University celebrates first cohort of transport planning degree apprentice graduates
The first students to enrol on the transport planning degree apprenticeship at Aston University have graduated.
The course is the first of its kind in the UK and has been developed in close partnership with sector experts to meet the changing needs of the industry.
The Aston University students already have jobs with leading employers in transport planning including engineering consultancies and public sector bodies and have combined their studies with employment during the five-year course.
Transport planners design and develop travel systems that work safely, sustainably and efficiently and their role is key to keeping the country moving.
The course teaches students about the economic, operational and environmental issues related to their profession. In addition, they also acquire the professional, academic and management skills necessary to succeed in any sector of the industry.
The first 12 students to graduate received their degrees at a ceremony held at Eastside Rooms in Birmingham on Tuesday 23 July.
Fran Leonard, an assistant planner at the design, engineering, architecture, and advisory company Arup is one of the graduates.
Earlier she was awarded the G4C Midlands Student of the Year Award, which celebrates young achievers in construction, and the companies who support and train future leaders of the industry.
She said: “I’m really delighted to gain my degree apprenticeship.
“I believe that they are a great way to learn the skills to apply in the workplace.
“They create a unique partnership between the employer, student, and the university.”
Dr Lucy Rackliff, head of Aston University’s Department of Engineering Systems and Supply Chain Management said: “It is vital that our country produces knowledgeable, highly qualified professionals.
“These degree apprenticeships offer a different way to study, and are particularly suitable for motivated, ambitious learners like these. They have worked really hard for five years, producing work of exceptional quality, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.
“This course is aimed at aspiring transport planners who are looking to learn on the job so the support of employers, professional bodies and the organisation STEM Explored should also be acknowledged.”
The courses are structured differently to traditional courses as the students spend the majority of their time in the workplace and their degree apprenticeships are designed in partnership with their employers.
