Apprentices: Degrees
(asked on 9th March 2020) - View Source
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of degree starts were degree apprenticeships in each of the last three years.
The number of degree entrants in English higher education (HE) providers in the last 3 academic years are shown in the table below:
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 |
First year: first degree entrants | 458,545 | 463,975 | 475,915 |
First year: postgraduate-taught entrants | 259,440 | 267,305 | 278,310 |
Level 6 and 7 apprenticeships starts for England, along with figures for those where there is a mandatory degree component required, are shown in the following table:
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | |
Level 6 apprenticeship starts | 1,650 | 6,370 | 10,820 | |
Of which level 6 with a mandatory degree component | 1,610 | 5,780 | 9,660 | |
Level 7 apprenticeship starts | 50 | 4,500 | 11,660 | |
Of which level 7 with a mandatory degree component | 20 | 590 | 3,930 | |
The table below provides an 'indicative' percentage of level 6 apprenticeships with mandatory degrees as a ratio of all HE entrants for first degrees.
The indicative percentage is based on the data in the above tables that are drawn from 2 different sources having different coverage. The percentages are therefore indicative rather than precise and are comparing domiciled workers doing apprenticeships with a degree component versus all domiciled and non-domiciled HE entrants doing their first degree in England only.
| 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 |
Level 6 apprenticeship with mandatory | 0.4% | 1.2% | 2.0% |
degree as a ratio of first degree HE entrants |
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Notes:
1) The data sources are the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) for apprenticeship starts and Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for degree entrants.
2) The HESA figures include all students entering English higher education institutions for academic year August to July each year.
3) Overall degree entrants exclude a minority of entrants who started degrees in further education and alternative providers.
4) Apprenticeship starts are counted for the full, final academic year August to July each year and include all funded and unfunded learners recorded on the ILR.
5) Apprenticeship volumes are rounded to the nearest ten starts.
6) Not all level 6 and level 7 apprenticeships have a mandatory degree element. Mandatory degrees can be included in apprenticeships at either level 6 or level 7.
7) Where a level 6 or 7 apprenticeship does not contain a mandatory degree element, an employer or training provider can choose to use a degree or other qualification voluntarily as part of an apprenticeship standard. This would not attract additional funding. These apprenticeships are therefore not recorded as an apprenticeship start that includes a degree component.