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Case study: Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, University of Sheffield

The University of Sheffield has been an early entrant to this new form of higher learning.

Its Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre – AMRC with Boeing (which specialises in the research and development of better manufacturing processes and more efficient factory optimisation) has excellent relationships with businesses – both large multinationals (typified by Boeing) and also local SMEs. It has been delivering research and taught masters degrees since its inception almost two decades ago. For the past three years, the AMRC as part of the University of Sheffield has provided advanced and higher apprentice training, with an annual intake of 205 apprentices. Having identified a gap in manufacturing education at degree level, it has been able to take advantage of the government initiatives and funding around degree apprenticeships to develop its offer.

With a Further Education college partner, locally, the AMRC Training Centre already offered a Foundation degree and higher apprenticeship, but is now recruiting to the first year of its new Bachelors in Manufacturing programmes (BMan), designed to provide degree level apprenticeships in Manufacturing. The BMan programme will run via day release over three years. By teaching over 36 weeks a year, on one (long) day a week, and using a flipped classroom/blended learning approach, the curriculum has been designed to deliver graduates of the standard that employers are expecting. Students will be able to study for a foundation degree in two years, a bachelor’s degree in three years or to master’s level over four years.

The employers say that the key benefits are that as well as being better engaged and loyal,

the students understand industry;
they know how to make things;
they have manufacturing skills;
they have an established work ethic.

In addition, they will have access to experts from the university and AMRC to support student projects and the apprentice levy and government support improves the financial viability, even for small companies.

From the students’ perspective, they get paid while they study, ‘earn while they learn’ and apply their academic learning in their own workplace through project work in their companies. The blended learning approach means that they will be able to do much of the learning in their own time, meaning that the time they spend in at university will focus on problem classes, laboratories and tutorials.

The university sees it as a flagship activity with a number of key advantages:

It enables the university to cover the full post-16 to PhD spectrum of education in manufacturing, with industry engagement at every stage;
It enables the university to apply its standards and educational experience to widen the number and diversity of people studying engineering.
It allows the university to better engage with the region, its local manufacturing base and the rest of the world to provide an additional pipeline of well-qualified, graduate engineers.

With thanks to Professor Stephen Beck, Head of Multidisciplinary Engineering Education, University of Sheffield.

Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are solely that of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Engineering Professors’ Council or the Toolkit sponsors and supporters.

Degree Apprenticeships Toolkit

Degree Apprentices must be employed for a minimum of 30 hours per week and must have the right to live and work in the UK. A Degree Apprentice cannot be self-employed and must be:

a new recruit or an existing employee where an employer intends to support the individual complete the apprenticeship;
employed in a real job and the employer must pay a wage/salary and financially contribute to the cost of training and accrediting the apprentice.

An employer must enter into an Apprenticeship Agreement when taking on a Degree Apprentice at the start of the Apprenticeship. If the student leaves or otherwise loses their job (eg because of misconduct or redundancy) then the employer would normally be held liable for the full course fees.

A proforma agreement can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/take-on-an-apprentice/apprenticeship-agreement

A national certification system operates for Apprenticeship. It is currently a legal requirement that this is followed. This is a simple process and more information can be found at Apprenticeship Certificates in England (ACE).

https://acecerts.co.uk/web/

National Minimum Wage rates

Degree Apprenticeships Toolkit

It is important to recognise that a successful degree apprenticeship programme has to be founded on a strong and real partnership between an employer (or group of employers) and a provider (or group of providers). The following are normally essential elements that need to be in place to underpin this, before starting significant development:

A clear statement of intent and purpose agreed by all parties;
A programme structure that suits all parties;
A clear delineation of where responsibilities and accountabilities lie;
A clear statement of deliverables and which of the parties is to deliver.

There are also some key deliverables or structural demands that have to be addressed as follows:

Innovation in teaching and learning methodologies: because much of the content is employer and employment driven, and because this is following a statutory scheme of award, the work is to be structured so that the effectiveness of the teaching and learning content remains sharp and focused and is fully evaluated at every stage. There is scope here for producing teaching and learning papers and presentations to inform both the next stages in this development, and also to inform a much wider range of teaching and learning development.

Leadership and entrepreneurship opportunities in the curriculum: this is demanded by the nature and content of the programme. Students will be educated to be leaders and pioneers.

Skills development for future employment: the candidates are already in employment and their continued employment is dependent on their engagement and delivery of the work and other obligations and responsibilities as undergraduate students on this programme.

Degree Apprenticeships Toolkit

There have been recent reports that graduate recruitment will flatten off and apprenticeship recruitment will increase by 23 per cent. Reports from the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) agree. They are currently meeting large employers and finding significant interest in apprenticeships at all levels.

