An apprenticeship is a combination of studying, working and getting paid, all whilst progressing towards a recognised qualification. An apprenticeship will give you the necessary skills required in most working conditions and 60% of employers have said they value apprenticeship skills over graduate qualifications.
The primary thing you need to ask yourself is: are you ready to go to work? If the answer is yes, then you’ve probably already decided university or further education isn’t for you and that an apprenticeship might be better suited to your requirements.
You’re then going to need to determine if you can get to your chosen career through an apprenticeship. Most courses offer qualifications right up to degree level with no limitations on where you have to complete them.
If you find the course you want to do, you then need to determine where you want to do your apprenticeship. Do some investigation into what’s around, which training providers offer the qualifications you want and which companies are already advertising for apprentices.
Remember, once you’ve finished your apprenticeship you have many various career options. You can stay on with your current employer, you can use your experience to secure yourself a job elsewhere or you can advance on to a higher apprenticeship or degree course. Apprenticeships give you plenty of chances to continue climbing the career ladder with 1 in 5 employers saying they have former apprentices in senior management jobs.
If you’re still having difficulties, speak to a training provider or another apprentice – they’ll be able to give you first-hand information of what it’s like to be an apprentice.
