Information to help education providers meet our regulatory requirements when setting up Degree Apprenticeships
If you are planning to set up a Degree Apprenticeship programme, you should contact us when you are in a position to discuss your plans for delivery of the programme. It is best to contact us sooner rather than later.
Our aim is to help programmes align with our regulatory requirements. We have been approving apprenticeship programmes in England since 2017, and are well positioned to share insight about common approaches and challenges education providers may experience when developing these programmes. We have produced a document for education providers who are considering running a new programme where learners are also employees of partner organisations.
Our key advice is:
- Engage with us early.
- Education quality must remain central to programme development.
- Define the detail of your partnership arrangements.
- Ensure your resources will work for all types of learners.
- Ensure your pedagogical approach works with your method of delivery.
- Consider the requirements of other regulators and relevant bodies.
How we assess programmes
Our standards of education and training (SETs) are designed to be flexible, which means they can be applied to a variety of training models. Education providers will need to demonstrate how their apprenticeship programme meets our standards.
We need to approve any new programme leading to HCPC registration before learners start the programme. This includes if education providers already deliver another programme in the same professional area. It is also important to note that employer(s) must be in place for programmes to meet our standards – this means that we cannot approve programmes prior to employers formally committing to programmes. Our approval process is applied flexibly depending on the situation, taking into account existing approved provision.
Please see our approval process page for further information about the process to follow.
