Abstract:

Piloting the first degree-apprenticeship in engineering in New Zealand was not without its problems. Apart from the impact that the covid pandemic has had in the last two years, establishing the programme has been beset with several serious challenges. These range from the lack of institutional support to government policy changes that have led to seismic shifts in the tertiary education landscape in the country. Surprisingly however, the pilot programme has not only survived, but flourished. It has been shown to present a sustainable model for the delivery of other specialised engineering occupations where training at a national level is severely under threat.

This paper describes the research undertaken to evaluate the impact of the pilot programme project, the conclusions drawn and the actions that have subsequently been taken to embed the programme at a national level. The impact that the project has had on the infrastructure asset management industry, the students and the polytechnic sector is also discussed. What we have found to be sustainable is a flexible work-based programme of study that can be delivered online or face to face. The structure of the programme allows it to easily be adapted to fit any engineering related occupation. Not only is the model of teaching and learning been shown to be broadly financially sustainable and educationally effective, but the design has been refined to address the needs of smaller programmes that are at risk of closure because there are too few students to support a programme at any one institution. A good example is clinical engineering where the last programme in the country has been closed, in spite of the urgent need for such engineers in our hospitals. Steps have now been taken to set up several new degree apprenticeships focussing engineering occupations where there is a critical need in the country.

Keywords:

Degree Apprenticeship, Engineering, Online Learning, Work integrated Learning.