A Sector in Crisis? Insights from how English Higher Education Apprenticeships are Weathering the Storm

Abstract

Purpose: This viewpoint explores strategic lessons for wider higher education (HE) practices from university business and management apprenticeships in England. The paper highlights parallels between the challenges in apprenticeships and those confronting HE leaders and managers, especially regarding rising regulatory pressures, financial constraints and the need for innovation. The authors present how collaboration and adaptive practices from university apprenticeships might inform broader institutional approaches. Design/methodology/approach: The paper draws on autoethnographic experiences of business and management apprenticeship leaders to characterise the current state of the HE sector. Drawing together successful collaborative apprenticeship practices, the authors narrate how their own interactions have supported innovation in the face of resource constraints, regulatory compliance and a complex stakeholder context. Findings: Intense regulatory scrutiny and resource limitations have driven innovation and collaboration within business school apprenticeships, which could offer valuable strategies for the wider HE sector. Insights include enhanced personalised student support, proactive progress monitoring, and effective partnership. Collaborative approaches developed amongst apprenticeship providers have driven continuous improvement, highlighting potential benefits to traditional HE programmes of cross-institutional collaboration and the adoption of new practices in response to rapidly changing conditions. Originality/value: Contributing to the discourse on HE resilience, the authors reflect on how innovations within HE apprenticeship practice offer potential solutions to wider challenges. The paper emphasises that addressing current and future challenges in the UK HE context requires shifting from competitive isolation to cross-institutional collaboration and from top-down to bottom-up innovation.