Government guidance states that there are currently around 1,000 degree apprenticeships. Government has made a pledge to increase the number of apprenticeships starts to 3 million by 2020 and to support this aim they are helping higher education providers develop and deliver degree apprenticeships. A degree apprenticeship is a real job where the employer invests in training and the employee receives a first degree during the course of the apprenticeship. Apprentices work for 30 hours a week. Learning fits around that work commitment and requires flexible learning modes like day or block release, distance or blended learning. Overall these programmes provide the opportunity for HEIs to open up to a much wider and newer audience and to introduce and instil HE’s values, attitudes and expertise to a whole cohort that would not otherwise be accessed. It also enables HEIs to develop new relationships and collaborations with organisations and companies.

With the expected introduction of the “Apprenticeship Levy” on all large employers in the near future, there is now a huge financial incentive for employers to engage with these programmes – potentially as alternatives to traditional models of Higher Education, in order to recover their mandatory contribution to the Apprenticeship Levy, with this funding only being eligible to spend on apprenticeship programmes approved under the new standards.

Degree Apprenticeships Toolkit

Higher apprenticeships refer to all apprenticeships which include the achievement of academic and vocational qualifications and learning from level 4 up to bachelor’s and master’s degrees at levels 6 and 7 respectively.

All levels can include vocational qualifications and academic qualifications. Degree Apprenticeships are the latest model to be developed as part of higher apprenticeship standards, seeing apprentices achieving a full bachelor’s or master’s degree as a core component of the apprenticeship. Degree apprenticeships combine both higher and vocational education and fully test both the wider occupational competence and academic learning, either:

using a fully-integrated degree co-designed by employers and HEIs, or
using a degree plus separate end-test of professional competence.

The figure below (adapted from the Skills Funding Agency fact sheet, June 2015) sets out how higher and degree apprenticeships link together.

Put another way, a Degree Apprenticeship involves an individual being awarded a bachelor’s or master’s degree as part of their Apprenticeship. An Apprenticeship where an individual achieves a foundation degree as part of their Apprenticeship is a Higher Apprenticeship not a Degree Apprenticeship. Degree Apprenticeships are not available at level 8.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

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The following provides links to a range of resources and information to help university admissions tutors and those working in recruitment and admissions roles.

And each year, in November, the Engineering Professors’ Council organises a Recruitment and Admissions Forum so that all of those involved in the recruitment and admission of students to engineering programmes in UK higher education have the opportunity to get together and share experiences and best practice, as well as hear the latest from policy makers, the funding agencies and Government. We also provide feedback to members from the annual early enrolments survey, which provides an indication of student numbers compared with the prior year for both undergraduate and postgraduate (taught) students.

Don’t forget to check out the Tomorrow’s Engineers programme website which offers a wide range of resources to assist schools, prospective students and their advisers. The latest range, including a leaflet entitled ‘Make a Difference to the World: Engineering at University’ may be found here.

And do take a look at this set of films, produced by the 2014 winner of the EPC’s Engaging in Engineering awards, Dr Emma Carter of the University of Sheffield – aimed at 8 to 15 year olds, their particularly useful for schools outreach activity.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on this page, why not ask a colleague by starting a discussion? Or feel free to drop us a line directly.

Contents:

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

Engineering Council website: ‘Information for Students’.

In addition, the following are available on request from marketing@engc.org.uk, putting IEng/CEng in the subject line.

1. A ‘Student guide to professional registration with the Engineering Council’

2. An introductory email aimed at new undergraduates.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

The EPC routinely tracks applications trends at both undergraduate and postgraduate level across all of the engineering disciplines. We report and comment on these at our Recruitment and Admissions Forum, held in November annually. The latest may be accessed in our Data explorer.

UCAS scheduled statistical releases.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published a report in December 2013 on the trends in applications and demand from students for postgraduate study.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

The EPC reviews and reports on graduate engineers’ ability to gain employment on leaving university. The latest information may be accessed by members in our Data explorer.

The Recruitment and Admissions Toolkit has not been updated as yet but has been left here for archive purposes.

A brief guide to the Scottish educational system: for admissions tutors elsewhere.

Pupils in Scotland move from primary to secondary school one year later than in England and (traditionally) from school to university one year earlier, around age 17. The state school system is almost entirely homogeneous and comprehensive. University degrees are a year longer to compensate for the earlier entry. Thus a BEng typically takes 4 years and MEng takes 5 years. Engineering programmes are usually specialised from the start but most Scottish bachelors degrees provide a broad programme in the first two years followed by specialised honours courses in the final two years; in general Scottish education places a higher emphasis on breadth than in England.

National qualifications are administered by a single Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). For many years pupils have taken the following set of examinations.

