Abstract:

While Degree Apprenticeships are common in countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany, they are relatively new to other parts of the world. In this paper, I report on the development of an engineering degree apprenticeship that has a unique focus on infrastructure asset management. Part one of the paper outlines the steps taken in setting up the apprenticeship, along with some of the design features that were negotiated in a collaborative partnership between Government, Industry and key providers in New Zealand of vocational education. Part two describes the lessons learned in the first six months of implementation. Using an action research model, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and used to evaluate the improvement in the new blended online component that delivers the theoretical parts of the degree as well as the work based projects that make up the practical component of the degree. In addition to the analyses of these data we have also collected data on the impact that this new model of learning at degree level in New Zealand is having on Industry as well as the lives of the apprentices that are enrolled in the programme. The results of these studies will be discussed, along with recommendations for setting up such degree apprenticeships in the future, based on our experience as well as evidence collected by multiple stakeholders.

Keywords:

Engineering, Degree Apprenticeship, Collaborative learning.