The University of Birmingham has announced that it will be partnering with Birmingham City Council on a multi-programme framework agreement to deliver a broad range of degree apprenticeships across various disciplines.

Disciplines that this programme will focus on include Education, Public Management, Health and Care System Leadership as well as Executive MBAs.

UoB and Birmingham City Council have previously collaborated and aim to build on previous jointly developed work around the 21st Century Public Servant.

The University delivers 10 apprenticeship degree programmes to over 300 students after launching their degree programme schemes in 2018. Disciplines for these apprenticeships include urban and regional planning, digital skills, rail engineering and senior leadership. The University is partnered with several organisations for delivering these programmes, including private companies, local government and the NHS.

The University delivers 10 apprenticeship programmes to over 300 students

The University believes that ‘Degree Apprenticeships offer a new way in which to strengthen the Further Education to Higher Education pathways and this can work in collaboration with local FE colleges across the region.’

The University hopes that including a wider range of degree apprenticeships which will address skills gaps will ‘enable a greater diversification in the student population.’ They state that their Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship programme in Digital and Technology Solutions has attracted a ‘higher number of female applicants than ever before in the discipline’ and hope that ‘that the programme can link with our widening participation agenda to encourage applications from those groups who don’t tend to apply to university had it not been for the Degree Apprenticeship route.’

Councillor Tristan Chatfield, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources at Birmingham City Council, said, ‘over the last decade or so the size and profile of our workforce has changed significantly as a result of reduced budgets, technology and changing citizen needs. It is critical we have the right employees in the right place at the right time. This partnership and the Degree Apprenticeships will be of immense help as we look to develop and improve our workforce so it is fit for the challenges of now and the future.We are hugely ambitious for the future of Birmingham City Council but we can only realise those ambitions with a dynamic, engaged and positive workforce.’

The University of Birmingham is committed to developing Degree Apprenticeships

Professor Catherine Mangan of the University of Birmingham continued, ‘this partnership builds on our long-standing civic engagement with the Council. The University of Birmingham is committed to developing Degree Apprenticeships as part of its programme portfolio and considers them of paramount importance in addressing regional and national skills gaps.’