The latest special open access issue of Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning (HESWBL), UVAC’s official journal, is now available to read.

Guest edited by UVAC Chief Executive, Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee, Dr Nicky Westwood and Dr Fiona Armstrong-Gibbthis of Liverpool John Moores University, the latest issue of Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning (HESWBL “The last decade of apprenticeships in HE: breaking the echo chamber for future readiness,” marks the tenth anniversary of degree apprenticeships and brings together a range of perspectives on one of the most significant developments in higher education and skills policy in recent decades.

In their editorial they reflect on the extraordinary growth of higher and degree apprenticeships in England and the increasingly important role universities and other higher education providers play in their delivery. It considers how the model has challenged long-standing assumptions about the divide between academic and vocational education, demonstrating how higher-level learning, professional development and employment can be integrated.

Also considered is how degree apprenticeships have created new opportunities for progression into the professions — including for existing employees, career changers and those who may not have followed a traditional higher education route.

But the special issue goes beyond looking back.

Contributors explore what has been learned from a decade of development, including employer and apprentice engagement, work-integrated pedagogy, professional development, assessment, quality, curriculum design and the changing role of higher education. The issue also looks beyond England, considering international perspectives and what lessons from the English experience might be adopted, adapted or compared in other education and skills systems.

At the heart of the collection is a question that remains highly relevant: how can we move beyond traditional assumptions about education, skills and work to develop more effective routes into and through professional careers?  The growth of degree apprenticeships has demonstrated the potential of bringing together the strengths of higher education, employers and professional bodies. It has also generated new approaches to learning and assessment that have implications for work-integrated learning more broadly.

As policy and practice continue to evolve, this tenth-anniversary special issue provides an opportunity to reflect on where degree apprenticeships have come from, what has been learned, and what might come next.

Read the full editorial and issue HERE