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Middlesex University hosts inaugural Building on Best Practice for Public Sector Degree Apprenticeships conference

10/09/2018
Report into MDX's work to develop policing, teaching, nursing and social work apprenticeships launched

Middlesex University London is hosting a national event to share best practice in the development and delivery of public sector apprenticeships to help organisations and education providers train the qualified, skilled workers needed to deliver essential public services.

The conference on 11 September 2018 will see the launch of a new report, Best Practice in Work-integrated Learning for Degree Apprenticeships (download available below), detailing outcomes from Middlesex University’s national project to develop and launch apprenticeships for police officers, nurses, teachers and social workers. The project is being delivered by Middlesex together with public sector partners.

The conference is aimed at higher education professionals and public sector employers interested in developing degree apprenticeships or who are currently delivering nursing, teaching, social work and policing HE programmes, plus practitioners involved in work-integrated learning or best practice in learning, teaching and assessment. Public sector employers who are involved in developing their workforces are also invited.

Speakers include Nicola Turner MBE, Head of Skills at the Office for Students (OfS), Middlesex University Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Blackman and Greg Wade from Universities UK.

"As employers come under increasing pressure to tackle lack of diversity in their workforces, we can expect them to seek out diversity when recruiting apprentices,” Professor Blackman will say. "Degree apprenticeships for the public sector professions have particular potential to open doors to professional careers for a wider range of people”. Nicola Turner will talk about degree apprenticeship courses that are ready for delivery and about the current profile of the degree apprentice student population.

Middlesex University has extensive experience working with public sector partners, and is the recipient of £250,000 out of a total of £4.8 million awarded to universities and colleges by the OfS1 to develop public sector degree apprenticeships. The project involves the sharing of best practice with the Higher Education and public sectors.

"When teachers, police officers, social workers and nurses all achieve professional status through degree apprenticeships, the perception of the role and purpose of apprenticeships will be transformed in the eyes of the public and business”, said Middlesex’s Chief Commercial Officer Katie Bell when Middlesex was awarded its funding.

"We are delighted to be working alongside local public sector employers in London to make sure these apprenticeships achieve the desired impact – a qualified, professional and skilled public sector workforce that will benefit London and the country."

Middlesex currently offers: Police Constable, Registered Nurse, Nursing Associate, Healthcare Science Practitioner, Teacher, Construction Management, Chartered Manager, Digital Technology Solutions Professional, Business to Business Sales Professional and Academic Professional degree apprenticeship programmes. Other apprenticeships including Social Worker, Senior Leader and Accountancy Professional are in development and due to be launched in 2019.

The University has also helped the private sector through delivery of professional and work-based learning programmes, including apprenticeships. Among employers that the University has recently worked with are Royal Mail, easyJet, Asda, Halifax Bank, WorldPay, Sony Mobile, SAP, Wipro, Toshiba Tech and BT.

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Notes

1 The Office for Students is the new regulator for higher education in England and will carry on the management of the Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund from the Higher Education Funding Council for England which closed at the end of March 2018.

For more information go to www.officeforstudents.org.uk

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