20 Things You Need To Know About Apprenticeships
If you're new to Apprenticeships, here's some essential information:
- Apprentices train on the job, working with an employer to pick up the skills they need for their chosen career
- As an Apprentice you study (either at college or with a Training Provider) to gain nationally-recognised qualifications
- Apprentices are paid for their work. The amount varies. Any apprentice, regardless of age, is paid £5.28 per hour in the first year of their apprenticeship. Once you are aged 19 or over and have completed your first year, you're entitled to the National Minimum Wage for your age range but it can be much more than that
- Apprentices work at least 30 hours a week
- You receive at least 20 days of paid holiday, plus bank holidays
- You get a TOTUM Apprentice card, just like any other student, which entitles you to cheaper travel and discounts in various stores
- There were 349,200 apprentice starts last year
- There is no upper age limit for an apprentice so whether you're 16 or 65+ year old, they are open to you!
- Most employers retain their apprentices as employees, seeing them as a way to deal with skills gaps and bring in fresh thinking
- Forget all that old-fashioned stereotyping of Apprenticeships as only being good for learning a trade. The most popular sector is health and social care, but business, finance, engineering and construction are growing
- Nine out of ten Apprentices say they are satisfied with their Apprenticeship
- You might earn more. On average, Higher Apprentices earn £150,000 more over their lifetime than those with Level Three vocational qualifications
- You can also get a Degree Apprenticeship. They do just what they say on the tin: you get a degree (a Bachelors or Masters, depending on the level you go for) via the Apprenticeship route. Except all your costs are paid for. That's right – a fee-free degree
- No student loan required! You earn as you learn on an Apprenticeship, and your employer covers your training costs
- Major employers hire Apprentices, including the BBC, Barclays, IBM and Google
- Apprenticeships are available at four levels: Intermediate Level 2 (equivalent to GCSE), Advanced Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels) and Higher Levels 4-5 and Degree Levels 6-7. Higher and Degree Apprenticeships are equivalent to university-level study, from Foundation to Masters Degree
- Employers offer apprenticeships in more than 170 industries, with more than 1500 job roles available. You could train to be anything from an accountant to a youth worker, an engineer to a veterinary nurse
- Anyone over 16 living in England can apply to be an Apprentice.
- If you're not quite ready for an Apprenticeship, a Traineeship can help young people aged 16-24 get the skills and experience needed, for an apprenticeship or the world of work
- Apprenticeships last for at least a year and can continue for up to six years
