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Future proofing the degree apprenticeship workforce - an exploratory study of resilience behaviours, resources and risks
Rowe, Lisa
Rowe, Lisa
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2019-11
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Abstract
The Higher Education Institution (HEI) employer interface has attracted much
attention recently, particularly over dissatisfaction with graduate work-readiness.
Concurrently, pressure upon new graduates is accelerating through the
unprecedented pace of global change in technologies, communications and
robotics, revolutionising the workplace and requiring new lifelong learning strategies
which embed critical transferable skills and resilience to adapt, thrive and perform
effectively in an increasingly unpredictable global environment. Degree
apprenticeships developed to counter such skills issues have forced HEIs to adapt
pedagogic strategies and adopt work-based learning frameworks to ensure curricula
meet new political apprenticeship reforms. The extant literature reflects an
increasing demand for employee resilience, yet despite widespread
acknowledgement that employability is dependent upon a self-driven and evolving
conceptual toolkit containing resilience and transferable skills, there remains a
dearth of research into the complex, multi-faceted interrelationships between
resilience and skills. Central to this research is an examination of the influence of
degree apprenticeship programmes upon resilience development within this
evolving generation of learners, and the potential limitations caused by wider
influences that shape resilience across a range of occupational settings. The theory
of resilience is therefore a highly relevant conceptual lens with which to explore the
experiences of degree apprentices, their employers and the academic team within a
UK Business School.
This research is particularly distinctive in its adoption of a qualitative approach to
investigate the impact of situational influences upon resilience by incorporating a
range of settings and professions. It provides a holistic evaluation involving multiple
stakeholder perspectives to produce a contemporary view of funded HE work-based
learning programme provision. The use of qualitative methods has added depth to
the data, through the provision of rich and thick description to illustrate correlations
between the characteristics and behaviours demonstrated by resilient students,
highlighting the broader influences of environmental factors upon resilience. As
such, this research makes an original contribution to the extant body of knowledge
over the conceptualisation of resilience, revealing new insights into the influence of
background and upbringing, goal setting and leadership competencies. Previously
unexplored contextual tensions emerge, revealing challenges to educational
providers’ perceptions of innovative pedagogies and exposing weaknesses in
current practice. Together the findings and recommendations offer the opportunity to
develop effective pedagogic practice, transferable to any work-based programme
across a range of disciplines, further increasing the significance of this study.
Citation
Rowe, L. (2019). Future proofing the degree apprenticeship workforce - an exploratory study of resilience behaviours, resources and risks (Doctoral dissertation). University of Chester, UK.
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University of Chester
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Thesis or dissertation
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en