Tripartite Practitioners: an Emerging Academic Practice Area in UK Technical, Professional, and Vocational Higher Education

This paper reports on preliminary findings from a series of data collections with higher education representatives within the tripartite relationship of Higher and Degree Apprenticeships within England and Wales. Drawing on a multi-stage data collection, the research sought to surface the experiences of practitioners in these roles, illuminating the tensions between supporting apprentices’ development whilst responding to the regulatory context of continual compliance, which extends far beyond the norm of English HE. The experiences of Higher Education Tripartite Practitioners demonstrate the challenges of offering mentorship, development, and aspiration-building whilst strictly enforcing the rules and reporting associated with apprenticeship governance. The researchers conclude that a novel conception of this dual professional role is needed to support the ongoing professionalisation of this work across the sector, and to situate diverse practices within differing institutions and apprenticeship professions.