Sheffield Hallam University – the home of the National Centre for Excellence in Degree Apprenticeships – has been awarded £459,000 in the first wave of the Office for Students’ Degree Apprenticeship Funding Competition.
The competition has been launched to boost the capacity and equality of opportunity within degree apprenticeship provision in higher education. It will see the OfS distribute a total of £40 million to universities in the next 18 months.
Sheffield Hallam will use the grant to provide additional capacity to support four existing apprenticeship courses, aiming to boost recruitment by enhancing engagement with local and national employers. It will also support one new discipline – an accounting finance management apprenticeship – specifically selected to respond to regional economic demands.
The investment will also be used to support local SME employers to improve equality and inclusion, and to recruit a diverse group of degree apprentices which is representative of South Yorkshire communities. More than 80.9% of Sheffield Hallam degree apprentices are from one or underrepresented student groups, something which it will help employers across the region to reflect.
Sam Moorwood, Head of Work Based Learning at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “Sheffield Hallam is proudly a standard-bearer for degree apprenticeships in the UK, and this funding will help us to improve and expand our award-winning provision.
“This award will help us to expand recruitment, offer a new apprenticeship standard in accounting finance – a key sector for the regional economy – and to support local businesses to take on more people from a range of backgrounds. Degree apprentices provide a vibrant and skilled workforce for South Yorkshire – something that will be crucial to the region’s future and its growth.”
