Information about apprenticeships for young people

If you want to get hands on experience and learn on the job, then an apprenticeship may be the right route for you. An apprenticeship is a great way to learn outside the classroom, right in the heart of your dream career. Apprentices are employed by a business to do a specific job, so you are paid while you learn. By working and training with the company and attending college, you will build up the experience, knowledge and skills. You can apply this in your job as you work towards a nationally recognised qualification. Find out about national apprenticeship pay and conditions.

What is involved?

As an apprentice, you will be an employee of the company you are an apprentice with and will usually spend four days each week working in the business. Most of the training is done on the job with people who work in the industry, learning from experienced members of the team that can train you in all aspects of the practical work that you would require to do the job. You will also spend a further day in training either at college or with a training provider. This will provide you with further training to develop your employability skills, such as English, Maths and ICT.

What are the advantages of an Apprenticeship?

• You will learn on the job as well as attending some off the job training
• You will be trained by people who do the job
• You will work with industry standard equipment and gain vital experience in the industry environment
• You will be paid while you learn
• You will get the real industry experience, working real working hours and learning the tricks of the trade
• After completing a Level 3 Apprenticeship, you could go onto Higher Education qualifications

How long does it take?

An apprenticeship can take between one and five years to complete, depending upon the level of apprenticeship and the industry sector.  Most of the training is delivered in the workplace and the rest of the training is given by a training organisation, either at the workplace, off-site (perhaps at college) or via e-learning.

Apprenticeship Vacancies

You can view vacancies for apprenticeships on the gov.uk website.