Early Connect (Pilot)

What is Early Connect?

Early Connect is a pilot being delivered in partnership between the Department for Education (DfE) and UCAS, to support more young people onto apprenticeships, and to make it easier for employers to find apprentices.

Starting in October 2023, it will build upon the national services that are already in place through the DfE and UCAS, providing year 13 students with exclusive access to additional support designed specifically for those interested in exploring apprenticeships alongside their other options, including undergraduate courses.

You will be equipped with the tools, resources and knowledge to effectively support young people considering their next steps. You’re seeing this form because you’re in one of our pilot regions; Lancashire, the North East, and Greater London.

What are you signing up for?

By signing up to the pilot, your school will have access to:

• Exclusive resources created by UCAS and the DfE to help you support your students in discovering and applying for apprenticeships.
• Sign up for UCAS Smart Alerts that will match students with relevant apprenticeship opportunities in their area via the UCAS Hub.
• The DfE will provide enhanced regional support through local partnership networks to connect students with apprenticeship opportunities.

During the course of the pilot, we will ask you for your feedback so we can evaluate the success of the project and make further enhancements to the service. Any data you share with us will be shared with the DfE and approved regional partners to make these services available to you. Click here for full terms and conditions.

Once you’ve submitted this form, you will receive an email shortly from UCAS confirming your participation and next steps. Throughout the pilot, UCAS will email you with further updates.

Find out more

If you would like to hear more about the pilot or would like to discuss the opportunity with your colleagues:

• You can download this slide deck which goes through the project step by step.
• Share this letter from UCAS and DfE with your Senior Leadership Team.
• Read the information support sheet on the Early Connect Pilot.
• A recording of the webinar we hosted on 20 September.*

*If you would like to make the most of this opportunity and be a part of the pilot, sign up as soon as possible to access the exclusive resources for your region.

We look forward to helping you further support students to explore the many apprenticeship vacancies available within your local area and successfully secure one.

Any questions?

We’d love to hear from you. If you have questions, feedback or thoughts about what else you would like to see from this pilot, please email adviserhelp@ucas.ac.uk