitable university partner.?

So are universities now geared up for this B2B sales model and a dramatic change in the overall student make-up??

In my experience the apprenticeship marketing/recruitment team in a university often represents a tiny proportion of the overall FTE number of staff within an External Relations directorate. Yet planning for growth also requires growth in the marketing and sales function. This is often missed (or underestimated) in university business plans when aspiring for apprenticeships growth.?

2.?????Rather than using a traditional ‘student recruitment team’ this model leans more on our?academic colleagues?to ‘woo’ large employing organisations. The process of?pitching?is rather alien to many parts of the academic community (and for good reason). What support is available to help them to deliver a compelling pitch?

3.?????Generally, the people responsible for Business Engagement in universities have very little to do with the people responsible for the overall brand proposition or marketing process. They just?do not talk enough?(on the whole).

4.?????In the words of Drucker,?‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’. Let’s face it – not all parties in universities are exactly warm to the idea of apprenticeships. It’s a massive change in approach. Why should they amend the entire structure of a tried-and-tested undergraduate or postgraduate programme for a new, more demanding audience? And we know that if a change isn’t explained well, resistance can seriously hamper success.?

5.?????And finally – are universities really set up for the?‘customer-first’ approach?that the typical apprenticeship partner requires? Organisations often need delivery on-site and on?their?terms. They need regular progress reports, timely feedback loops, efficient financial processing, a quality induction programme and a dedicated account manager. The Trip Advisor-style of the government’s apprenticeships?website?allows employers to see ‘customer reviews’ and filter by ‘block delivery’ or ‘workplace delivery’. How well is this understood and embraced in the sector? How long before more filters are added?

Over the years I have seen some universities rise to the challenge. Perhaps these institutions have realised that it’s better this way (than to be eaten)?

What more can we do to support the apprenticeships agenda in our institutions? How can the sector become more apprenticeships-driven? Or should we just ignore them and hope they go away?

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