Purpose: The research presented in this paper deepens our understanding of the experience of apprentices and employers engaged in degree apprenticeships. Design/methodology/approach: The research is focused upon ten in depth interviews. Data collection and analysis was undertaken following a grounded theory approach. Findings: The data analysis…

Involving students in peer review has substantial benefits for students' learning and development and, more pragmatically, for staff workload. This paper reports on a student-led effort to co-design a peer review formative assessment task. The assessment is part of a personal development module within a higher education degree apprenticeship…

High quality careers education, information, advice, and guidance is vital to ensure young people can access jobs that suit their talents and aspirations. For those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, this advice is particularly important, as they are less likely to have access to support from family and friends, or to have networks which…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the degree apprenticeship labour market and employers' strategies for apprenticeship recruitment using job advertisement data. Specifically, this study identifies the skills, attributes, experience and qualifications that employers look for in IT apprentices. The study also identifies the…

This paper explores students' assessment of several competencies to perform a job as part of the economic undergraduate programme at the University of Surrey. The first aim is to study how confident students are in six different areas (cognitive abilities, personal characteristics, transferable competencies, subject-specific expertise,…

This paper describes an action research project in a university to identify the requirements of Work-Based Learning (WBL) students in respect of literature searches for practice enquiries and outlines measures subsequently taken to improve student support. The study confirms previous research that WBL students need to consult a wide variety of…

Context: An enhanced role for work-based learning is advocated increasingly widely across industrialised countries and by international Vocational Education and Training (VET) policies. However, this is framed differently in each country by long-term policy orientations that reflect VET's relationship with wider economic and social formations.…

This report, commissioned by Cambridge Ahead, examines the provision of career guidance in schools and colleges in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area. Findings are informed by analyses of primary data collected via an online survey of staff at 54 secondary schools and colleges in the region and interviews with 10 career guidance service…

A new qualification benchmark, the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) Diploma Level 6 in Career Guidance and Development was established in the UK in 2011. This study was conducted to ascertain whether a theoretical nexus is necessary for practice and how this could contribute to the professionalisation of the adult careers sector in…

In the business environment, the goal of data analytics can be characterized as improving decision making and its links to big data and other data-driven technologies. In UK higher education, degree apprenticeships are business-led and government-supported nationally recognized qualifications, where delivery is tailored to partner employer…

This report provides information on the structure of mainstream European education systems, from pre-primary to tertiary level for the 2020/21 school and academic year. It includes national schematic diagrams and a guide to reading the diagrams. It also contains a map visually showing the main organisational models of primary and lower secondary…

Vocational education and training has received substantial policy attention in recent years that is paired with the ambition for the UK to become a leading country for jobs, productivity and skills. Recommendations from two recent reviews form the basis for substantial policy reforms within the 14-19 curriculum. Discourse of employer engagement…

English independent schools are not required to follow government statutory guidance in a number of aspects including career education and guidance, and yet many are actively engaged in careers work and this has caught the attention of policymakers. State schools are subject to statutory guidance but, according to Ofsted and other authorities, the…

This paper looks at post-16 progression opportunities for a group of previously disaffected 14-16-year-old students who undertook vocational learning in their final two years at school in the north-west of England. The paper argues that advanced forms of vocational learning at key stage 4 are leading to over-skilling and educational limbo for many…

This report provides information on the structure of mainstream European education systems, from pre-primary to tertiary level for the 2019/20 school and academic year. It includes national schematic diagrams and a guide to reading the diagrams. It also contains a map visually showing the main organisational models of primary and lower secondary…