The growing presence of universities as apprenticeship training providers has been a notable feature of the wider further education scene in recent years, with one institution coming close to a national award in an end-of-year ceremony.

Bristol University made it to the final of the Department of Education’s National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards 2024 in London, having been nominated in the Aptem Social Justice Employer of the Year Award category.

The university was already the regional winner of this award and while it missed out on the national prize, its success in reaching the final stage highlighted the work it has done on its apprenticeship scheme.

It launched its eXcelBristol Apprentices scheme in 2019, since when 55 apprentices have worked there in areas ranging from IT and financial services to laboratories. Many of them have taken up permanent job roles in the university, with some going on to study degrees while they do so.

The university now aims to make one per cent of its workforce apprentices next year.

Head of apprenticeships and employment outreach at the university Rebecca Scott described the experience of running the scheme as “one of the most rewarding experiences that I have been blessed to have”.

She added: “Apprenticeships are such a great tool to widen access to employment and further education.”

The scheme was also praised by lab technician apprentice Idman Abdullahi Mohamed, who described her experience as “one of the most valuable opportunities I’ve had”.

It is fair to say not every University running an apprentice scheme has been as good as Bristol, although one institution that had come in for criticism has now been acknowledged as making “significant progress”, the BBC has reported.

An Ofsted inspection at the University of Wolverhampton in January and February concluded that improvements were required, but a follow-up report has revealed “a substantial increase in the number of apprentices successfully achieving their apprenticeship”.