New funding for healthcare degrees to help improve outcomes in West Sussex

The Office for Students (OfS) announced the funding last month, with the University allocated £288,253 to deliver degree apprenticeships in healthcare science, data science, speech and language therapy, diagnostic radiography and biomedical science.

Degree apprenticeships allow students to earn a salary while they study, attend university alongside having a job, gain sector-specific workplace experience and graduate without tuition fee debt.

The University of Chichester's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Jane Longmore, welcomed the award from Wave 2 of the Office for Students' degree apprenticeships funding competition: “We are delighted to receive this funding to develop new apprenticeship programmes to support the new Community Diagnostic Centre that is being established on our Bognor Regis Campus. This investment will allow us to train a new generation of NHS workers to provide diagnostic services while also developing new approaches to improving the speed and accuracy of these services in our state-of-the-art laboratories.”

The new programmes will be based at the new Community Diagnostics Centre, which opened on the Bognor Regis campus last week, and is part of the University of Chichester’s expansion of its healthcare provision. It will offer rapid access to potentially life-saving tests for the local community and will be temporarily located in the University’s Tech Park until a permanent facility is built.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simeon Keates added: “Degree apprenticeships are an ideal opportunity for students to gain these vital technical skills at the University while also working in hospitals and other medical settings. They will graduate with a great mix of technical knowledge and vocational skills, and also will not have to pay any student fees for their degree studies. This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone wanting to enter these areas of employment. We are also thrilled to be able to offer a degree apprenticeship in Speech and Language Therapy. There are over 300 children waiting for this therapy in the local area and this new study route will help them gain access to the help they need.”

The funds allocated to the University of Chichester is part of a second wave of funding announced by The Office of Students (OfS) last month, with £14 million handed to 32 universities and colleges. The programme aims to increase equality of opportunity for students through the Level 6 degree apprenticeships, and will see £40 million awarded to education providers this year.

John Blake, Director for Fair Access and Participation at the OfS, recently said: “We know that degree apprenticeships are so important as a route for students looking to engage in higher education in less traditional ways, and the benefits they bring to local and regional economies, which is why are investing up to £40 million over the next two academic years to increase the range and availability of these programmes. We have been inspired by the ambitious and forward-looking plans we have received, and I look forward to seeing how this funding can make a real difference to students and our future workforce over the next year and beyond.”

To find out more about degree apprenticeships at the University of Chichester, visit: www.chi.ac.uk/degree-apprenticeships/