JCB apprentices are quids in!

Eight apprentices who chose to ‘earn while they learn’ graduate with foundation degrees

EIGHT JCB apprentices are celebrating their graduation with foundation degrees – without running up massive student debts.

The group chose to ‘earn while they learn’ by becoming higher apprentices at JCB rather than heading to university. Their decision is now paying dividends as all have qualified with foundation degrees in engineering without spending a single penny on their education.

The group became JCB higher apprentices in 2013, combining study with practical workplace learning. Now they are embarking on further study which will see them attain full Bachelor of Engineering degrees (BEng).

JCB’s technical and professional development manager, Miles Pixley, said: ‘Many people prefer the higher apprenticeship route because it enables them to earn money while they are learning and not have loans that they must then pay back when they earn a certain salary later in life.

‘The opportunity to undertake real paid work while learning on the job and studying one day a week at college to achieve a foundation degree is a fantastic proposition for a school leaver with good A-levels or a Level 3 apprenticeship. To then have the chance to go on to achieve a full Bachelor of Engineering degree is the icing on the cake.’

Twenty-three-year-old Adam Varley is among the group which has graduated with a three-year foundation degree under the JCB higher apprenticeship scheme.

Mr Varley, who works as a design engineer at JCB Heavy Products in Uttoxeter, said: ‘I like the freedom to earn as you learn and I am now looking forward to completing my full BEng degree at Sheffield Hallam University.

‘It was definitely the right route to take. The knowledge and training you receive from colleagues at JCB is invaluable. You learn quickly and thoroughly, and that has definitely helped me over the past three years.’

Oliver Jones relocated from Ormskirk, in Lancashire, to live in Uttoxeter after being accepted on the JCB higher apprenticeship programme. The 22-year-old who works as a quality engineer at the JCB Power Systems factory in Foston, Derbyshire, said: ‘I had the opportunity to go to a traditional red-brick university but felt that I could end up with debts that I could not pay back until much later in life. This option seemed a much better way to go.

‘I was never too keen about going to university because I wanted to be involved in work-based learning. However, I wanted to have the high-end qualifications to progress my career. The higher apprenticeship combines both and is really the best of both worlds as far as I am concerned.

‘Because I am earning money and JCB is sponsoring me to do the degree, it gave me the security I needed to move to Staffordshire and enrol on the programme. The whole experience so far has been fantastic.’

During their apprenticeships the group benefitted from on-the-job learning as JCB engineers. They also attended college once a week for classroom-based studies. As well as achieving foundation degree qualifications, they also received an EAL NVQ Level 4 Diploma in Mechanical Engineering.

Twenty-one-year-old Catherine Bull, who has also graduated, worked at the JCB World Parts Centre in Uttoxeter during her studies. She joined the JCB programme after completing her A-levels and is now studying for a BEng Degree at Sheffield Hallam University.

She said: ‘I really like the work-based learning because it gives you perfect hands-on experience. You have also got three years of earning under your belt, which puts you at an advantage compared to full-time university students.’

The other five successful graduates are Todd Bradshaw (21); Jak Fuce (21); Sam Turner (22); David Layne (21); and Robert Clark (24).