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The purpose of this study is to gain insight into the degree apprenticeship labour market and employers' strategies for apprenticeship recruitment using job advertisement data. Specifically, this study identifies the skills, attributes, experience and qualifications that employers look for in IT apprentices. The study also identifies the salaries and responsibilities of apprentices and considers the alignment between the advertised jobs and apprenticeship definitions.

Degree apprenticeship job adverts (n = 290) were collected from the official websites used by employers in England and Scotland to advertise apprenticeship roles, between March 2019 and March 2020. Data was analysed using content analysis to systematically elicit salaries, candidate requirements in terms of skills, qualifications and experience and specific job details from these adverts.

A wide variation in advertised salary was found. Entry routes were similar to the traditional high school qualifications (A-levels or Highers) sought by universities. The skills and attributes being sought at recruitment were the same skills that employers were seeking in graduates and the same skills that the apprenticeships were designed to develop. Most adverts focused on the training that the apprentices would be receiving, rather than work tasks, which were rarely specified.

This is the first study of how apprenticeship roles are advertised to potential candidates and thus contributes to ongoing research into this new work/degree-level education model. By analysing job adverts we share insights into how employers position apprenticeships to attract candidates.

The partnership which underpins degree apprenticeships is a tripartite collaboration between apprentices, employers and universities. This study aims to investigate the lived experiences and reflections of the apprentices at the centre, to inform effective collaboration.

A qualitative, longitudinal study, spanning four years, in which 13 apprentices studying apprenticeship degrees at a Scottish University were interviewed in their first and final years about their experiences of the apprenticeship (26 interviews). Data was analysed via a framework matrix, which focussed on the collaborations between the apprentice, employer and university, also surfacing changes between the apprentices’ first and final year.

The tripartite collaboration is not only logistical but also, like learning, social. Apprentices require interest and support from their employers and colleagues to promote meaningful integration between their work and studies. Further, collaboration between apprentices extends from peer support into meaningful friendships and feeds into their work, as well as their studies. The university plays a key role in facilitating these essential connections.

Apprenticeships can be highly effective in upskilling the workforce and sharing knowledge and skills between academia and the workplace in both directions, while specifically enabling workers to gain degree qualifications relevant to their roles. Recommendations for future work practices, including collaborations, are made.

While the tripartite collaboration has been discussed theoretically in the literature, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first longitudinal investigation based on the lived experience of cohorts of apprentices, from the start of their degree to the final six months.