Degree apprenticeships are designed to be practical – with candidates spending only 20% of their time in online or physical classrooms. But that high level of flexibility means it’s vital to keep candidates motivated and on track.  

Here are 5 tips you can follow to make sure degree apprentices stay engaged, via eportfolios: 

1. Invest in apprenticeship software

Let’s be honest, it can be impractical to schedule meetings when apprentices split their time between a job, their home, and their place of study.  

With an eportfolio, you can shift apprentices’ programmes online, and work remotely to set tasks, schedule reviews and provide support. This means leaders can redirect their support away from admin - and into value-add 1:1s.  

2. Encourage self-directed learning

Eportfolios are the best route to self-directed learning – which benefits everyone involved in an apprenticeship:  

Degree apprentices are often busy and want to learn on their terms. Self-directed learning enables them to plan studies around their working week and find support online – from accessing learning resources to messaging their tutors. Apprentices can also track their own progression, complete self-evaluations and reflect on their own learning – helping to increase engagement and improve knowledge retention. 

Ofsted looks for self-directed learning during inspections 

Employers – Many organisations require that their degree apprentices demonstrate self-directed learning to achieve a distinction.  

All stakeholders can achieve these goals by accessing the same, full visibility learning platform.  

3. Monitor progression

When students can see exactly how they’re progressing, they’re more motivated to stay on plan and complete work.  

Great systems will enable you to set out what learners need to complete, apply alerts, and if candidates finish before the deadline, you can set more activities to keep the momentum going. The technology should also include built-in features designed to increase learner engagement – like progress dashboards, reports, journals and communication tools. 

4. Provide personal support

No-one ever forgets a good teacher. And that’s because when tutors (and employers) show a personal interest in their apprentices, it means a lot to candidates and drives engagement. 

When you use an eportfolio, you can see how all your apprentices are progressing and message them online to offer personal support. You can also use a gap analysis tool to find any learning needs and set specific activities to help them reach their goals. 

This level of personalisation not only keeps apprentices engaged, they’re also more likely to complete their course faster and achieve higher grades. 

5. Support student wellbeing

We are living in challenging times, and apprentices may need a little extra support. Taking the time to check on learner welfare can really impact an individual’s life – and increase engagement. 

With eportfolios, you can send announcements to all learners offering wellbeing advice and links to services. You can also message any at-risk learners to check in and provide support. That’s a positive move when some apprentices feel more comfortable sharing issues, and accessing support, via online systems.  

OneFile’s apprenticeship software has all the built-in features you need to deliver degree apprenticeships and keep candidates engaged. That’s why over 20 UK universities already use OneFile to deliver degree apprenticeships. 

To find out exactly how OneFile works and how it’s proven to increase learner engagement, download your ultimate guide to degree apprenticeships.