The traditional pathway of university education may be changing – and University Academy 92 is leading the charge.
UA92 – founded just six years ago by Lancaster University and Manchester United’s famed Class of 92 football stars – works closely with a stellar line-up of partners to deliver programmes closely aligned with the needs of industry.
Situated a stone’s throw from the Theatre of Dreams – directly next door to the other Old Trafford, Test venue and home of Lancashire Cricket Club – the sparkling campus plays host to a base for Microsoft.
Its curriculum has been co-developed with the tech giant as well as Cisco, Amazon Web Services, KPMG, the Linux Professional Institute and CompTIA.
“In a room like this, we’ll have the greatest minds from some of the biggest companies in the UK,” apprenticeships & bootcamps engagement manager Daniel Russell (pictured centre, main image) explains to BusinessCloud inside the university’s Igloo Vision 360-degree immersive space.
“They’ll be telling us: ‘This is what our customer bases say; this is what the skills gaps are currently.’ They’ll ask us how we are evolving our curriculum to keep our student learning current and up to date; and how we are planning to evolve it in, say, 12 months’ time.
“Our undergraduate students are working with Microsoft, JD Sports, Manchester United, Bruntwood, KPMG – some really big powerhouses – to make sure that these degree courses are actually what the industry needs right now.”
Apprenticeships
Key to the practical nature of the learning experience are apprenticeships designed to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical skills, ensuring that students are equipped for the workplace.
Spanning 12-18 months, students spend one day a week on campus and the remaining time within their employer organisations – fostering a deep understanding of relevant theory and practice.
Amaan Sakaria (pictured, second from right) is a student apprentice who also works within the university. The attraction of UA92 for him was the option to earn whilst he learns through an apprenticeship programme.
His focus is on DevOps, a discipline which seeks to integrate and automate the processes between software development and IT operations. “Two weeks ago, Microsoft came in and spoke to us about a ‘day in the life’ in DevOps at their company,” he tells me.
“They talked about interview processes, showing us what to expect; they spoke to us about the importance of data reliability; and also about the core skills you need to do that role.
“They also showed us how they separate into groups and, if one person is struggling, they come together to help. It shows they’ve got great teamwork.”
The approach is mirrored at UA92. “[We have] small groups and two teachers here, which means if you are struggling, there’s always someone going to be there to help you,” adds the apprentice. “The relationships they develop with the students are one of the main reasons that I chose to study here.”
Work experience student George Lees with Jonathan Symcox, left, editor of BusinessCloud, and UA92 director of disruptive learning Aaron Saxton, right
Russell explains how the apprenticeship pathway could appeal to certain people: “They may potentially have no work experience; they might be college dropouts; perhaps they had a job for the last 20-30 years and feel like a complete change. Or perhaps they’re acting on a long-held passion.
“For example, I didn’t feel like I could go to university because I didn’t think I’d have the qualifications or be smart enough to go there.”
A former recruitment consultant and talent scout for Liverpool FC and Burnley FC, Russell says UA92 identified that these people were missing out on apprenticeships because they didn’t have the necessary qualifications in maths and English.
“We now have approval to deliver those functional qualifications via City & Guilds alongside their other learning, which is massive,” he explains. “We’ve created many pathways and options to attract people from different walks of life and backgrounds.
“I don’t think we’ve solved the education predicament; but I think we are making a dent in it… while igniting passion in our students.”
At this point I should mention that I am a work experience student myself – just for this week, with BusinessCloud – and am considering UA92 as one of my university options when I finish school. What attracts me is its unique approach to education, with 100% coursework – no end-of-year exams – which recognises achievement throughout the year.
Recognition
UA92’s apprenticeship programme has also been recognised by Ofsted and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
A recent Ofsted monitoring visit highlighted significant progress in key areas of the apprenticeship training programme, praising its clear vision, strategic curriculum design and the knowledge, skills and behaviours developed by the apprentices. The ESFA audit further validated the quality of UA92’s apprenticeship provision.
For example Farida Umarova, a DevOps apprentice at THG, was honoured with the DevOps Special Recognition Award at the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT Digital Apprenticeship Awards 2024. Just over a year ago, she graduated as a standout student from UA92’s Digital Cloud Bootcamp and quickly secured a DevOps role with THG.
UA92 THG apprentices. Farida is second from right
“You want to give students the best chance of feeling secure and that they’re actually going to get the right knowledge,” says Russell.
“We will always give you a safe environment where it’s okay to fail, because you can then apply your learning into what you do every day for a job.”
What does the future hold?
UA92 is set to expand its apprenticeship offerings with the launch of new programmes in Multi-channel Marketing, Data Analysis, and Business Analysis in the 2024-2025 academic year.
“We don’t want to stagnate – we want to be the best we can be,” says Russell. “We feel that we’re ahead of the game with our programmes… and expanding to meet customer and market demands.
“Of course, we look at what has been successful elsewhere and always develop our programmes with a bit of that UA92 recipe.
“I want everybody to be able to succeed in what they want to do – and if that means sharing your knowledge, I could never be selfish on that. It’s a case of sharing best practice to support the wider Greater Manchester ecosystem.”