Degree Apprenticeships are a high-quality alternative to a traditional university degree. You’ll spend 80% of your time learning on-the-job with your employer and 20% of your time training off-the-job studying for a degree.

You can still achieve a full bachelor or master’s degree as well as gaining valuable work experience.

To apply for an apprenticeship the government require you:

• to be at least 16 years old
• have left full time education when the apprenticeship starts
• have the right to work in the UK
• have achieved GCSE Mathematics and English at grade 4/C or equivalent before completing the apprenticeship
• meet one of the below residency requirements:

  UK nationals - UK nationals are eligible for funding if they have been ordinarily resident in the UK, the British Overseas Territories, or Crown Dependencies (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.

  UK nationals in the EEA - UK nationals who have been living in the EEA prior to their apprenticeships are eligible for funding if they have been ordinarily resident in the EEA for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship; or, have been ordinarily resident in a combination of the UK and EEA for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.

  EEA nationals in the UK - Irish nationals are eligible for funding if they have been ordinarily resident in the UK, Ireland, or the EEA for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.

  All other EEA nationals are eligible for funding if they have obtained either pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme; and have been ordinarily resident in the EEA, Gibraltar, or the UK for at least the previous three years before the start of the apprenticeship.

  Please note there are other residency criteria that cover a range of individual circumstances, for example family members of UK and EEA nationals. Please contact the Apprenticeships Team at apprenticeships@warwick.ac.uk if you feel the above points have not covered your situation.

Each apprenticeship will also have specific academic entry requirements set by the University and the employer which you would also need to achieve.

You will be working full-time for a minimum of 30 hours a week. Any job role with less than 30 hours a week, would be considered on an individual basis. Your exact working pattern will depend on your role and your employer would confirm your contracted working hours.

You will be given time out of your normal working hours to complete your 20% off-the-job training.

A Degree Apprenticeship will be identified as a full-time programme if the duration of the course and the number of credits studied per year is the same as an equivalent non-DA (traditional degree) programme.

Where no such equivalent course exists, the duration and number of credits studied on the DA will be assessed against the typical length of a similar non-DA qualification.

If the DA does not satisfy these requirements, then the programme will be classified as part-time.

You will be taught through a mix of face-to-face learning, interactive online learning, work-based projects, and independent study.

Our programmes are delivered in either one-week blocks spaced throughout the year or as day release, one day per week. Your employer will decide which.

Your academic study can be assessed through assignments, project work and exams, similar to a traditional degree.

For your work-based learning you will be asked to keep a Learning Journal and develop a Professional Portfolio of evidence both of which will be regularly reviewed.

To complete your apprenticeship, you will undertake an End Point Assessment to test whether you have gained the knowledge, skills and behaviours required.

Nothing, one of the many great things about a Degree Apprenticeship is that your employer and the government pay your tuition fees, so you will graduate without any tuition fee debt!

Yes, you’ll be entitled to at least the National Minimum Wage for your age. Many employers pay more, with quite competitive starting salaries and this is something you should check when looking for opportunities to apply for.

Generally, your Degree Apprenticeship will take between two and five years, the length varies from programme to programme.

As you are applying for a full-time role within a company, you won’t need to apply for student accommodation.

It is important that you think about where your role is based and how far you are willing to commute, or if you are willing to move away from home.

Should you need accommodation for your on-campus teaching blocks, options will be provided, and booked/arranged, and paid for by your employer. Options may include student campus accommodation (dependent on availability), Warwick Conferences located on campus, or local hotels.

Our programmes have been carefully designed with our employer partners, so you'll be given time out of your normal working week to study towards your degree.

That being said you will need excellent time management skills to achieve the standards expected by both your employer and the university.

The benefits of a Degree Apprenticeship include:

• studying for a full bachelors or master’s degree
• no tuition fees
• earn a salary whilst you learn
• gain real life work experience, as well as skills and knowledge
• build a network of contacts

Whilst there are many benefits to a Degree Apprenticeship, it isn’t the right choice for everyone.

You do need to have a set career path in mind as a Degree Apprenticeship will equip you with the specific knowledge, skills and behaviours to be successful in that specific profession.

A Degree Apprenticeship is just as academically challenging as a traditional degree, but your university experience will be different as you will only be studying part-time.

You’ll have real responsibilities in the workplace and will need to be able to balance these effectively alongside your study.

The University of Warwick is a world class University with a reputation for excellence in research and teaching and has strong links with business and industry.

We provide a challenging, yet supportive environment, with access to some of the latest innovation and thinking.

A Warwick education is highly sought after and valued by both learners and employers worldwide, you’ll unlock your potential for higher earnings, achieve a respected qualification and cement yourself as a valuable asset for your employer.

For an up-to-date list please visit our programmes page.

All our programmes have the same high academic standards as our traditional degrees, with a high level of technical content and where possible opportunities for professional accreditation.

Academic

As well as your academic tutors you will have a dedicated University Apprenticeship Tutor to provide you with both academic and pastoral support. They will also meet on a regular basis with yourself and your Line Manager at work to discuss your progress.

Our Student Opportunity Team have a range of developmental opportunities including academic writing, study, research and numeracy skills, as well as a range of personal development workshops.

Wellbeing

We want to ensure you feel safe, supported and valued within our student community, and although you may not spend large amounts of time on the University campus, you are fully entitled to all of the support and wellbeing services we offer.

We can provide you with both practical and emotional support and if you’re not on campus we have a wide range of online self-help resources and wellbeing masterclasses.

Warwick caters for all your learning needs and when on campus you will have access to all of our state-of-the-art facilities.

We have purpose-built laboratories, learning grids (equipped with collaborative spaces and interactive presentation technology) and places for independent study.

The University Library is open twenty-four / seven during term time. As well as hard copy books, we have 67,000 eJournals and 1.1 million eBooks and a variety of services to help you develop your information skills.

We’re developing a dedicated Degree Apprenticeship Complex and opened our first Degree Apprenticeship Centre for apprentices studying manufacturing and engineering in September 2019.

Unlike a traditional degree, you do not apply to the university via UCAS for a degree apprenticeship. Instead you will be applying directly to the employer and they will manage the recruitment and selection process.

Opportunities with our employer partners will always show on our programmes page.

Another good place to check is the governments ‘find an apprenticeship’ website which lists apprenticeships offered by all of the different training providers.

Unlike UCAS applications there is no set deadline to submit your application by. The deadline will be different for each vacancy as it will have been set by each individual employer.

Degree Apprenticeships tend to start in the Autumn and as a general rule, vacancies with larger companies start being advertised in the autumn before with the majority of employers advertising from January or February onwards. Smaller companies might not advertise the vacancy until a month or two before the apprenticeship starts.