5th February 2024

The Office for Students (OfS) is the watchdog for higher education in England, making sure everyone, no matter their background, gets the most benefit from college or university. It helps all kinds of students - whether you're studying full-time, part-time, on campus, or from a distance.

The OfS has some major goals, like helping students get into and do well in college, making sure they have a good learning experience, smoothly moving from college to work or more studying, and making sure they get their money's worth.

In June 2023, the OfS announced it’s putting up to £40 million into a fund for projects that will create more Level 6 degree apprenticeships in England. They're doing it in three waves - helping colleges that already offer these apprenticeships first, and then opening it up to others who want to get involved.

Out of 69 applications to the fund, 51 got the green light, 10 colleges and 41 universities. Here are some of the winners:

Liverpool John Moores University awarded £1m:

Police Constable • Registered Nurse • Youth Worker • Serious and Complex Crime Investigator • Chartered Manager • Construction Management • Construction Quantity Surveyor • Digital and Technology Solutions Professional • Creative digital design professional • Transport Planner

Staffordshire University awarded £974k:

Embedded Electronic Systems Design and Development Engineer • Manufacturing engineer • Digital user experience • Serious and Complex Crime Investigator • Chartered Manager • Paramedic • Midwife • Biomedical Scientist • Operating Department Practitioner • Public Health Practitioner • Podiatrist • Occupational Therapist • Registered Nurse Degree

University of Hertfordshire awarded £588k:

Therapeutic Radiographer• Diagnostic Radiographer • Dietitian • Social Worker• Civil Engineer • Data Scientist

University of Exeter awarded £510k:

Chartered Manager • Digital and Technology Solutions • Accounting Finance Manager • Registered Nurse Degree • Civil Engineer • Project Manager

University of Kent awarded £495k:

Social Worker • Social Researcher • Digital and Technology Solutions • Clinical Trials Specialist • Laboratory Scientist • Professional Economist • Chartered Manager

University of Worcester awarded £497k:

Occupational Therapist • Operating Department Practitioner • Paramedic • Registered Nurse Degree • Social Worker • Dietitian

For the full list of universities and college click here

The fund aims to increase the higher education providers offering degree apprenticeships and address their uneven and slow distribution. Projects supported by the fund target students least likely to access higher education, aligning with efforts to address social exclusivity identified by organisations like the Sutton Trust.

Skills minister Robert Halfon is happy that the colleges and universities getting money are not only creating more apprenticeships but also caring about fairness and giving everyone a chance. Now, it's up to the colleges and universities to get companies engaged in offering these apprenticeship programmes.

Click here for more information on apprenticeships.

To search for apprenticeship vacancies: FAA, UCAS

To learn more about National Apprenticeship Week, click here

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