Apprenticeship re-developed with employers to help plug the digital skills gap

Published on 27, February, 2025

Apprentices at the University of Sunderland are among some of the first to join a newly re-developed apprenticeship designed with employers to help address the digital skills gap.

Organisations like Northumbrian Water have worked in partnership with the University to re-develop the Digital Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship which launched in September 2024.

The apprenticeship equips learners with a range of digital skills across areas from IT consultancy to cybersecurity to support and upskill technical experts within their businesses and organisations.

Jodie Stewart and Craig Holmes, who are employed at Northumbrian Water, are some of the first learners to enrol on this apprenticeship.

Jodie said: “My experience of this apprenticeship has been amazing. Last year I decided I wanted to go into IT. I wasn’t sure what specialism I wanted to go into so when I saw the advert for this apprenticeship with a great company, I thought that’s it.

“It gives you the option to try all the different fields alongside learning all the skills you need for a career in IT.”

Craig added: “Northumbrian Water is very supportive of people taking ownership of their careers and their development. Some of the skills that we have been learning I’ve been able to practically deploy them in my own work.

“When you look at the curriculum that is set out for this apprenticeship, by the end of it you will have a lot of transferable skills that you could apply to a lot of different roles within the business.

“I haven’t been in formal education for some time but the support from Northumbrian Water and the University has been great and has taken a lot of the pressure and stress out of it.”

This partnership with organisations like Northumbrian Water is part of the University’s mission to be professions-facing, ensuring that students get the necessary skills that employers need.

Northumbrian Water’s Head of Information Services and Resource Management, Louise Patterson, said: “It has been great to work in partnership with the University of Sunderland to help shape our Digital Degree Apprenticeship scheme. 

“We were keen to offer our apprentices the IT consultant route, so they can cover a broad range of subjects, so that their learning, along with their experience in the workplace, would provide them the opportunity of understanding which area of IT they want to take their career.”

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The Digital Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship offers six pathways for apprentices to specialise in: software engineering, IT consulting, business analysis, cybersecurity, data analysis and network engineering.

Professor John Murray, Academic Dean of the Faculty of Business and Technology at the University, said: “As we move into an ever more connected and digital world, learning digital skills has never been more important or valuable to business.

“Here at the University of Sunderland, our Digital Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship exposes our learners to the latest cutting-edge technology and gives learners the digital and professional skills they need to support industry and succeed in the workplace.”

The University launched its advanced, higher and degree apprenticeships programme in 2017.

Starting with just a handful of employers, the University scheme has grown year on year, now partnering with more than 150 organisations.

There are currently just under 1,000 apprentices on an advanced, higher and degree apprenticeship programme covering a range of sectors and job roles with over 340 enrolments so far this year.

If you are a prospective apprentice or an employer who wants to find out more about our apprenticeships, register your interest here.