The Degree Apprenticeship Accelerator
Bespoke 1:1 coaching to help your child move from interested to offer-ready: focused, credible, and professionally prepared across every stage of degree apprenticeship recruitment.
For families with a young person currently in Year 11, 12, or 13 who is serious about securing a degree apprenticeship with a competitive employer.
Only eight places available on the core programme at any one time.
"Sandra really helped me to not only learn the framework, such as the STAR method, but how to actively apply them within my interview process. I can now happily sit here and say that I have accepted a degree apprenticeship offer and couldn't be more grateful for Sandra's help and support along the way."
Seren, Age 18, incoming Marketing Degree Apprentice
Your child wants a degree apprenticeship.
You can see they have what it takes.
So why isn't it working?
You have tried the obvious things. School careers advice. Hours of online research. Maybe you have sat together going through job boards, trying to piece it together yourselves. And yet the process still feels opaque, the applications are going nowhere, and your child is starting to feel the strain of it.
Here is what is actually happening.
The first problem: interest is not the same as application readiness.
Most young people come to degree apprenticeship applications with genuine enthusiasm and not much else. They have not been shown how competitive hiring actually works in 2026, how AI screening filters candidates before a human reads a word, or what employers are genuinely looking for at each stage. Enthusiasm does not fill that gap. Preparation does.
The second problem: the system was not designed to be intuitive.
Degree apprenticeship recruitment is not like applying to university. There is no UCAS. No single portal. No consistent process. Deadlines open quietly, without fanfare. Assessment centres test skills that schools do not teach. AI video interviews require a completely different approach to anything a careers lesson has ever covered. Families researching independently are working with incomplete information. By the time they realise that, they have already missed opportunities.
The third problem: confidence collapses under pressure.
Even capable, articulate young people freeze. In interviews they should walk into confidently. On application forms where they have the relevant experience but cannot find the words. At the assessment centre stage, when the stakes feel highest. This is not a character flaw. It is what happens when preparation has not kept pace with ambition. The cost is rejections that feel personal, momentum that stalls, and a process that starts to feel designed to exclude them.
None of this is your child's fault. And it is fixable.
The young people who secure degree apprenticeships with competitive employers are not necessarily the most talented in the room. They are the best prepared.
They understand the system. They know how to present their strengths. They have been shown, specifically and practically, what each stage of recruitment requires.
It is not something you can reliably piece together online. It is specialist knowledge, and it requires specialist support.
Sandra Davis - Careers and Employability Specialist
Sandra Davis is a careers and employability specialist, Chartered Manager Fellow, and licensed Morrisby Career Profiling practitioner. She founded OneBigNext after 30 years across education, leadership, and technology, having worked in state schools, independent schools, a special school, and higher education, and before that in corporate roles at Deloitte and in software engineering.
She built OneBigNext because she kept seeing the same thing: capable young people missing out on competitive opportunities, not through lack of ability, but through lack of navigation.
Young people she has worked with have gone on to secure degree apprenticeships in cyber security, law, nuclear, transport, marketing, and media, with organisations including Dyson.
The Degree Apprenticeship Accelerator is the most direct and personal way to work with Sandra. She works with a maximum of eight young people on the core programme at any one time.
This is not a careers course, a resource library, or generic tips.
It is a bespoke, end-to-end 1:1 coaching programme. Eight structured sessions cover every stage of the degree apprenticeship recruitment process, from identifying the right direction to managing outcomes and securing an offer, with direct access to Sandra between sessions throughout.
Here is what is inside:
Ongoing Coach Access Between Sessions
Throughout the entire programme, your child has direct access to Sandra between sessions for guidance on applications, preparation decisions, and anything that comes up. It is direct access to Sandra, available throughout the duration of the programme. Subject to reasonable use.
Pre-work: Career Profiling Assessment
Before the programme begins, your child completes a thorough career profiling assessment using the Morrisby framework, one of the most established psychometric tools in careers guidance. This gives an objective, evidence-based view of their interests, aptitudes, strengths, and preferred working environment. By the time Session 1 begins, we are not guessing about direction. We are working from data.
