Degree apprenticeships are helping to widen access to professional careers in construction, with women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds accounting for significant proportions of learners.
Research by London South Bank University (LSBU) and the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC) found that 27.2% of LSBU’s construction and built environment degree apprentices are female, compared with 15% of registered construction workers.
The university also reported that 25.4% of its construction and built environment degree apprentices identify as Black, Asian or from another ethnic minority background.
The findings highlight the potential of higher and degree apprenticeships to improve social mobility and address barriers to accessing professional qualifications in the sector.
The research also examined the age profile of LSBU’s construction degree apprentices. It found that 44% are under 21, 34% are aged 21-24, 17% are 25-29 and 5% are 30 or over.
The figures come amid concerns about the accessibility of higher-level apprenticeships following funding changes affecting Level 7 apprenticeships earlier this year.
Separate research by UVAC among its university members found that 55% of respondents do not believe the government’s Growth and Skills Levy reforms will promote social inclusion or increase the number of apprentices from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Alternative route to qualifications
Sammy Shummo, group director of business engagement, skills and training at London South Bank University Group, said degree apprenticeships provided an alternative route to professional qualifications by allowing people to earn while they learn.
He said this helped reduce some of the financial barriers associated with higher-level education and attract a broader range of talent into construction.
Shummo added that maintaining progress on equality would require collaboration between employers, universities, professional bodies and government to ensure apprenticeships remained accessible to people from all backgrounds.
Dr Mandy Crawford-Lee, chief executive of UVAC, said degree apprenticeships offered people from disadvantaged backgrounds a route into higher-skilled and better-paid careers.
She added that the government should prioritise the skills development and career ambitions of employees at every stage of their working lives.
