As we approach the end of the academic year, we’d like to share some of the highlights of the year for UVAC and our members. 

Marking our Silver Jubilee in 2024, UVAC kicked off the new academic year by reflecting on the impact the newly elected government would have on the future of higher and degree apprenticeships and giving our response to Level 7 funding proposals. 

Late autumn saw us welcome more than 250 delegates to our national conference at the ICC, in Birmingham, and opening our second members survey,  exploring degree apprenticeship expectations of Labour’s Growth and Skills Levy.

By the end of the year we had published a total of 5 anniversary concept and discussion papers marking two and a half decades of advocating on behalf of higher education (HE). In January 2025 UVAC released its 3-year Strategic Priorities ensuring higher and degree apprenticeships remain at the heart of England’s skills strategy followed by Navigating the Growth and Skills

Levy and Skills England: A UVAC Blueprint in March.

In addition to our important lobbying and advocacy work, UVAC also provides a wide portfolio of valuable membership services for those engaged in higher and degree apprenticeships, higher technical education, professional skills, and work-based learning, so we were delighted to launch our new Black Box resource in May.  Black Box is an exclusive collection of templates, podcasts and toolkits and, together with a summer programme of webinars, supports professionals across roles in management, governance, delivery, and design.

UVAC continues to be one of the leading voices in the skills sector on apprenticeships delivered by HE,  and our membership plays an important role in enabling us to influence government policy, learning quality through research and collaboration. In 2024-2025 UVAC’s membership included 76% of all universities approved to deliver apprenticeships. Collectively, these institutions account for 25% of all apprenticeship starts across age groups and levels—and a remarkable 73% of all degree apprenticeship starts.

Not a member and interested in learning about the benefits of membership? Visit our membership page today.