12-05-2025
Degrees without the debt: a parents' guide to apprenticeships
Mauricio Rocha associated the word 'apprenticeship' with the kind of vocational qualifications that might suit some teenagers, but probably not his.
His view was transformed when he came across a degree apprentice employed by the design consultancy he worked for.
'This young chap was going to university once or twice a month and working towards a degree but without the debt,' he says. 'He was getting paid — and well paid — and best of all he was working with the senior team in the field he was planning to make his career. I just thought, 'This sounds like the best deal in the world'. There are no negatives.'
• Read more parenting advice, interviews, real-life stories and opinion here
When he spoke to his