We are delighted to announce the publication of an open access special issue of UVAC’s journal, titled “The last decade of apprenticeships in HE: breaking the echo chamber for future readiness.”

Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning (HESWBL) is UVAC’s official journal and the only journal to focus on the interface between higher education and the workplace.

This latest issue is guest edited by UVAC Chief Executive, Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee, Dr Nicky Westwood and Dr Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs, as they celebrate ten years since the introduction of degree apprenticeships in England and reflect on the significant changes that apprenticeships have brought to higher education. Throughout the issue, they consider how universities and other higher education providers have developed new approaches to work-based and work-integrated learning, and how degree apprenticeships are helping to challenge traditional distinctions between academic and vocational education.

The contributions cover a range of perspectives on employer and apprentice engagement, pedagogy and professional development, assessment and quality, curriculum planning, and the role of higher education in apprenticeship delivery. The issue also considers developments across different sectors and occupations, alongside comparisons with apprenticeship and skills developments internationally.

For readers working in higher education, apprenticeship delivery, policy or professional practice, the issue provides an opportunity to consider how approaches have developed over the past decade, the different ways in which learning and work are being brought together, and some of the issues and questions that this development raises for the future. It also offers examples and perspectives that may be useful when considering apprenticeship provision in different institutional, occupational or national contexts.

You are invited  to access this special issue, explore the articles and join the conversation about the future of apprenticeships in HE HERE