Higher Apprenticeships In Practice

29 January 2015

Name: Mark DonnellyTitle: Head of Apprentice and Skills TrainingOrganisation: BAE Systems

Our higher apprenticeship

programme Programme Summary Benefits to our Business

• Early careers pipeline into our business

• Targets a recruitment of talent - gap

between the GCSE level apprentices and

graduates.

• Honours degree programme to attract the

highest calibre individuals

• Grow our own talent,

• Reduce high recruitment costs

•Current volume on contract – 96

•Our Higher Apprenticeship programme

evolved from our Project Control Foundation

Scheme (PCFS) that started in 2007

•The first cohort of learners started on a HA

programme in Sept 2012

•We worked in collaboration with Blackpool

and The Fylde College and Lancaster

University to devise the programme

Expectations and Arrangements

•Recruiting the correct calibre of talent

via our robust process

•The individuals rotate around a range

of various functions to gain a good

appreciation of the business

•On completion of the programme

individuals add great value and hit the

ground running with necessary

skills/knowledge

Benefits and Wider Opportunities for HEIs

• Working in collaboration with

employers

• Sharing of best practices and

benchmarking with other

Universities

• Devising Bespoke training

requirements

• Developing of Trailblazers (new

Standards)

How our partnership works

Delivery Realities

Delivery Challenges•Higher apprentices were new with

minimum frameworks developed

•Sourcing HEIs who were interested in

expanding their delivery options to HA

schemes

•Getting all key stakeholders buy-in and

commitment

How These Were Resolved •Working with SSCs, Awarding bodies &

HEIs to devise appropriate framework

•Due diligence process to engage with

the HEIs who were willing to commit to

deliver

•Regular dialogue and meetings to

agree ownership

The Future

What is Planned ?•Expanding HAs into other

discipline areas

•HA is one of our growth areas,

increasing numbers

•First cohort of the new Aerospace

Trailblazing Apprenticeship

Standards for Sept 2015

•Replicating similar schemes in

Scotland

What the Learners say:“This opportunity came up and gave

me the best of both worlds -

learning, work experience and

studying for a degree too. It was one

of the best moves I’ve ever made.”

Catherine Christian Higher Apprentice at MA & I

Questions

• Do the current Higher Apprenticeship programmes meet the needs of

our business ?

• With the future developments of the Trailblazer standards, do we

need these are various Levels ?

• Can we aligned the new standards to professional status at EngTech

or IENG if applicable ?

• Are there more opportunities for employers to share best practice ?