Frequently Asked Questions for University Staff
We are aware that the introduction of the Graduate Apprenticeship programme comes with many questions, not just for those directly involved but also for staff in the School of Computing Science. It is our intention to be as open as possible and share any pertinant information with staff who may be affected or may be able to get involved, so we have developed this FAQ based on our dicsussions in the department. If your questions are not answered here or you would like to know more, please email the team at compsci-ga-see@glasgow.ac.uk. Alternatively, follow our quick links to other relevant FAQ pages.
General information on Graduate Apprenticeships
Information for students
Information for employers
How does it work?
In a nutshell, students on the GA programme will be employees of an organisation for the duration of their degree. They will spend some time learning on campus and some time applying their skills in the workplace with the two contexts complementing each other.
A more detailed description of the programme can be found on the school’s dedicated information page for .
How will this affect my workload?
Initially not at all. The GA Programme will be completely self-contained in the first two years, handled entirely by the staff brought on specifically for this role.
In Years 3 and 4, however, it is intended that GA students will sit in on existing Honours level courses. This means that classes may have up to 40 additional students a year (though it must be noted that this would require every student on the programme to choose the same course as an elective). In order to support this, the GA team intend to use resources from SDS to develop an online component for some courses to reduce the workload for future teaching. If this is an option which interests you, please contact compsci-ga-see@glasgow.ac.uk.
How can they be ready for any Honours courses after 2 years?
There are two ways in which the GA team plan to get students ready for taking whichever Honours courses interest them in Years 3 and 4. Firstly, they will not have second and third subject choices in their first two years as most other students do, and as a result will have significantly more Computing Science credits in Years 1 and 2 than their peers on the standard undergraduate route. Secondly, content being taught in Years 1 and 2 has been designed to ensure that the ILOs of the compulsory third year undergraduate courses are covered. Thus students completing Year 2 of the programme should have achieved all of ILOs which are compulsory for Honours level courses.
How are the students going to have time to work and study?
The teaching periods on the GA programme are condensed, covering more content in a shorter period of time. This will be supplemented by the workplace, with the expectation that students will be practicing taught content in their day-to-day work in industry.
It is expected that the students will need good time management skills and self-discipline, particularly in their first years of study, so the GA team will be providing as much support and guidance as possible throughout this period.