BNU degree apprenticeships given OfS funding boost to support local skills gaps
Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) has been awarded a funding boost from the Office for Students (OfS) to support its degree apprenticeship provision.
The OfS announced last week that 51 universities and colleges will receive a share of £12 million to support projects that aim to boost student choice and access to degree apprenticeships, with BNU receiving £117,916.
BNU will use its share of the funding on three degree apprenticeship programmes (Resilience and Emergency Professional; Civil Engineer; and Occupational Therapist) which support industries identified as having a skills gap in the local skills improvement plan (LSIP).
The funding will support a variety of activity including curriculum development and employer engagement.
Ian Harper, Commercial and Business Development Director at BNU, said:
“At BNU we want to provide as many routes to higher education qualifications as possible, and developing more apprenticeships creates opportunities for just that.
“This funding will help us to deliver several strands of our five-year strategy, Thrive 2028, in which we aim to expand the quality, size, geographical reach and competitive position of BNU, and ensure our students are provided with valuable skills and technical, as well as academic, expertise.
“The programmes benefitting from funding will also help to bridge local skills gaps for the infrastructure, construction and health and care sectors, which will support our local community and our civic commitments in tandem. ”
BNU has been successfully delivering higher level apprenticeships since 2018 in partnership with employers from public, private and the social purpose sectors. Today it counts more than 1300 apprenticeship learners across its three campuses and in late 2023 retained an Ofsted “good” rating indicating the quality of the education provision. You can find out more about our apprenticeship offering here.
John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the OfS, said:
“Degree apprenticeships can provide a beneficial alternative route for students in higher education, which bridges the spaces between traditional study and the workplace. Our initial £12 million investment will support universities and colleges to accelerate their efforts to grow and develop these courses.
“We set universities and colleges a challenge to deliver an extensive range of degree apprenticeships that students from all backgrounds could access. They responded with a wide range of innovative and ambitious bids. This is a major intervention by the OfS and I am excited to see how the successful bids from the first wave of applications expand and enhance courses on offer to students.
Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, Robert Halfon said:
“I am delighted that the institutions awarded a portion of this £40 million will not only be expanding the number of degree apprenticeships offered but have also demonstrated their commitment to boosting access and participation and prioritising equality of opportunity.
“Whether it is providing more nurses for our NHS or helping get more women in engineering and construction, I look forward to seeing how these projects help more people climb the ladder of opportunity, address skills gaps and help grow our economy.”
The application deadline for the second competitive funding exercise was 19 December 2023. Universities and colleges will be able to apply for a third and final round of funding in spring 2024.