Apprenticeships

Once you finish school/college/sixth form or college you may not want to remain in formal education, you may be ready for the world of work, and want to start down the path of a career. If that is the case Apprenticeships will be the correct choice for you.

When completing an apprenticeship you will be studying and obtaining your qualifications while working and learning on the job. If you are between 16 and 18 years of age you will still meet the requirements of RPA (Raising Participation Age) to continue in education or learning until you reach 18 (applying to all those finishing year 11 from 2014 onwards). You will also be paid the national minimum wage for apprentices, £2.68 per hour, rising to £2.73 per hour from 1st October 2014.

You apply for an apprenticeship directly with the employers, and you will then be working alongside other employees and learning as you earn. You will be trained while working and you will also spend some time in college or with a work based learning provider.

If an apprenticeships seems a little out of reach, or you don’t feel that you meet the requirements of the apprenticeships, then you may be able to apply for the 16-19 Study Programme that began in 2013—and introduced the new Traineeships that last between 6 weeks and 6 months, plus there are other schemes which will provide the essential work preparation training, i.e. Maths, English and employability skills in order to get an apprenticeship.

Apprenticeship Options

Apprenticeships are available in a variety of different careers that include media, business, health, travel and retail. For some of these careers an Apprenticeship is one of the main ways to begin a career. The most popular Apprenticeships include:

  • Business
  • Administration
  • Finance
  • Hair and Beauty
  • Travel and Tourism
  • Health Care
  • Hospitality
  • Engineering

Entry

In order to apply for an Apprenticeship you will need to check with the particular role as to the requirements that need to be met. Most will want a good level of English and Maths. Some will ask for a minimum of Level 2 in English and Maths (GCSE grades A* - C), or at least a level 2 in Functional Skills. Some may ask you to sit a numeracy and literacy test before accepting you to ensure you meet the minimum requirement needed to do the job you will be training on well.

What Qualifications Could I Get?

When completing an Apprenticeship you are able to achieve the equivalent of 5 GCSE’s grades A* - C or level 2 qualification.

Qualifications obtained while completing an Apprenticeship are recognised and valued by employers across the UK, and means that changing jobs will be a little easier as the skills you gain will be transferrable. There are three types of qualifications you can gain via an apprenticeship:

  • Vocational Qualifications - These qualifications will teach you the skills needed in order to work within a specific job, for example you may do a Level 2 in Childcare.
  • Technical Certificates - These qualifications help to teach specific technical skills to match the job being carried out, for example a Certificate in Food and Drink Service.
  • Functional Skills - This will ensure that you have the level needed in English and Maths, essential skills that are needed for any job that you are going to do now or in the future. These will ensure that you are employable whatever career you choose to go into.

Apprenticeships and the Future?

There are many options available to you on completion of your Apprenticeship, they will depend on the qualifications you have gained and the experience and skills obtained. However many of these will be cross transferrable to most jobs, i.e. communication, team working, motivation, and customer service skills. Having completed your Apprenticeship you may be able to:

  • Progress onto an Advanced or Higher level Apprenticeship
  • Go to college and continue studying to a higher level
  • Get a permanent job with the employer you trained with
  • Get a permanent job with a different employer

Advanced Level and Higher Apprenticeships

These will give you the opportunity to work towards NVQ level 3, equivalent to having 2 A Levels. You can also obtain more advanced technical certificates and further develop your functional skills.

Higher Apprenticeships will give you the opportunity to work towards NVQ Level 4, and possibly progress onto a higher educational qualification such as a Foundation Degree.

I’m not ready

If you really want to do an Apprenticeship, but just don’t feel you are ready or haven’t yet met the entry requirements to apply, then the 16 –19 Study Programme that began in September 2013 may be the best route for you. The Study Programme introduced new Traineeships that last between 6 weeks and 6 months, along with other schemes that help you to develop the essential skills in order to go onto an Apprenticeship, including English and Maths skills, and Work Experience. If you then decide you don’t want an Apprenticeship, they will also be good to help you get a job.

How do I apply?

If you’re interested in applying for an Apprenticeship, then you need to do the following:

  • Find Apprenticeship Vacancies you are interested in
  • Find out more information about the roles from the employer
  • Apply for the vacancies you are most interested in

Finding Apprenticeship Vacancies

Visit the national Apprenticeships vacancy matching service at the following website—www.apprenticeships.org.uk—and go to Vacancies and Opportunities and then click on Start Your Search.

You can also search the websites of companies you are interested in working for as some large employers look to recruit apprentices yearly, generally at the start of the year. These places are normally very popular and therefore if you are interested find out about these and apply as early as possible.

More Information

Once you’ve found the vacancies you are interested in applying for then it is time to also do some research on the company, you can also contact the employer to find out more about the apprenticeship role by contacting the employer either by phone, letter, email or checking out the website.

If the vacancy was found via www.apprenticeships.org.uk then you will find a lot of information on the website to help you. There are also contact details that have been provided as part of the online vacancy.