Abstract

The Academic Professional Apprenticeship (APA) programme at the University of Lincoln is purposefully built on a foundation of inclusive pedagogy. Apprenticeships are highly regulated and while some practitioners in Higher Education can find this restrictive, we have observed that the learner-centric apprenticeship model of delivery offers something over and above previous undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes that we have worked on.

Utilising the framework for belonging proposed by Blake, Capper and Jackson (2022) this presentation reflects on the Academic Professional Apprenticeship programme across the four foundational areas of connection, support, inclusion and autonomy to share our insights into the world of apprenticeships and identify the elements we feel have been most influential in building a sense of belonging and promoting student success. We conclude with a series of recommendations that can be applied to all Higher Education programmes.