In October the University was excited to announce its success in securing funding to develop three new degree apprenticeships: architect, architectural assistant and town planner, in addition we are developing a fourth in partnership with East Kent Colleges Partnership: Construction Quantity Surveyor.
The project has been made possible thanks to a Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund grant worth £200,000 awarded by Hefce (Higher Education Funding Council for England). The Fund aims to increase degree apprenticeship capacity and in particular the number of degree apprenticeship starts in September 2018.
The project has attracted support from industry and local government including Kent Country Council, Medway Council and Thanet Council, as well as a number of employer groups, including the Kent Construction Focus Group and the Kent and Medway Construction and Built Environment Guild. The level of support is reflective of the need for degree level skills in construction to support regional development across Kent and the South East of England.
Since the announcement work has been underway to develop these programmes and prepare for their launch – including work to inform schools about these new opportunities and working with employers to ensure new apprenticeships meet their needs. As work progresses on the project, we’ll continue to update our blog with more information and opportunities to take part.
If you are interested in the project and would like to find out more please email apprenticeships@kent.ac.uk.