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New Environmental Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship launched at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½

Posted Yesterday

A new degree apprenticeship which aims to help its students answer some of the world’s most pressing challenges has been launched at SA¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½.

The BSc (Hons) Environmental Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship will help its graduates  tackle issues such as biodiversity loss, climate change and threats to food and energy supplies. It is designed to be both innovative and to put a thorough understanding of sustainability centre stage, according to Course Manager Dr Lucy Crockford.

She said: “We felt with our position as the interface between land management, wider business interests and nature that we would be very well placed to deliver an innovative take on this particular apprenticeship standard.

“The new course will fill a gap for science-based understanding of environmental land management and its interaction with wider society.

“We are keen to provide apprentices with a useful and applied degree that allows them to develop their skills while working - but also develop their skills outside of their role.”

The new qualification has been welcomed by employers, and the Degree Apprenticeship has been designed with significant industry input.

Sarah Belton, Founder and Director of environmental consultancy Nutrient Neutral, which specialises in advising on river water quality, is one of many employers who have worked alongside the team as they developed the new course.

She said: “It's fantastic to see an industry-ready course with flexibility in the environmental sector.

“Sustainability is core to every business and we at Nutrient Neutral are keen to see how apprentices can expand our opportunities in this market."

Both employers and apprentices will be able to draw on the experience of the long- apprenticeship team at Harper Adams, which is already providing degree apprenticeships across land and property, veterinary and food sciences and whose work has been commended as ‘good’ by OFSTED inspectors – with its work on behaviour and attitudes rated ‘outstanding.’

Apprenticeship Manager Carol Rogers said: “Among the benefits we can offer employers are structured training for their staff, support and guidance to make the best use of apprenticeship levy funding.

“Apprentices get an opportunity to study at degree level when they may not have considered it in the past.

“We find they often choose this route because they prefer to learn through applying skills in the workplace. They may not have considered university as an option because they didn’t want to move away from home, or for mature apprentices, they already have commitments – so this is a course that works for them.”

Dr Crockford added: “The market of environmental graduates is relatively small for the number of roles available and so an apprenticeship provides opportunities for those looking for a career change or not wishing to complete university in the classical sense – this widens the pool for employers.

“Employers also can determine how well an apprentice works - so it is a great way to expand a team with low risk.

“They can expect their apprentices to have a wide-ranging applied curriculum that will give them an insight into cutting-edge science and potentially new ways of doing things in their industry.”

Turning to the benefits for apprentices, Dr Crockford said: “They will get to learn on the job while also obtaining a highly sought after degree at a specialist university.

“The degree has been developed in pursuit of ISEP accreditation and is designed to give apprentices a wide range of experiences to set them up for an exciting career in the environmental and sustainability sector.

“Apprentices will also be able to avail of all the great support here at the university with library services, laboratory technicians, access to sites on campus, exciting field courses and trips off campus as well as high quality and dynamic assessment strategies.

“They will not incur any fee liability and will be paid throughout their apprenticeship - so they finish their studies both debt-free and with four years’ worth of work experience.”

Find out more about the BSc (Hons) Environmental Practitioner Degree Apprenticeship at: