Pride as Uni leads way in qualification rate for apprenticeships among HEIs
The University of Huddersfield’s apprenticeship provision has the best qualification achievement rate for university providers in England with more than 100 apprentices enrolled in 2023/24, according to the latest Government data.
The Department for Education (DfE) has released the national Qualification Achievement Rates (QAR) for apprenticeships in 2023/24, which reveals that the University of Huddersfield has an 87.6 per cent achievement rate.
Out of 103 Higher Education Institutions with published data, the University is placed fourth nationally behind only Roehampton, London Metropolitan and Worcester universities, which all have under 100 apprentices each.
This means that Huddersfield, with more than 800 apprentices, is the top-ranked larger university apprenticeship provider in England and has the highest rate among all HEIs in the North.
The national average QAR for 2023/24 was 60.5 per cent.
In addition, the University’s apprenticeship provision continues to be rated the highest possible grade of Outstanding by Ofsted.
Brian Culleton, Director of Apprenticeships at the University, commented: “These results reflect the unwavering commitment of our staff and employer partners to delivering high-quality, life-changing apprenticeships. We're proud to be leading the way in the North and to have the highest QAR amongst HE providers in England with more than 100 apprentices in 2023/24.”
The QAR figures are used by the DfE to judge how apprenticeship providers perform each year and can give both employers and apprentices additional confidence in the quality of individual providers.
The data indicates the number of learners completing and passing their apprenticeship, which when the QAR figure is high, is a good indicator that the training is well-delivered, the course well-managed and that learners are supported to achieve success.
Huddersfield first established its apprentice provision in 2018 and is now the largest provider of apprenticeships in nursing and allied health in Yorkshire and the Humber.
When the University was awarded an outstanding rating by Ofsted for its apprenticeship provision in November 2023, it was only the second university to be awarded the highest rating in the previous four years.
It was also the only university in the region to be both Ofsted outstanding-rated for apprenticeships and to be a TEF Gold-rated university.
Discover more about the University's apprenticeships - here
The University currently offers the following degree apprenticeships: Advanced Clinical Practice, Midwifery Studies, Nursing Associate, Occupational Therapy, Operating Department Practice, Paramedic Science, Physiotherapy, Podiatry and Registered Nurse, as well as management apprenticeships in Professional Manager (Level 5) and Senior Leader Higher (Level 7 – Postgraduate Diploma in Management) which both include chartered manager status awarded by the CMI.
The University of Huddersfield is also the only institution in the North to have been selected as one of eight providers in England to deliver a Teacher Degree Apprenticeship pilot in Mathematics.
This course is due to begin in September 2025 and is designed to offer an alternative route for people to become qualified teachers, with apprentices working in a school from day one at the same time as studying for a degree. It is the only route that provides a salary as well as the training to get both a degree and qualified teacher status without any student fees debt.
What is an apprenticeship?
Apprenticeships are a way to study for a university qualification while working, with apprentices benefitting from on-the-job training enhanced by a university education.