July proved to be a busy month for the Barclays team at Hope&Glory as they kicked off a debate timed to land in advance of the nation’s school leavers picking up their A-level results
In 2016, the team found that young people were going to university on autopilot, without considering other options like apprenticeships. With tuition fees on the rise and more apprenticeships available than ever before, we decided it was time to refresh our research, and so Parenticeships 2.0 was born.
The team polled current and former university students, parents of students and employers across the UK, to test the mood of the nation when it comes to how apprenticeships are perceived. The results showed a monumental shift in attitudes, with 48% of students polled regretting their decision to go to university, 71% of parents saying they would encourage their children to do an apprenticeship as opposed to a degree and a whopping 70% of employers valuing a degree apprenticeship as equal to a university degree.
Armed with our bank of stats and some stellar case studies and spokespeople, we conducted a radio day two weeks before the dreaded “Results Day”, to make sure apprenticeships were front of mind during students’ decision making.
The story landed with a bang, kicking off with a Barclays’ apprentice and spokesperson on Victoria Derbyshire’s morning show. This was swiftly followed by interviews on BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours, BBC Radio London, Sky News and to top it off a hard-hitting debate on Newsnight. Not to mention an exclusive with the Evening Standard (twice), coverage on the Telegraph print and online, The Financial and a by-line article in City AM.