Standard grades around age 16 (S4/Y11). Pupils typically study around 8 standard grades; the number of courses has not proliferated as in England.
Highers after a further year (S5/Y12). The typical load is 5 Highers including English and Mathematics. These are the traditional exit qualifications, accepted for entry to the first year of Scottish degree courses. Many pupils leave school at this level.
Advanced Highers after another year (S6/Y13). Three Advanced Highers is regarded as a full load but many pupils take a mixture of Advanced Highers and further Highers for increased breadth, which is a deeply rooted feature of Scottish education.
Good grades in Advanced Highers are accepted for direct entry into the second year of Scottish degrees and for entry to universities elsewhere in the UK.
Advanced Highers except Mathematics include an extended practical investigation.
The Scottish Baccalaureate comprises two Advanced Highers, a further Higher and an interdisciplinary project, again encouraging breadth.

It is tempting to compare the qualifications with GCSE, AS and A levels but there are significant differences.

Highers and Advanced Highers are independent courses, not linked like AS and A2.
Most courses are taught as three units, which can be taken as standalone but ungraded qualifications. This is typically used to increase breadth; a unit of Higher Statistics is a common choice. Pupils must pass all units to complete a course but the results are not used in the overall assessment, which tests the course as a whole; it covers the units plus further ‘added value’ material that integrates the units. In other words, the courses are not modular in the ‘test and forget’ sense.
The smaller number of courses means that Scottish qualifications are generally regarded as being slightly stronger than their English equivalents. For example, Advanced Highers are about a grade above A levels: a B in Advanced Higher is roughly equivalent to an A in A level. This is recognised in the UCAS points tariff: AH A=130, B=110, C=90; A-level A*=140, A=120, B=100, C=80, although many Scots would argue that AH should receive somewhat higher scores.
The provision of Advanced Highers remains patchy; few schools offer a full range.
Further Mathematics is not available in Scotland although Advanced Higher Mathematics contains topics such as complex numbers that are no longer in Pure Mathematics A level (at least for some boards). Higher and Advanced Higher Mathematics of Mechanics are being introduced but their popularity is doubtful.

This picture is evolving as a result of the Curriculum for Excellence, currently progressing through secondary schools. Major changes have occurred in primary and the earlier years of secondary education but the impact on pre-university qualifications may be small.

Standard grades were examined for the last time in 2013, now replaced by National 5.
Highers and Advanced Highers are being revised (after another recent revision). My experience from review groups is that the sciences are using this as an opportunity to restore the academic level after some years of perceived decline. For example the description of Higher Physics says “Structurally, the question paper will be similar to Higher Physics and Revised Higher Physics. However, there will be less emphasis on recall questions and more emphasis on the application of knowledge and skills”. Unfortunately it is not clear how this aspiration can be applied to some of the newly introduced material, mostly astrophysical, which is largely descriptive.
Revised Higher Physics contains a new half-unit on Researching Physics but it is too early to gauge its value. It may prepare pupils better for the Advanced Higher Investigation. Other subjects except mathematics include a similar exercise.
Unfortunately there is less positive evidence about mathematics, where students suffer from the same problem of poor basic algebraic skills as in England. However, new courses in Lifeskills Mathematics are being introduced for pupils who need arithmetic more than algebra; this might relieve the pressure to teach traditional mathematics courses to weaker students and allow the curriculum to be strengthened.
Flexibility is a key feature of the Curriculum for Excellence. For example, it is suggested that pupils might omit National 5 and spend two years on Higher courses instead. They may spread their Higher exams over two years rather than one.
It is hard to know what opportunity will be taken with this flexibility. Most schools may retain National 5 to provide evidence on which future choices of subject can be based, for instance.
Engineering Science is a new suite of courses that replaces Technological Studies, whose popularity has declined. The main topics are electronics, control, mechanisms and structures. It is generally considered as an adjunct to physics rather than a replacement.

Helpful publications

Qualifications can cross boundaries: A rough guide to comparing qualifications in the UK and Ireland, produced jointly by QAA, Ofqual, the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership, CCEA Accreditation, the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales, and Quality and Qualifications Ireland, http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/qualifications-can-cross-boundaries.pdf
Information for Universities on the New National Qualifications, SQA.
Scottish universities have issued statements on their approaches to the Curriculum for Excellence.
Information on Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework Partnership for HEIs, SCQF.
Universities Scotland www.universities-scotland.ac.uk have published a guide Beyond the Senior Phase: University Engagement with Curriculum for Excellence They have also produced Implications of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in Scottish schools on admissions for universities in England, Wales & Northern Ireland https://www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/publications/cfe-for-the-rest-of-the-uk/

John Davies, revised 2014-12-06