Three new degree apprenticeship programmes for the built environment sector

The university already offers degree apprenticeships in Civil Engineering and Chartered Town Planner, but from September 2021 is adding Chartered Surveyor, Construction Site Manager and Environmental Practitioner to its portfolio.

The government estimates there will be 250,000 ‘green’ jobs by 2030, while the Greater Brighton Economic Board - which includes the University of Brighton - has announced environmental projects with a combined value of £530 million, creating 35,000 new jobs locally.

Degree apprenticeships provide a tailor-made programme of study to suit the needs of both apprentices and employers. Providing a broad palette of practical and theoretical education which is directly related to the apprentice’s job, degree apprenticeships offer the significant advantage of a funded pathway to an honours degree, several years of industrial experience and a professional qualification on completion.

Civil engineering course leader Maria Diakoumi with four Civil Engineering apprentices

University degree apprenticeships are also helping diversify the workforce in different areas of the built environment sector. Of the 18 apprentices enrolled on the Chartered Town Planning Masters Degree Apprenticeship programme, for example, 11 are women.

One is Alishba Emmanuel, currently an Apprentice Planning Officer working at Uttersfield District Council. Alishba said: “The support from the university and the workplace has been more than I could ask for. The scheduling really helps with enabling us to do the apprenticeship without impeding our ability to get through our working day.”

Noel Painting, programme lead for the new Chartered Surveyor and Construction Site Management degree apprenticeships, said: “These apprenticeships will allow local companies to provide their existing employees and potential recruits with a route to chartered status. The apprenticeships are strongly linked with our existing surveying degree courses and will have accreditation from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. These new routes really strengthen our ties with industry, allowing us to deliver education that matches the skills required by employers for these roles.”

The university works with a range of partner employers in the region. These include West Sussex County Council, which currently sponsors four apprentices across the Civil Engineering and Chartered Town Planning programmes, and will be sponsoring further apprentices for the Environmental Practitioner programme.

Tom King, Senior Highway Steward for West Sussex County Council is undertaking the Civil Engineering Degree Apprenticeship, he said: “When I’m studying at university, I’m learning things that directly relate to what I’m doing at work. In highway maintenance, I’m dealing with the reactive side of engineering, like floods and potholes. So, when we learned about hydraulics there were direct links to the rivers and ditches I’ve been dealing with in my job.”

One of the first employers to send apprentices on the Civil Engineer Degree Apprenticeship was Hove-based Hop Consulting, which currently sponsors two apprentices. Ria French, HR Advisor at the company said: “Apprenticeships are an integral part of our business structure. All of our technical apprenticeships lead through to degree qualifications and our apprentices go on to become team leaders, senior engineers, chartered engineers and even directors.”

Professor Debra Humphris said: “The University of Brighton is a technical and professional university, very much focused on courses that will educate an important part of the future workforce.”

To find out more about these programmes, contact the University of Brighton’s apprenticeship team.

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