Abstract:

Degree apprenticeship programmes have grown significantly across the UK in recent years, reflecting employers’ increasing demand for work-ready graduates and learners’ desire for pathways that integrate academic study with paid employment. In Wales, this trend has been reinforced by strategic government investment aimed at strengthening the digital and technological skills base, particularly within industries central to the nation’s economic development. As a result, programmes such as The Open University’s Applied Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship in Wales have expanded rapidly, bringing universities, employers, and learners into closer partnership. This expansion has highlighted the need for robust support structures that ensure apprentices, workplace mentors, and academic staff share a clear understanding of expectations — particularly in work-based modules where academic success is tightly coupled to the quality of workplace engagement.

Degree Apprentices on the Applied Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship in Wales undertake two sequential work-based project modules — TMXY350 Advanced Work-Based Learning and TMXY470 The Computing and IT Project. These sequential modules are closely linked, meaning that performance in TMXY350 directly impacts outcomes in TMXY470. Ensuring Degree Apprentices are adequately prepared for TMXY350 is therefore critical to their overall success.

In addition to their Module Tutors, Degree Apprentices are also assigned a Practice Tutor who provides academic and pastoral support throughout the programme, helping bridge the gap between workplace and academic expectations.

This paper reports on an intervention designed to improve both Degree Apprentice and line manager understanding of the requirements of these non-traditional, workplace-embedded modules. To address these challenges, a structured briefing event was designed and delivered by two tutors with experience in both modules across academic years 2022/23 and 2023/24. An anonymised recording was subsequently made available for wider access and future cohorts.

The briefing targeted Degree Apprentices, their workplace line managers, Practice Tutors, and staff from the Business Development Unit in Wales, who manage the OU’s employer relationships. The briefing supported both project preparation and delivery for the Degree Apprentices and internal staff development.

The briefing covered each module in turn, highlighting the key topics, learning outcomes, academic content and assessment requirements. It also provided guidance on project selection, as choosing an appropriate project can significantly impact module performance.

Following the introduction of these briefings, average TMXY350 grades improved across a grade boundary. Although all TMXY470 grades for the two cohorts were achieved post-intervention, results for this module showed a modest year-on-year improvement.

These findings suggest that targeted preparatory briefings can improve Degree Apprentice performance in integrated work-based learning modules and may provide a model for supporting sequential project modules within Degree Apprenticeship programmes.

Keywords:

Degree Apprenticeships, work-based learning, project modules, preparatory briefings.