Dr Helen Charlton

Associate Professor

School: Newcastle Business School

Helen is an Associate Professor and the Apprenticeship Lead for Newcastle Business School.

Helen's teaching focusses on practice related HRM at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has taught within HRM-related programmes in FE and HE for over a decade, and has specialised in the development of students’ academic and employability skills.

Helen’s professional practice was in senior HR management in the not-for-profit and arts sectors.

Helen holds a Doctorate in Education and a Masters in Human Resource Management. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development, and a Chartered Manager and Fellow of CMI. Helen established and co-convenes the University Vocational Awards Council's HIgher Education Tripartite Professionals network.

Email Helen

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

Helen’s research focuses on the tripartite relationship in UK higher education apprenticeships, examining how learners, employers, and universities interact to shape the experience of work-based learning. She is particularly interested in the experiences of higher education staff workign within the tripartite setting of higher and degree apprenticehsips, as well as the engagement of apprentices with academic study alongside professional practice. Additionally, Helen explores contemporary higher education practices and the integration of knowledge into professional settings, particularly within human resource management. A qualitative researcher, she specialises in interpretative phenomenological analysis to understand the lived experiences of work-aligned learners.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Navigating tensions in higher education tripartite practice: experiences of the intrinsic–instrumental nature of apprenticeship, Power-Mason, P., Charlton, H., Tran, V. 24 Jul 2026, In: Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning
The ‘Learner Coach’: a Tripartite Practitioner: Experiences across disciplines and institutions, Charlton, H., Power-Mason, P. 25 Mar 2026, Higher and Degree Apprenticeships, London, Routledge
A Sector in Crisis? Insights from how English Higher Education Apprenticeships are Weathering the Storm, Power-Mason, P., Charlton, H., Walker-Martin, F., Bloomfield, S. 6 Jun 2025, In: Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning
Bridging the gap: How business schools are building pathways to success with degree apprenticeships, Charlton, H. 8 Feb 2024

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Other: Developing an evidence-based health and wellbeing resource pack to improve employee engagement 2021
Oral presentation: 'Using a collection method in an idiographic methodology' 2018

PGR Supervision

Gemma Lockyer Turnbull An analysis of the professional status of youth work in England and its impact on professional identity. Start Date: 30/10/2025

Further Information

https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/about-us/our-staff/c/helen-charlton/

Qualifications

Teaching & Learning PGCLTHE
Education
Human Resource Management MSc
Chartered Manager and Chartered Fellow - Chartered Management Institute CMngr FCMI 2018
Chartered Member of Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Chartered MCIPD
Senior Fellow (SFHEA) Higher Education Academy (HEA)