Session 1: Career Profiling Review and Direction
We work through the assessment results together and use them as the foundation for every decision that follows: which sectors to target, which employers to prioritise, and what a realistic, employer-aligned pathway looks like for your child specifically. By the end of this session, your child will have a clear, agreed direction for the programme and no more scatter-gun applications.
Session 2: Opportunity Landscape and Market Strategy
Degree apprenticeship recruitment does not work the way most families expect. Deadlines open early. Opportunities close quietly. The right search strategy is specific to the employer and the sector. This session covers how the market actually works and how to find and prioritise the right opportunities. By the end, your child will know where to look, when, and how to stay ahead of key windows.
Session 3: Work Experience and Volunteering Strategy
Most young people worry they do not have enough relevant experience. This session reframes what counts as evidence of work readiness and builds a strategy for strengthening it. Employers are looking for reliability, responsibility, and communication. By the end of this session, your child will know how to present what they already have and what to add before applications go in.
Session 4: Micro-Credentials and Personal Project Strategy
This session is about building evidence of sustained motivation and role alignment over time. Short courses, projects, and independent learning all have a place in a well-constructed application. By the end, your child will have a targeted plan for demonstrating commitment that goes beyond school grades and generic work experience.
Session 5: Personal Branding for Degree Apprenticeships
This session covers two things: building a professional LinkedIn presence that is ready for employer scrutiny, and creating a CV that complements it. Employers look. Recruiters look. Having no online presence, or the wrong one, is a disadvantage that is entirely avoidable. By the end of this session, your child will have a LinkedIn profile they are confident in and a CV ready for applications.
Session 6: Applications and Assessment Centres
Strong applications require more than good answers. They require understanding what each employer is actually testing, how to structure responses, and how to perform consistently across different selection methods. This session covers written applications, online assessments, and assessment centre preparation in practical, specific terms. By the end, your child will know how to submit applications that are defensible and how to avoid the avoidable mistakes that lead to early rejections.
Session 7: Interview Preparation and AI Video Interviews
Modern degree apprenticeship recruitment includes AI-screened video interviews, a stage most young people have never encountered and schools do not prepare them for. This session covers both face-to-face and AI video interview technique through direct practice, review, and self-evaluation. By the end, your child will have practised under realistic conditions and know precisely what to do differently.
Session 8: Managing Outcomes, Rejection, and Next Steps
Rejection is part of the process. How your child handles it determines whether their employability and confidence stay intact. This final session covers navigating outcomes professionally, maintaining momentum, and deciding on next steps. By the end, your child will know how to respond to any outcome in a way that protects their reputation and keeps options open.
Who this is for
You are the parent of a young person in Year 11, 12, or 13 who is serious about degree apprenticeships and wants to apply competitively, not hopefully.
Your child has ability. What they are missing is a structured, expert-guided preparation process.
You have already tried generic careers advice and online research and found neither gave you the depth or specificity you needed.
Your child has started applying and received rejections or silence, and you want to understand why and fix it.
You want your child to be properly supported throughout the process: not just with information, but with coaching, accountability, and access to someone who knows how the system actually works.
You are looking for the career equivalent of specialist tutoring: focused, expert, and outcome-oriented.
Who this is not for
Families who are still at the exploratory stage and not yet committed to degree apprenticeships as a route.
Young people who are not willing to do the work between sessions. This programme requires active participation: completing the career profiling, preparing for each session, and acting on what is agreed.
Families looking for a guaranteed offer. Sandra prepares your child to compete at the highest level. The decisions rest with employers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What exactly is the Degree Apprenticeship Accelerator?
It is a bespoke 1:1 coaching programme for young people in Years 11 to 13 who are serious about degree apprenticeships. Eight structured 60-minute sessions cover every stage of the recruitment process, from identifying the right direction to managing outcomes, plus direct access to Sandra between sessions throughout. It is not a course with videos. It is personal, responsive, specialist coaching.
