Yesterday we brought you news on employers’ perceptions regarding apprenticeships from the latest YouGov online survey, which was commissioned by Interserve. As well as employers, the survey, entitled “The Interserve Society Report: Apprenticeships: the path to success?” also surveyed 13-18 year olds in secondary education and their parents, who also show that awareness is a key problem when considering future career choices.
When asked, only 7% of the young people surveyed planned on doing an apprenticeship, with 17% of them stating they felt an apprenticeship was the best way to start their career. 72% were planning to go to university or college, with 47% saying they felt this path was the most effective way to begin a career. This is despite the increasing costs associated with university, as they do not wish to miss out on the university life. There is also concern about the availability of apprenticeships in their chosen field and whether one would lead to a job.
With most favouring university, the possibilities that come from Higher or Degree level apprenticeships are crucial, however 55% did not know what these were, and 82% did not know the difference between the two. Once there had been explanation given, 70% said that earning a salary while learning would be the deciding factor to take this route, followed by 55% agreeing that being able to access on the job skills to improve their employability was tempting.
Parents play a vital role in this decision, as they are who their children will turn to for advice. The trend seems to be similar to the young people surveyed with less parents (27%) favouring apprenticeships over university (42%) when considering which route would lead to a future career. Again, a high number were unaware of Higher and Degree apprenticeships (70%) with only 12% knowing the difference between them. 60% of parents agreed that knowing the key facts about Degree apprenticeships would affect their opinion on whether they were the best route for their child.
This report highlights the importance of raising awareness about apprenticeships to young people and their parents. Apprenticeships provide an excellent route into a chosen career, enabling the person to earn a living as well as qualifications, and they can do so to a level they could at university without being subject to the high tuition fees.
Here at Aspire Training Team we offer apprenticeships in childcare, business administration and health and social care. To find out more details about how you can become an apprentice, contact the team on 01202 551553 or email info@aspiretrainingteam.co.uk.
