Multiverse has been granted new Degree Awarding Powers, giving us the ability to issue Multiverse Degrees - and greatly expand our offering as a truly outstanding alternative to university.
As the first apprenticeship provider to be awarded these powers we are in a prime position to break down barriers to an excellent career, and rethink what outstanding education looks like in today’s world.
The first apprenticeships will enrol on Multiverse Degrees in September, with applications for all 16-24 year olds opening later this year.
We currently work with over 8,000 apprentices, and now an initial cohort of 170 apprentices will be enrolled onto Multiverse Degrees this autumn.
The Multiverse experience already rivals that of a university - with our active Community and careers outcomes. Now, degree apprentices can achieve exactly the same qualifications with meaningful work experience and without debt.
A Multiverse Degree will have the prestige and rigour of a traditional education with all the benefits of an apprenticeship: applied learning, personalised coaching, a paid job and no debt. Our world-class education takes place in the real world, not just in the classroom. 8000 apprentices have been on our programmes, and unlocked the doors to outstanding careers, promotions and pay rises can attest to that.
This is great news for those at the start of their career. Young people turning 18 have been faced with an artificial choice between getting a degree - still a prerequisite for many jobs - or starting a career and learning while they work and earn. Now, they can do both. A salary will replace the debt. A high quality job will replace the risk of being unprepared for the modern workplace.
Applied Degrees
The Multiverse offer is an Applied Degree. It will be taught and tested through personalised coaching and immediate application in the workplace, not theoretical lectures and outdated exams. Unlike a traditional academic degree it will signify what you can do, not just what you know.
Our degrees will offer training in areas that are fuelling today’s economy: like data and tech. The proof is in the impact: our tech and computing programmes, for example, have higher employability than computer science degrees. These Degree Awarding Powers will enable us to take this even further. We’re starting with two programmes this year: the Advanced Data Fellowship and Technology Consulting.
We believe that there should be no barriers for talented people to enter the workplace. Far too often, the existing education system is creating barriers, not breaking them down.
Creating opportunities
In degree apprenticeships at universities, just 12% of those aged 19-24 are from the most deprived areas. Among under 19s, degree apprentices are more than five times more likely to come from the most advantaged neighbourhoods.
We will create opportunities for those that are currently disadvantaged through this system. Of the apprentices we currently place, more than a third meet one or more indicators of socio-economic disadvantage. 52% are women, 23% are Asian ethnicity and 21% are Black. 28% are disabled or have additional support needs.
Multiverse has had an extraordinary 12 months. In August, our first Ofsted inspection saw us receive ‘Outstanding’ in every category, making us the only provider of our size and sector that can claim this accolade. As the inspectors put it: “Apprentices are inspired to have high aspirations by exceptional coaches who are experts in their field.”
We’re also building our unique, world-class model to continue to scale: raising two record breaking rounds of investment. In September, we announced a $130m Series C. And in June, we announced a $220 Series D - making us the UK’s first EdTech unicorn.
Big problems need big solutions - and Multiverse is at the forefront of reinventing the systems of education and work with diversity, equity and inclusion at their heart. Having these powers will give us the flexibility to continue to reimagine what education can be. Our admissions system will test for potential. Our assessment will mirror real-world work demands, not the exam room. And we’ll give learners a route to a debt-free degree: in fact, apprentices will earn while they learn.
Young people have been faced with an artificial trade-off between getting a degree or starting a career and immediately learning real-world skills. Now they can do both. We have a vision for Applied Degrees that allow people to obtain a quality education - but where a salary replaces debt. A high quality job from the start replaces the risk of being unprepared for the modern workplace by the time they graduate. And applied learning and personalised coaching replaces theoretical lectures and outdated exams.
Our degrees will offer training in the areas fuelling today’s economy: like data and tech. Already, our tech and computing programmes have higher employability than computer science degrees. Multiverse’s degree awarding powers enable us to take this even further.
Elisabeth Barrett, VP Learning
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