New degree apprenticeship to ease digital crisis

Course will help address skills gap in the digital workforce

Several Cambridge technology companies are on board with Anglia Ruskin University’s new Digital Technology Solutions BSc (Hons) Degree Apprenticeship course – the first of a range of new courses designed to help people learn as they earn.

The Digital Technology Solutions course is designed to address the recruitment difficulties within the specialist digital workforce in areas such as cyber security analysis, software engineering and network engineering. At present, 42% of employers within the sector say there aren’t enough people educated in the field to fill the demand for roles – and more than a million new recruits are expected to be required by 2023.

It is one of several new degree apprenticeships being launched by Anglia Ruskin University from September – the first time Anglia Ruskin has run such courses. Other courses include Nursing, Quantity Surveying and Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeships, with employers from across the region currently signing up.

Companies already committed to taking on Anglia Ruskin apprentices from the Digital Technology Solutions course include Arcus Global, AVEVA, Bango and Thales.

Degree Apprenticeships were launched by the Government in 2015 and with the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy earlier this year, levy paying employers are able to reinvest funds in apprenticeships, with smaller non-levy paying organisations able to access up to 90% funding towards the cost of the apprenticeship.

Apprentices are full-time employees, pursuing a university degree which is funded via their employers’ levy. Courses are designed in collaboration with employers and professional bodies to ensure they equip students with the skills required by industry.

Suparna Ghose, Principal Consultant for Strategy and Partnerships at Anglia Ruskin, said: “We are very excited about our new range of degree apprenticeship courses, having worked for several years providing bespoke work-based courses for employers through our Degrees at Work initiative.

“Degree apprenticeships have the potential to transform higher education and the courses we will offer from September are the first in a growing portfolio. It gives Anglia Ruskin a chance to work with more employers and to equip their workers with the type of skills they are asking for.” 

Paula Parker, Learning and Development Manager for AVEVA, said: “AVEVA’s success is due to the high quality of its employees which we want to continue by finding and developing young professionals to feed into our talent pipeline.  AVEVA is furthering its commitment to apprenticeships by supporting courses like this at Anglia Ruskin.

“These courses can help reduce the skills shortage and will attract talented software developers who want to study for a degree, while gaining solid industry experience. We look forward to welcoming our first apprentices in 2017.”

Email for further details about Anglia Ruskin’s degree apprenticeships.

About Anglia Ruskin University: Anglia Ruskin is an innovative global university, brimming with ambition.  Students from 177 countries gain qualifications with us in four continents.  Students, academics, businesses and partners all benefit from our outstanding facilities; we’ve invested £100 million over the last five years and plan to invest a further £91 million over the next five years.

Anglia Ruskin’s Research Institutes and five faculties bridge scientific, technical and creative fields.  We deliver impactful research which tackles pressing issues and makes a real difference, from saving lives to conserving water.  Our academic excellence has been recognised by the UK’s Higher Education funding bodies, with 12 areas classed as generating world-leading research. 

In 2016 we were ranked in the top 350 institutions in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, featured in a list of the 20 “rising stars” in global Higher Education compiled by strategy consultants Firetail, and were named as one of the top 20 UK universities for teaching quality in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide.