THE UNIVERSITY of Cumbria has retained its 'Good' rating for its apprenticeship provision. 

Following its recent four-day inspection, Ofsted has adjudged the overall effectiveness of the university’s apprenticeship provision to be ‘good’.

The apprentice provision accommodates more than 2,000 registered learners, many of whom are enrolled in roles such as paramedics, project managers, registered nurses and professional foresters.

The same rating has also been given to all five categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and apprenticeships.

Apprentices were found to "consistently demonstrate highly professional behaviours and attitudes to their learning and work".

The report also praised the university for its "well-equipped facilities and high-quality resources", which the apprentices benefited from.

University leaders and managers were commended for their foresight in "accurately identifying local, regional and national needs shortages in areas such as health, project management and forestry".

In terms of improvement going ahead however, the university needs to "ensure that starting points are used to plan individualised learning for all apprentices" and "improve the quality of teaching for the few apprentices who experience inconsistency in their learning sessions."

Vice Chancellor Professor Julie Mennell said: “We introduced degree apprenticeships to capitalise on our strengths and to address employer needs, with a strong focus on collaborative working with sectors, employers, professional bodies and education partners.

“Seven years on, we are one of the largest providers of degree apprenticeships in the country, with over 2,000 degree apprentices across programmes covering Paramedicine, Project Management, Senior Leadership, Nursing, Diagnostic Radiography, Healthcare and Forestry and with additional funding from the Office for Students to expand even further.

“It is therefore very pleasing, to have achieved Ofsted Good across all aspects of our provision and to be praised by Ofsted for the excellent collaborative working we have with employers and the experience, knowledge and skills of our staff.”

The university is also receiving significant funding from the Office for Students to further increase its Level 6 degree apprenticeship provision.

More than £600,000 has already been granted in 2024.

Among the apprenticeships offered include advanced clinical practitioner, nursing associate, registered nurse, midwife, paramedic, assistant practitioner, diagnostic radiography, youth work, chartered manager, senior leader, police constable, professional forester, project manager, creative digital design professional, and digital user experience (UX) professional.

Employers and prospective apprentices can find out more about opportunities at https://www.cumbria.ac.uk/business/apprenticeships/