Degree apprentices wired for success
The first ever cohort of Degree Apprentices have all graduated with honours from the University of Sunderland providing a major boost to the region’s high-tech skills gap.
Sunderland is part of a select group of UK higher-level teaching institutions working directly with businesses on the new Government supported Higher Degree Apprenticeship programme, designed by employers, universities and professional bodies, to deliver high-end skills and offer a tailored alternative to a traditional degree course.
Degree apprentices spend part of their time at university and part with their employer. Now, after taking three years to complete the Digital & Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship, specialising in software engineering, alongside their full-time jobs at Accenture – a world leading management consulting and technology services company – 12 students finally stepped onto the stage at the Stadium of Light to collect their much deserved awards.
Application Development Associate Jimmy Brown, 33, from Sunderland, said: “The Degree Apprenticeship has been a huge learning curve, but gaining experience in a real-world environment while studying, has certainly helped.