The first group of students to complete a digital degree apprenticeship has graduated from the University of South Wales (USW).
After starting in 2019 with the undergraduates who have now received their degrees, there are now 79 studying towards the qualification, with around another 30 expected to start the course in September.
The programme started with three partners – lead partner Capgemini, the Welsh Revenue Authority (WRA ), and Flintec. It has now grown to include others such as Admiral, the National Statistics Office, Thales, Bridewell, De Novo Solutions, the Welsh NHS, Companies House, and Sony.
The degree apprenticeship mirrors other similar courses run by USW, with a focus on the need for industry partners to guide and support the curriculum so graduates have the right skills to thrive in their chosen sector.
“The course was developed from the current BSc Computing course that is highly focused on core skills,” said USW Senior Lecturer and Course Leader Ian Fitzell
“This is augmented through insight and input from our development partner Capgemini to ensure that the course is appropriate and targeted for the needs of industry.
“The approach to learning is also different to a traditional degree course, the challenging learning environment seeing lectures held online and supplemented by face-to-face learning for one week in three.
“With it being run over a calendar year it is quite a commitment for the apprentices, but this approach to study gives the opportunity to balance work, education, and a personal life away from both.
“And it obviously works – of the 13 students graduating this month, 12 have first-class degrees and one has achieved a 2:1, which is a very impressive set of results and proves their commitment to their employers and their own careers.”
Dr Ben Calvert, USW Vice-Chancellor, said:
“It was great to meet the digital degree apprenticeship graduates as they celebrated receiving their degrees, and to hear some of their inspiring stories.
“Degree apprenticeships show perfectly what USW is all about, giving our students the education needed to thrive in their chosen sectors and supporting their journey, however they choose to study, towards a successful career.
“It is gratifying to know that others will be following in the footsteps of this groundbreaking group, and we look forward to working with them and our industry partners to develop the next generation of digital experts.”
The WRA is one of the founding partners of the undergraduate course. The WRA is responsible for managing two devolved taxes, Land Transaction Tax and Landfill Disposals tax. The WRA created a digital system to help collect the taxes in readiness for going live on 1 April 2018.
Anthony Pritchard, Chief Digital Officer for the WRA, said:
“It’s been very satisfying to watch our apprentices develop their skills, knowledge, and experience to become key members of our digital team. And we’d like to thank the University of South Wales for inviting us to be part of this exciting scheme.
“We’re a fully cloud-based tax authority and we’re committed to offering our customers the best digital experience. Our apprentices have made a significant contribution towards helping us grow our internal digital capability while also improving our online tax services.
“All our apprentices achieved impressive results, through hard work and commitment, and with thanks to many internal colleagues who’ve supported them on their journey at the WRA.”
