PhD - Commodification and the Official Discourse of Higher Education - Institute of Education, University College London
MA Philosophy of Education - Institute of Education, University College London
BEd (Hons) Art and Design - Hertfordshire College of Higher Education
Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Qualified Teacher Status
Professor Darryll Bravenboer is Director of Apprenticeships at Middlesex University. His current responsibilities include developing and delivering the University’s strategy as a major provider of higher-level skills in the region and nationally. This includes supporting the development and delivery of higher and degree apprenticeships as well as other aspects of academic enterprise, such as the accreditation of in-company training, in order to provide comprehensive workforce development solutions for employers.
Darryll is a Principal Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and has extensive experience of developing vocational and work-based higher education provision in response to the needs of a wide range of employment sectors in diverse professional contexts. His research interests include the philosophy and sociology of education, higher education policy, fair access, widening participation, lifelong learning and vocational, work-based and employer-responsive higher education. Darryll is a Member of the QAA Advisory Group for the Higher and Degree Apprenticeships Characteristics Statement. He is also Chair of Middlesex University's Accreditation Board, which includes overseeing the University's approach to individual APEL claims as well as the accreditation of external courses and training activity. Darryll is also a Board Member of the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC), a Trustee and Chair of SEEC credit consortium, Board member of Linking London and co-Chair of the Higher Education Employer Apprenticeship Tralblazer Group.
Previously Darryll was Associate Dean and Deputy Director of the Institute for Work Based Learning at Middlesex and before joining the Middlesex, he worked for the University of Hertfordshire in the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies as Director for the East of England Lifelong Learning Network. This included specific responsibility for the distribution of HEFCE Additional Student Numbers across the region, Progression Agreements, Curriculum Development Projects and the Creative and Cultural Industries sector. This involved working with eleven HEIs from diverse mission groups and thirty-five FECs, as well as a wide range of regional and national industry and sector organisations and employers to promote progression to higher education through vocational routes.
Prior to this Darryll was Director of Higher Education at Croydon College with responsibility for all aspects of higher education provision including: quality assurance and enhancement, HEFCE funding, curriculum development and validation, research and scholarship development, as well as significant partnership working with a range of universities. Darryll's broad ranging experience also includes working as a Senior Graphic Design Consultant with major corporate clients and working in Secondary Schools as a qualified teacher.
Professor Bravenboer seeks to deploy his knowledge, skills and expertise to generate innovative responses to the changing landscape of higher education.
Darryll is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, which is awarded in recognition of:
Professor Bravenboer also has a key interest in the development and enhancement of the transdisciplinary field of professional and work-based learning. He also Chairs the University Accreditation Board which operates to recognise both prior and experimental learning as well as learning from external courses and training. He leads the University's work in developing Higher and Degree Apprenticeships including initiatives in the a range of professional practice sectors including: Construction Management; Retail Management; Commercial Aviation; Creative Industries, Higher Education, Sales. He has also supported the development of apprenticeships in Care Leadership and Management in collaboration with the School of Health and Education.
As a member of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education's (QAA) Higher Education in Apprenticeships Advisoty Group, Darryll is helping to steer national policy regarding the development and delivery of Degree Apprenticeships. Darryll is also co-Chair of the Higher Education Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group, which has over 100 HE members across the country and has contributed significantly to the development of the Degree Apprenticeship for Academic Professionals.
Darryll also acts as a adviser on the Professional Doctorate (DProf) programme at Middlesex, with a particular focus on the DProf by Public Works.
Darryll supports colleagues through acting as a Mentor and Assessment Panel Member for the Middlesex University (HEA Fellowship) Recognition Scheme.
As an Academic Associate of the Higher Education Academy, Dr Bravenboer uses his expertise to support individuals, teams and higher education communities to enhance the quality and impact of learning and teaching.
