Why Apprenticeships? is a question many people ask. Why should I start an apprenticeship when there are so many other jobs paying more money for someone my age.
"Why are apprenticeships paid so little?" is another great question.
"Why" is the start to a lot of the questions surrounding apprenticeships and we want to assure you there are plenty of reasons "Why" you should consider an apprentice and hopefully it will put your mind to rest.
Before we explain why apprenticeships are great here is a quick synopsis of what an apprenticeship is: An apprenticeship is a form of further education that provides on the job training whilst the apprentice is paid a wage and studies to gain nationally recognised qualifications, for more information please refer to our guide on What is an apprenticeship?.
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Why should you consider an apprenticeship over other further education routes? The benefits that apprenticeships offer outweigh, in our opinion, anything else on offer from going to university or college.
Going to uni is great for gaining a degree and life learning. Before going to university the likelihood is you will have lived at home and taking the big step to live away from home is a great learning curve for many. With an apprenticeship you could also leave home, maybe get a house share or rent your own pad, the choice is yours after all you will be earning a wage during your apprenticeship training.
There are plenty of other benefits to apprenticeships, so we've highlighted below "Why Apprenticeships", in our opinion, are better then another further education options.
Apprenticeships are the only form of further education that lets you learn on the job. During your apprenticeship you will be working side-by-side with existing full-time employees. As an apprentice you will learn skills and knowledge handed down from industry experts.
Your apprenticeship training will require you to work a minimum of 30 hours per week which includes any requirement to attend college or university, some apprentice employers or apprenticeship training providers may provide the theory element onsite in a classroom environment.
2) Get paid a wage
When you become an apprentice you will be paid a wage just like a permanent employee, which is great as the average pay for apprentices in the UK is between £15,000 £25,000 depending on the level of apprenticeship.
Companies are required by law to pay a minimum wage just like a full-time employee, which is currently £4.81 per hour and rising to £5.28 in April 2023. Our guide highlights more information on apprentice pay.
Apprenticeships aren't just about learning practical skills and getting paid they also enable you to gain nationally recognised qualifications. Did you know you can even study towards a bachelors degree? Thats right apprenticeships offer qualifications from NVQ's right up to degrees, degree apprenticeships are offered in partnership with universities all across the country.
At each stage of your apprenticeship training the qualifications you gain enable you to start the next level apprenticeship up to the degree level which is your highest level apprenticeship.
Starting a job is hard at the best of times, but starting a job with no previous experience is even harder. Apprenticeships allow you to gain experience with on the job training allowing you to easily kickstart a career in your chosen field. If you start an intermediate apprenticeship you require no experience and there is no qualification criteria, you can start intermediate apprenticeships post 16 allowing you to stay in further education whilst working.
Apprenticeships are the best way to kickstart your career prospects post 16 and gain the hands on practical experience required to carve out a successful career in your chosen field.
Apprenticeships are your only form of further education when you can gain nationally recognised qualifications whilst working and receiving free training. Thats right, the training the apprentice employer provides is completely free.
When students leave university they are on average £36,000 in debt, thats a lot of money. Then you have to start repaying your student loan when your salary exceeds between £19,895 and £25,000 per annum. Apprenticeships are free and you get paid, meaning by the time the average university student has left uni you will have already earned approximately £100,000 over the period and have no debt. Apprentices earn more then graduates.
Apprenticeships are a form of further education which offers on the job training for you to gain a nationally recognised qualification whilst studying part-time with an apprenticeship training provider, college or university through workshops or classroom training.
Apprenticeship training has to be delivered by a registered apprenticeship training provider which can also be an employer-provider, where the employer you are training through are on the register of training providers to be able to deliver their own training requirements. If an employer acts as an employer-provider they will usually employ a number of people such as Apprenticeship Assessors, Mentors and Managers to support you through your apprenticeship programme.
During your apprenticeship you will receive a salary and all the other benefits permanent employees receive. An apprenticeship job is only for a specified time as stipulated at the beginning of your apprenticeship training which can last anything from 12 months to 5 years.
To find our more about apprenticeships please refer to our What is an Apprenticeship? guide.
Why should you start an apprenticeship?
If you are considering your post 16 options you probably wouldn't have considered an apprenticeship a few years ago and would be struggling or worrying what to do when you leave school. It is a legal requirement for you to now stay in some form of further education until the age of 18 and you now have three options A-Levels, College or an Apprenticeship.
You can start an apprenticeship at the age of 16 through the Intermediate or Advanced level apprenticeship programmes across many industry sectors from Construction, Technology or even Marketing. There are no entry requirements for the intermediate apprenticeship, however you will need at least 5 GCSE's at grade 4 (previously C grade) or above to qualify for the advanced apprenticeship. On completion of the intermediate you will gain the qualifying criteria for a level 3.
The best reason for starting an apprenticeship is on completion of each level you will receive a nationally recognised qualification from an NVQ all the way up to a degree level apprenticeship such as a Bachelors or Masters.
How can you become an apprentice?
There are a number of ways to become an apprentice so we thought we would list them for you:
- Register with websites like ourselves, there are others available.
- Apprenticeship Job Fairs are great for meeting employers and training providers.
- Contact training providers in your area, a simple Google search "Training providers near me" will give you the information you need.
- Contact your local colleges or universities or visit their websites to see if they offer apprenticeship training.
- UCAS promote apprenticeship opportunities on their website on behalf of employers.
and finally......
- Do some research on apprenticeships and find a topic or industry that you would like to start an apprenticeship in and then research local companies in those sectors and visit their websites to see if they offer apprenticeship training and apply directly with them.
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