Liverpool Hope University receives £635k to fund degree apprenticeships in the region
Liverpool Hope University has been awarded £635,000 from the Office for Students (OfS) to become a new Department for Education-approved Apprenticeship Training Provider.
The funding will allow Liverpool Hope – one of four Catholic universities in England – to offer Level 6 degree apprenticeships for the first time, with the aim of increasing the equality of opportunity across Liverpool City Region.
Four sectors will be supported by the University’s degree apprenticeships, which allow students to study a degree that’s paid for whilst working in industry and earning a salary.
Courses in teaching, physiotherapy, youth work and social work will launch in Autumn 2025, with applications open from early 2025.
Sue Cronin, Director of Apprenticeships at Liverpool Hope University, said: “This funding highlights our commitment to delivering apprenticeships that align with the needs of Liverpool City Region.
“We aim to become a leading provider of degree apprenticeships in the region and look forward to working with employers to provide courses which address skill shortages and enhance the local workforce.”
This is the third wave of the OfS’s £40 million degree apprenticeship development fund, which will support 148 Level 6 degree apprenticeship programmes at 33 universities and colleges.
Liverpool Hope will use the funding to address inequality in Liverpool City Region and beyond by targeting its courses towards underrepresented groups to increase social mobility.
The funding will also enable the development of an apprenticeships hub structure and for an apprenticeships strategy to be embedded within the University and across the region.
Sue Cronin added: “Liverpool Hope has championed social justice throughout its history and remains committed to providing opportunities to students from all backgrounds.
“Our degree apprenticeships programme is a continuation of that commitment. Our courses will ensure students who may not otherwise have gone to university can reap the rewards that higher education provides.”
Employers interested in partnering with the University on degree apprenticeships should contact Jo Cross, Strategic Project Lead (Degree Apprenticeships): crossj@hope.ac.uk
