Graduate Apprenticeship Students Transition to Higher Education: An Investigative Study to Understand their Challenges

TY - CONF

T1 - Graduate Apprenticeship Students Transition to Higher Education

T2 - University of Dundee Scholarship Conference 2025

AU - Shamvedi, Deepak

A2 - Smith, Julie

A2 - Duke-Williams, Emma

A2 - Holme, Richard

A2 - Srinivasan, Sundar

A2 - Spark, Gordon

A2 - Martindale, Linda

A2 - Kinnear, Susan

N1 - © 2025 The Author.

PY - 2025/10/7

Y1 - 2025/10/7

N2 - Skills Development Scotland is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for work-based learning. Through a range of programmes including Modern Apprenticeships, Foundation Apprenticeships, and Graduate Apprenticeships. SDS offers individuals opportunities to gain qualifications while developing the skills and experience that employers value. These programmes aim to connect education with the needs of the workforce, helping people grow professionally while contributing to the economy. This research focuses on Graduate Apprenticeship engineering, design and manufacture students at University of Dundee who are working full-time while pursuing higher education. The aim is to explore their transitional experiences, particularly how they manage the shift between full-time industry work and academic study. Through this research, the study seeks to better understand the challenges they face and the support they need during their transition. Thirteen GA engineering students took part in this study. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, which allowed participants to speak openly about their experiences. The interviews explored key aspects of the transition, such as the balance between work, university, and personal life, and the kinds of support that helped along the way. Overall, students described the Graduate Apprenticeship programme as a positive experience. Many saw the university qualification as an important step toward future career growth in the engineering sector. However, a recurring challenge across participants was time management, particularly juggling responsibilities at work, at home, and at university. Despite these pressures, students highlighted the value of the support received from academic staff, which played a key role in helping them manage and succeed. The findings suggests that with the right support in place, Graduate Apprenticeships can be a rewarding and effective model for learning and career development.

AB - Skills Development Scotland is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for work-based learning. Through a range of programmes including Modern Apprenticeships, Foundation Apprenticeships, and Graduate Apprenticeships. SDS offers individuals opportunities to gain qualifications while developing the skills and experience that employers value. These programmes aim to connect education with the needs of the workforce, helping people grow professionally while contributing to the economy. This research focuses on Graduate Apprenticeship engineering, design and manufacture students at University of Dundee who are working full-time while pursuing higher education. The aim is to explore their transitional experiences, particularly how they manage the shift between full-time industry work and academic study. Through this research, the study seeks to better understand the challenges they face and the support they need during their transition. Thirteen GA engineering students took part in this study. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, which allowed participants to speak openly about their experiences. The interviews explored key aspects of the transition, such as the balance between work, university, and personal life, and the kinds of support that helped along the way. Overall, students described the Graduate Apprenticeship programme as a positive experience. Many saw the university qualification as an important step toward future career growth in the engineering sector. However, a recurring challenge across participants was time management, particularly juggling responsibilities at work, at home, and at university. Despite these pressures, students highlighted the value of the support received from academic staff, which played a key role in helping them manage and succeed. The findings suggests that with the right support in place, Graduate Apprenticeships can be a rewarding and effective model for learning and career development.

U2 - 10.20933/100001451

DO - 10.20933/100001451

M3 - Poster

Y2 - 2 September 2025 through 3 September 2025

ER -