Graduate-level apprenticeships should be seen as an alternative route to a degree for students from the poorest backgrounds, according to the Sutton Trust, a leading social mobility charity.
Conor Ryan, the organisation’s director of research, policy and communications, told the International Education Symposium at City of Glasgow College last week that research had shown that the chances of a disadvantaged young person going into university were significantly lower in Scotland than in England.
And while there was a significant number entering higher education through Scottish colleges, many through articulation, he said that “it did raise the question whether a stronger apprenticeship route working with colleges, colleges doing the learning aspect of that, would not be a better option for some of those young people”.
Mr Ryan explained: “Ninety per cent of the higher education participation rate of the most disadvantaged in Scotland is owing to college-based higher education.
“That is not to decry in any way the work colleges do, but it is to raise the question of, is there not another option as well which could enable those young people to have that mix of experience [combining work and study]?”
The ‘debt deterrent’
Graduate apprenticeships offer learners the opportunity to learn while in employment, and therefore do not come with the same financial pressures of other university-level provision. The first cohort in Scotland began their training earlier this year.
On Monday, the Scottish government announced plans to grow the scheme next year, supported through funds raised from the new apprenticeship levy, which will be introduced in April.
“Students are taking on a lot of debt, so if there was an ‘earn while you learn’ option, that would be worth exploring,” said Mr Ryan, adding that the issue of debt - both from tuition fees, in the English system, and living costs - was a major deciding factor for many young people, particularly those who came from disadvantaged backgrounds.
There is a real potential to apprenticeships in terms of social mobility if we get it right
He referred to research showing that, when young people were asked why they had chosen an apprenticeship, the main reason given was the opportunity to earn while they learn. “So there was a debt issue pushing it,” said Mr Ryan.
And indeed, the earning potential was often similar to that from university degrees. “Because we are interested in choices and in whether apprenticeships are really a viable alternative to a traditional university degree, what does it actually mean to the young person?,” he asked.
“Is there a real choice there? We had some economic modelling done, and found that in the Russell Group and Oxbridge, in particular, earnings levels were a bit higher over a lifetime, but actually when you compare the majority of university degrees, on average, with somebody going on a [graduate-level] apprenticeship, on average, the lifetime earnings were broadly similar. And that is great.”
Real problems and real potential
However, Mr Ryan stressed that apprenticeship options were still too limited, and that quality and progression opportunities had to be ensured as the programme grew.
“It is all very well getting young people to consider these options, but if the supply is not there to meet the demand you are creating, there will be real problems.” But he concluded: “There is a real potential to apprenticeships in terms of social mobility if we get it right.”
Jonathan Clark, director of service design and innovation at Skills Development Scotland, which is responsible for apprenticeship delivery in Scotland, said: “We are developing graduate-level apprenticeships in a range of industries. These are expected to become a real alternative to traditional routes to education, particularly for school-leavers who don’t want to leave university with debts, or for existing employees who have the ability to achieve a degree without giving up their job.”
And Terry Dillon, customer programme manager at Skills Development Scotland, added that such apprenticeships had the potential to become a key tool for employers to upskill their existing workforce.
