The aim of this research is to critically investigate the lifelong learning opportunities within the degree apprenticeship tripartite relationship and to develop an actionable framework to leverage these opportunities sustainably.
Project lead: Manchester Metropolitan University
About this project
Lifelong learning objectives must be pivotal for higher education and professional development, especially within the degree apprenticeships sector.
From a recent QAA-sponsored report, it emerged that many learners pursue degree apprenticeships for career developmental purposes. Most employers recognise degree apprenticeships as a tool for driving innovation, and notably, educators and employers collaborate to foster the exchange of ideas and practices, thereby enhancing personal development .
Another report indicates that many employers use degree apprenticeships to upskill their existing workforce. From a critical analysis of these reports, the project team has identified that the tripartite relationships between learners, employers, and educators facilitate bi-directional flows of lifelong learning benefits.
While discussions on lifelong learning often focus on learners, the benefits for employers and educators are equally significant but often overlooked. The aim of this research is thus to critically investigate the lifelong learning opportunities within the degree apprenticeship tripartite relationship and to develop an actionable framework to leverage these opportunities sustainably.
The aims of this project are:
- To critically evaluate the existing tripartite lifelong learning benefits of learners, employers, and educators.
- To investigate the gaps within the tripartite relationship and develop interventions for bridging them.
- To develop an actionable framework on how the tripartite relationship could be leveraged to benefit learners, employers, and educators.
Methodology
The proposed project will employ a mixed-methods approach to comprehensively investigate the lifelong learning opportunities within the tripartite relationship between learners, educators, and employers.
This approach will allow for a robust analysis of the existing benefits, identification of gaps, and development of actionable recommendations.
The steps in the methodology to be adopted with accompanying methods are:
1. Literature review: a thorough literature review will be conducted to identify drivers and barriers of lifelong learning within degree apprenticeships key stakeholders.
2. Gap analysis: Analyse models of tripartite relationships in educational settings using secondary quantitative data from a QAA-sponsored report [1] and [2] to map out the lifelong learning opportunity gaps.
3. Explore Gaps: Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with a purposive sample of 30 participants (10 learners, 10 educators, and 10 employers) across multiple QAA members in Scotland and England. This will provide in-depth insights into their experiences and perceptions of lifelong learning benefits and explore how the gaps in Step 2 could be addressed.
4. Data analysis 1: The data from Step 2 will be analysed to generate a thematic roadmap for interventions to leverage lifelong learning opportunities within the degree apprenticeship network.
5. Validate Result: Focus groups will be organized for the participants in Step 3 to validate the result of the produce in Step 4.
6. Data Analysis 2: The data from Step 5 will be analysed to finetune the results from Step 5 to create an actionable framework for educators, learners and employers.
7. Dissemination: The resulting actionable framework will be disseminated via conference workshops and papers, journal articles, blogs and the investigators’ network to reach a wider audience.
Ernest Edifor Reader (Digital Education), Director of Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship, Leader of Apprenticeship Research Unit , Manchester Metropolitan University, England, E.Edifor@mmu.ac.uk
Shobana Partington Head of Department (Operations, Technology, Events and Hospitality Management, Manchester Metropolitan University, England, s.n.partington@mmu.ac.uk
Matthew Barr Senior Lecturer in Computing Science, Head of Section & Programme Director at University of Glasgow, Director of Education at SICSA, and Director of the Ada Scotland Festival , University of Glasgow, Scotland, Matthew.Barr@glasgow.ac.uk
Ann Minton Independent Consultant, Work Based Learning Practice Consultant, England, annthescan@gmail.com
Ailsa Crum Independent Consultant, Ailsa Crum Consulting Ltd, Scotland, ailsa@ailsacrum.com
Tara Williams Apprenticeships Lead, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Wales, tewilliams@cardiffmet.ac.uk;
Abbie McKenna Head of Centre for Apprenticeships Skills & Flexible Education, Ulster University, Northern Ireland, ae.mckenna@ulster.ac.uk
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