Can the degree apprenticeship become the degree of difference in Egypt?

Abstract

As the higher education system in Egypt is currently confronted by a number of challenges, one of which is demographic pressure, there is the need for some new teaching programmes as well as new approaches; in this regard, the British Council plays a pioneering role. This paper has revealed the findings obtained from the participants of the forum organised at Pharos University in Alexandria by the University of Wolverhampton, the objective of which was to discover whether the degree apprenticeship is viable in Egypt. Questionnaires were received from 30 respondents in total, and the main findings were as follows. Although the participants showed their genuine interest and appreciation of the novelty and practicality of the degree apprenticeship, summarising it as "earn while learn", they believed that the main force which would impede its implementation would be the differences between the systems of higher education in the UK and Egypt, as well as certain cultural features, which continue to predominate in Egyptian society. © 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited: All rights reserved.

Keywords

Author Keywords

UN SDG 4: Quality education education and training social impact

Index Keywords

Apprentices New approaches Learn+ Higher education system Education training Alexandria New teaching Quality education Social impact Teaching programs UN SDG 4: quality education

Author Affiliations

Faculty of Science and Engineering, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, United Kingdom

Pharos University in Alexandria, Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt

Funding & Acknowledgements

British Council

Grant: GGP22-18

The authors are extremely grateful to the British Council for funding this project (GGP22-18) and providing the opportunity to explore such a hot topic. In particular, the authors are grateful to Shaimaa Al-Banna; Marwa AbdelAzim and Islam Shabana) for their patience, professionalism and continuous support. The authors are thankful to all the participants of the forum for their time and genuine interest in becoming familiar with the apprenticeship phenomenon in higher education. The authors are also grateful to Dr Emmanuel Daniel, whose professionalism is inextricably linked with construction management, for encouraging us to put this study into a paper. The authors are extremely grateful to Mr David Chapman and Mr Philip Stolarchuk without whom this work could not have been prepared. Finally, the authors are extremely grateful to all the reviewers for their valuable comments which have helped to improve their paper.

British Council

The authors are extremely grateful to the British Council for funding this project (GGP22-18) and providing the opportunity to explore such a hot topic. In particular, the authors are grateful to Shaimaa Al-Banna; Marwa AbdelAzim and Islam Shabana) for their patience, professionalism and continuous support. The authors are thankful to all the participants of the forum for their time and genuine interest in becoming familiar with the apprenticeship phenomenon in higher education. The authors are also grateful to Dr Emmanuel Daniel, whose professionalism is inextricably linked with construction management, for encouraging us to put this study into a paper. The authors are extremely grateful to Mr David Chapman and Mr Philip Stolarchuk without whom this work could not have been prepared. Finally, the authors are extremely grateful to all the reviewers for their valuable comments which have helped to improve their paper.

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Can the degree apprenticeship become the degree of difference in Egypt?

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