Degree, Apprenticeship or Experience: What Develops the Strongest Engineering Talent?

Degree apprenticeships and HNC routes attracted the largest individual share of the vote, at 42%.

When this is combined with the 28% who selected a traditional apprenticeship, 70% of respondents preferred a training pathway with a work-based learning component.

That is a significant endorsement of the “earn while you learn” model. Especially considering the cost of a traditional degree.

Engineering and manufacturing are applied disciplines. Technical knowledge matters, but employers also need people who can use that knowledge safely, accurately and commercially.

Working alongside experienced colleagues helps learners understand production pressures, quality requirements, maintenance schedules, customer expectations and the consequences of engineering decisions.

The popularity of degree apprenticeships and HNCs may therefore reflect their ability to bring two important elements together:

1. Recognised academic or technical study
2. Continuous application in a real working environment

A degree apprenticeship allows someone to work towards an undergraduate or master’s-level qualification while employed, with most of their time spent in the workplace and the remainder allocated to study.

UCAS identifies benefits including a paid-for degree, a salary, practical experience and an early start in the workplace. It also highlights the challenges, including the demanding balance between work and study and strong competition for available positions.

The timing of our poll is particularly interesting following comments made this week by the new UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham.

In a LinkedIn post reviewing the government’s first fortnight, he highlighted plans to give 14-year-olds earlier access to technical education, skills training and connections with employers. He also referred to investment in the UK’s nuclear deterrent that is expected to support 22,000 apprenticeships.

It is too early to know what these announcements will deliver, but they appear to signal a renewed political focus on technical and vocational education, apprenticeships and employment-based learning.

That direction reflects the central finding of our poll: engineering professionals place considerable value on development that connects formal education with practical experience.

In the past decades, technical and vocational routes have been presented as secondary to university.

The quality of the training, employer participation, mentoring, recognised qualifications and progression opportunities will matter just as much as the number of apprenticeships announced.

Traditional apprenticeships received 28% of the vote. A strong engineering apprenticeship can develop practical competence, recognised qualifications and a detailed understanding of an employer’s equipment, processes and standards.

EngineeringUK reported that engineering and technology subjects accounted for 29% of apprenticeship starts in England during 2024/25, with starts increasing by 5% compared with the previous year.

View EngineeringUK’s apprenticeship data

University degrees and postgraduate qualifications received 16% of the vote, but that should not be interpreted as evidence that degrees have lost their value.

University education provides the mathematical, scientific and analytical foundations required for fields such as advanced design, research, simulation, software, electronics, materials science and energy systems.

Graduates can strengthen their employment prospects by combining academic study with industrial placements, internships, employer projects and practical technical experience.

Industry experience alone received 14%. Although this was the smallest share, experience remains central to engineering credibility. It develops fault-finding ability, commercial judgement, safety awareness and an understanding of how equipment and processes behave over time.

The limitation is that workplace development can depend heavily on the employer and manager. Technical courses, HNC or HND study, professional registration and recognised certifications can help experienced professionals formalise their knowledge and demonstrate transferable competence.

Three conclusions stand out.

First, applied learning matters. With 70% choosing an apprenticeship or Degree Apprenticeship / HNC route, respondents strongly supported learning alongside employment.

Second, formal education and training still matter. When the university, apprenticeship and Degree Apprenticeship / HNC categories are combined, 86% selected a route involving a recognised programme of learning.

Third, the strongest talent is likely to emerge from a combination of knowledge and experience.

Qualifications provide technical foundations and recognised standards. Experience develops judgement, confidence and practical competence. Mentoring transfers knowledge that cannot always be found in a textbook.

Employers should avoid treating a degree, apprenticeship or particular number of years’ experience as an automatic requirement.

Instead, recruitment should consider the capabilities genuinely needed, including:

• Technical competence
• Practical problem-solving
• Safety and quality awareness
• Communication and teamwork
• Commercial understanding
• Curiosity and willingness to learn
• The ability to apply knowledge in practice

The strongest engineering teams often include a balance of people from different educational and professional backgrounds.

Graduates may contribute advanced analytical knowledge. Apprentices can bring strong operational understanding. Experienced professionals provide judgement and context. Degree apprentices can connect academic concepts with workplace application.

The objective should not be to prove that one route is superior. It should be to create teams in which these different strengths complement one another.

Developing Engineering and manufacturing talent appears to be strongest when structured learning and practical experience reinforce each other. Leading to a stronger career in the sector.

This week’s political announcements add a timely dimension to the discussion. Earlier technical education, stronger employer connections and support for apprenticeships could represent a welcome change in direction.

For students and career changers, there is more than one credible route into engineering and manufacturing.

For employers, the challenge is to recognise potential across all those routes and provide the training, mentoring and opportunities needed to turn that potential into long-term capability.