UCAS is synonymous with university admissions. Every year we help 700,000 students from over 200 countries and territories apply for full-time undergraduate courses at nearly 400 UK universities and colleges.
But we do so much more than undergraduate degree admissions. Students are increasingly coming to UCAS to ask about apprenticeships, particularly higher and degree apprenticeships.
Each year UCAS delivers over 50 events nationwide to support students in making their future decisions, and questions about apprenticeships are amongst the most commonly asked. We’ve increased our apprenticeship offerings, and for 2020, every event will feature apprentice-recruiting employers. This means that students will be able to speak to both them and universities in the same place.
Ucas.com provides a digital means to surface relevant, accurate, and timely information and advice to students. Through the UCAS Hub, our personalised information and advice dashboard, students can explore information about the apprenticeship experience alongside information about university study. Students can also use our Career Finder tool to search for apprenticeship vacancies – 30,000 are currently available.
We also know that students are exploring both university and apprenticeship opportunities in parallel. Just before Confirmation and Clearing last year, 40% of applicants said, when planning for results day, they would consider an apprenticeship as an option, and 25% of applicants who held an offer of a degree place, but subsequently declined it, told us that they had chosen an apprenticeship instead.
We want to do more to support students looking for alternatives to three year full-time study.
Current developments include:
- an integrated course and opportunity search facility, where students can explore their options side by side. For example, a student wishing to study chemical engineering could use the UCAS tool to see undergraduate courses alongside higher and degree apprenticeship opportunities
- a matching service, where students and employers can connect with one another
Through this, we aim to develop a single platform where students can explore and connect to a variety of study opportunities.
Keen to be involved? Email apprenticeships@ucas.ac.uk to find out more.