Apprenticeships– agreat waytostart

It’s arealjob,with hands-on experience,a salary andthe chance to trainwhileyou work. You’re treatedjustlike allthe otheremployees, with acontractofemployment andholiday leave.

If you’re16orover,you canbecome an apprentice as long as you spendatleast 50 percentofyour working hoursinEngland forthe duration of theapprenticeshipand you arenot in full-timeeducation

Your apprenticeship cantake betweenone andsix yearstocomplete,depending on whichapprenticeship you choose,whatlevel it’s at,and yourpreviousexperience

Popular

From engineeringtonursing and from lawtodesign–thousands of apprenticeshipsare availableevery year in avastrange of industries andcareers.Apprenticeships are oftenapopular option forpeople who don’twanttohavethe worry of studentdebthanging over them in thefuture–and want to getahead startontheir future career

Advanced apprenticeshipsare equivalent to twoA-levelpasses. To be accepted you should have five GCSEs or more.Higherapprenticeshipsrange betweenLevel 4, whichisthe equivalent of one year of higher educationstudy,toLevel 6, whichisthe equivalent of aBachelor’s degree.Theycover around 75 industries andmorethan100 different jobroles,ranging from legal services to bankingand engineering. Higher anddegreeapprentices typically splittheir time between collegeoruniversity andthe workplace.

An apprenticeship canleadtoa long-termjob afterthe initialcon- tract is completed. Youcan also pick up life-long skills that will be useful andadaptable to anyindustry. The wholetimeyou will be making a goodnamefor yourself andbuilding professional contacts, whichwill benefityou greatlyinthe future

As with otherapprenticeships, students areemployedthroughout andthe cost of thefeesare shared betweenthe Government andthe employer. Many employerschoose to paysubstantially more thanthe apprenticeship minimumwagefor thoseunder 19

As well as having many benefits forapprentices,the schemeisalso popularwithemployers. Many see it as an investment because they canguide andtrain theirrecruits to have thespecificskillsrequired forthe industry andensuretheyare reliable membersofthe workforce Employerswantanapprentice whoispolite, punctual andreliable. They also want aquick learn- er whocan follow instructions and advice andsomeone whocan think on theirfeetto fixany problems thatcropup. Firmswillbelooking forateamplayerwho will fitinto theexistingworkforce well.Their apprentice will need to have good people skills, especially if therole involves dealingwithcustomers or thepublic.

Once you find therightapprenticeship,you will usuallyneed aCV anda coverlettertoapply.Some employersmay askapplicantsto fill outanapplication form instead of sendinga CV.These maybepaper-basedoronline formswhich typically list questionsfor theapplicant to complete

Research

Although many employerslook forsimilar traitsinanapprentice, it’s importanttoresearchthe company andgaina better understandingofwhattheyare lookingfor becauseeachemployer candiffer. During theapplication process, applicants areoftenasked to demonstrate how they useessential skills. Hobbiesand extracurricular activitiesare agreat waytoshowcase these skills andexperiences.

It’s agood idea to applyfor afew apprenticeshipsat atime. This increases yourchances andmeans you’renot waitingfor aresponse from one employer n Formoreinformation visitapprenticeships.gov.uk