A recent survey conducted by The Student Room, the world’s largest student community and social learning website for school and university students, has shown that there is a perception that men are the main target audience for apprenticeships.
10,000 students took part in the survey across the UK and were asked about their options after A-levels whether that be employment, gap years, university or apprenticeships. 40% of those surveyed said that they felt apprenticeships were mainly taken up by men, 25% said it was an equal share of both men and women, and worryingly only 1% think that apprenticeships are designed for women.
One way to be changing the perceptions of apprenticeships is for those finishing their GCSE’s or A-Levels to be well informed of all the facts concerning their next steps, however the survey went on to find that only 11% of respondents felt fully informed about the opportunities and benefits of apprenticeships, with 40% saying they had received “very little” or “no information” about becoming this particular route.
31% said that the biggest influence on their next steps was information from a website, and 20% said their parents were the biggest influence. Following this was the opinion of someone the same age, followed by careers advisors with 13% saying they were the biggest advisors.
These findings show there is a worrying perception about apprenticeships that is incorrect; one reason for this may be existing mis-conceptions about certain industries, for example there’s been evidence that shows that childcare is seen to be a more female-dominated environment.
This isn’t the case, apprenticeships are for everyone, no matter the industry or course you’re wishing to move in to. Here at Aspire Training Team we welcome everyone onto our childcare apprenticeship courses, as well as our business administration, and health & social care courses. We work very closely with schools and other local businesses to ensure people based in Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset are aware of the opportunities available to them.
To find out more about the benefits of becoming an apprentice you can contact Aspire Training Team on 01202 551553 or email info@aspiretrainingteam.co.uk.
