Behind the reviews: the realities of progress reviewers in degree apprenticeships

Purpose Regular progress reviews are just one of the funding requirements of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the lived experiences of degree apprenticeship progress reviewers (DAPR) and explore and make sense of the different challenges faced by these practitioners. Design/methodology/approach Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed to analyse 17 semi-structured interviews of participants from different English universities. Findings This research suggests that DAPR would benefit from strong identity formation, the development of which has been hampered by the plethora of job titles. The lack of job value congruence was a common theme, not just between DAPR and their employers but also between DAPR, apprentices, their managers and other colleagues involved with apprenticeships. Interpretation of the data strongly suggests that DAPR experience an uncomfortable juxtaposition between the compliance and coaching aspects of their role. Originality/value This study enhances apprenticeship literature with authentic first-hand accounts of practitioners' experiences and perspectives conducting progress reviews. The paper considers the challenges of this complex yet crucial role and the value of professional identity formation for these practitioners.