Research outputs
Lester, S., Bravenboer, D. W. and Webb, N. (2016) Work-integrated degrees: context, engagement, practice and quality, QAA
Bravenboer D. W. (2016) ‘Why co-design and delivery is a ‘no-brainer’ for higher and degree apprenticeships’, Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, Special Issue: Higher and Degree Apprenticeships: creating the future workforce, Emerald
Bravenboer D. W. and Lester S. (2016) ‘Towards an integrated approach to professional competence and academic qualification’, Education + Training, Vol. 58, Iss: 4, Emerald Insight
Bravenboer D. W. and Workman B. (2016) 'Flexible Frameworks and Building Blocks' in Helyer R. (In press) Facilitating work-based learning: A tutor's handbook, Palgrave Macmillan
Bravenboer D. W. and Workman B. (2016) 'Developing a Transdisciplinary Work Based Learning Curriculum: a model for recognising learning from work', in Keppell M., Reushle S., and Antonio A. (In press) Open Learning and Formal Credentialing in Higher Education: Curriculum Models and Institutional Policies, IGI Global
Bravenboer D. W. (2012) 'The Official Discourse of Fair Access to Higher Education' Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, Special Issue in Volume 14: Discourses of Inclusion in Higher Education 2012:36:1, Open University
Anderson A, Bravenboer D W and Hemsworth D (2012) 'The role of universities in higher apprenticeship development', Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, Vol. 2 Iss: 3 pp. 240 – 255, Emerald
Bravenboer D. W. (2011) 'Maximising employer-responsive progression through organisational development', in Tallantyre F. and Kettle J., Learning from Experience in Employer Engagement, Higher Education Academy
Bravenboer D. W. (2011) 'Progression and Fair Access to Higher Education in the Creative and Cultural Industries Sector' in Inclusive practices, inclusive pedagogies: learning from widening participation research in art and design HE, NALN/Ukadia
Bravenboer D. W. (2009) Commodification and the official discourse of higher education (PhD Thesis), University of London, Institute of Education
Bravenboer, D. W. and Cairns, B. and Judson, T. (2009) Development for change. University of Hertfordshire.
Bravenboer, D. W. (2008) Progression in practice.University of Hertfordshire.
Betts, M. and Bravenboer, D. W. (2008) 'An introduction to the theory and practice of MOVE progression accords.' In: Seminar report on progression agreements and accords. Higher Education Funding Council for England, Bristol, pp. 12-18.
Research interests
Bravenboer, Darryll (2022) The official discourse of academic credit in England. In: Widening Access to Higher Education in the UK: Developments and Approaches Using Credit Accumulation and Transfer. Turnbull, Wayne and Woolf, Harvey , eds. Open University Press, Maidenhead, Berkshire, pp. 63-79. ISBN 9780335250592
Lillis, Finbar and Bravenboer, Darryll (2022) Move on Up? Measuring the social mobility impact of apprenticeships. Project Report. Middlesex University, London.
Bravenboer, Darryll and Crawford-Lee, Mandy (2020) Guest Editorial [Special issue: Transforming the Perception of Apprenticeships in England: Careers in the Public Sector] , Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, Vol. 10 No. 5, pp. 693-700. [Journal Guest Editorial]
Nottingham, Paula and Sutton, Louise and Bravenboer, Darryll and Stevenson, Faye and Williams, David and Philip, Ellie (2019) Professionalising sales and forging futures: integrated degree apprenticeship case study. In: The impact of the SEEC Credit Level Descriptors: case studies. SEEC, UK, pp. 18-21. ISBN 9781527232228
Bravenboer, Darryll (2019) The creative disruption of degree apprenticeships in the UK. In: Global Perspectives on Work-Based Learning Initiatives. Talbot, Jon , ed. Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design (AETID) . IGI Global, pp. 57-83. ISBN 9781522569770
QAA Literature Review - Work-integrated Degrees: context, engagement, practice and quality, (2016), funded by QAA, - Researcher
Asda - On Your Marks – Retail Management Programme, (2016 - ongoing), funded by Asda, - Project Manager
Sales Transformation programmes, (2015 - ongoing), funded by Consalia Ltd, - Project Manager
To Certify and Accredit the Current EASO Training Curriculum (2016), funded by EASO (£42k) - Project Team
Professional Practice in Coaching, (2015 - ongoing), funded by Nationwide Insurance - Project Contract Manager
Accelerated work-based degrees in the creative industries sector, (2014-2015), funded by HEFCE/Creative Skillset (£35k) - Project Manager
Asda - Retail Operations and Distribution programmes, (2013 - 2016), funded by ASDA (c£540k) - Project Manager
Retail Management Higher Apprenticeship progression pathways, (2013), funded by National Apprenticeship Service/Skills Funding Agency (£30k) – Project Manager
Higher Apprenticeship in Construction Management, (2012-2013), funded by National Apprenticeship Service/Skills Funding Agency (£1.5m) – Project Manager
Halifax Bank - Retail Banking Practice programmes (2010 - 2015), funded by Lloyds Banking Group, (c£900k) - Project Manager
Higher Apprenticeship for Professional Pilots Project, (2013) funded by National Apprenticeship Service/Skills funding Agency (£24k) - Academic Developer
Integrating professional recognition into the development of higher education qualifications 2012-present), funded by Linking London (£3k) – Project Manager
Professional Development Qualifications, (2010) funded by Linking London (£3k) – Project Manager
Progression Agreements from Advanced Apprenticeships to Higher Education provision, (2010) funded by Linking London (£3k) – Project Manager
Middlesex Organisational Development Network (MODNet), (2009- 2012), funded by HEFCE Strategic Development Fund (£8m) – Senior Manager