Q: Who is this programme for?
It is for young people who have the ability but are missing the preparation, the strategy, and the specialist guidance to compete effectively for degree apprenticeship places. It suits families who have already tried school careers advice and online research and found them insufficient. It works for students who are just starting out and for those who have already begun applying and are struggling to gain traction.
Q: My child has already started applying and received rejections. Is it too late?
No. In many cases, working with families at this point is where the clearest progress is made. We can identify specifically what is not working, correct it, and strengthen every subsequent application and assessment. Many of the young people Sandra has worked with came to her mid-process and went on to secure offers.
Q: My child is neurodiverse. Is this programme suitable?
Yes. Sandra has worked with young people with a wide range of needs, including those who do not respond well in high-stakes situations. The programme is bespoke by design. The pace, approach, and specific preparation are shaped around your child, not a fixed template.
Q: What does ongoing coach access between sessions mean in practice?
It means your child can contact Sandra directly between sessions for guidance on specific applications, preparation decisions, or anything that comes up in real time. This is not a forum or a ticketed system. It is direct access to Sandra, available throughout the duration of the programme. Subject to reasonable use.
Q: How many young people does Sandra work with at once?
A maximum of eight on the core programme at any one time. When those places are taken, there is a waiting list. If you are considering the programme, it is worth making contact sooner rather than later.
Q: How do we get started?
You can pay directly on this page or book a free discovery call first. The discovery call is a short conversation to make sure the programme is the right fit before any commitment is made.
Q: What is the cost, and are there payment options?
The programme is £1,500 as a single payment, or £525 per month for three months on a payment plan. Both options include the full programme.
Our families say
"After applying for many degree apprenticeships, my daughter was getting disheartened with the whole process. Sandra was supportive, knowledgeable, and really knew how to bring out the best in her. She has now received an offer. We're so grateful."
Taryn, parent of 18-year-old Incoming Marketing Degree Apprentice
"It's fair to say that my daughter Jessie struggled with mainstream education. She wanted to pursue a degree apprenticeship in cybersecurity or technology. Together we came up with a focused and well-paced plan to prepare Jessie. This included a no-pressure site visit to her employer of choice, help with applications, and interview practice with managers in a similar industry. Jessie is now in the 3rd year of her degree apprenticeship. She enjoys the purpose and routine of work and is developing her social skills, her friendship circle, and confidence every day."
Lulu, mum of neurodiverse 21-year-old Cyber Degree Apprentice
"Sandra worked with him, helping him focus in on companies that matched his skill set, developing his confidence and skills in writing applications and showing him the importance of making human links with organisations he was looking to apply to. She worked with him on creating a LinkedIn profile and using LinkedIn to build connections. She suggested extra things he could do to stand out. When it came to interviews, Sandra coached him on interview technique through practice interviews, videoing of these and developing self-evaluation."
Jo, parent of 20-year-old Data Scientist
Ready to secure your child's place?
The Degree Apprenticeship Accelerator - £1,500 single payment or £525 per month for three months.
- Morrisby career profiling assessment
- Eight 60-minute 1:1 coaching sessions
- Direct coach access between sessions
- CV and LinkedIn development included
- Maximum of eight places at any one time on the core programme
Still have questions? Book a free discovery call - a short conversation to make sure this is the right fit before any commitment is made.
Eight places. That is the maximum on the main programme at any point.
If your child is in Year 11, 12, or 13 and serious about a degree apprenticeship, the time to act is now, not in the spring, when the best application windows have already closed.
Get Ahead of the Competition - Start Today
Sandra Davis is a careers and employability specialist, Chartered Manager Fellow, and licensed Morrisby Career Profiling practitioner.
She founded OneBigNext after 30 years across education, leadership, and technology.
She works 1:1 with young people to help them secure competitive early career roles, including degree apprenticeships.