Learning Through an Apprenticeship

It’s a well known fact that there are many people who are not particularly good when it comes to ‘academics’ but who, nevertheless, have many practical skills with which they can carve out a career for themselves. Apprenticeships are often the answer. They not only enable you to develop your skills further, learn new ones, receive further training and obtain professionally recognised qualifications but you’ll also benefit by being able to achieve all of the above whilst also having a job and learning whilst earning a pay packet at the same time.

They are not strictly focused on practical work per se. In fact, many apprenticeships will require you to undertake college courses which might contain an element of academic ability in some way. However, before you write them off because you felt you were hopeless at school, it’s important to remember that this is not history, geography, R.E or any other subject which might have completely clouded your experience of school but you’ll be studying areas which are of relevance to your chosen profession and which, therefore, are more likely to be of interest to you which in turn makes it easier to learn.

Is An Apprenticeship Right For Me?

There is no real straightforward answer to this question. It all depends. There are around 180 apprenticeships on offer in the UK today which span across over 80 industry sectors. In addition to the more typical apprenticeship schemes you might be familiar with such as electricians, joiners, bricklayers and plumbers etc, you can also undertake apprenticeships in many of the so-called ‘white collar’ industries - in accountancy and business administration, for example. Usually, it’s a case of assessing your own skills and career preferences and then finding out more.

It should not, however, be considered an easy option to, say, going on to university, for example. Yes, there are some apprenticeships in which you can be qualified after a year or two which might seem far more preferable than going to university for 3 years, unpaid and with no guarantee of a job afterwards. However, to take the opposite standpoint, there are no guarantees that you’ll be kept on with your employer once your apprenticeship is completed - although in most cases, if you’ve become a valuable member of the workforce, a company will usually try to retain its most prized staff. Also, depending on the type of occupation you have in mind, certain apprenticeships can take up to 5 years which is even longer than the vast majority of university degree courses.

Ultimately, an apprenticeship is something you should consider carefully and it may well provide you with the perfect solution to both learning new skills and having a job at the same time and in some industries such as bricklaying, for example, if that’s where you see your future lying, an apprenticeship is likely to be the established route you will take. With any apprenticeship however, comes a lot of hard work and juggling the commitments of holding down a job with the training side of things.

Do I Need Qualifications?

Not necessarily. Many apprentices are taken on and nurtured because of their existing skills and personal commitment and dedication in their pursuit of a particular career. However, there are some more technically based apprenticeships which may require you to have A-C grades in English, Maths and Science to GCSE level.

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What If I’m Older Than The ‘Conventional’ Apprentice?

Apprenticeships today are not just for the likes of school leavers and people in their late teens. In fact, in August 2007, the government introduced an initiative to offer apprenticeships to those over the age of 25. The scope of these can vary between different areas of the country, however, depending upon the types of skills that companies in your local area need.

For more information, you should start by visiting the UK’s dedicated ‘Apprenticeships’ website and your local careers service (some areas still operate Connexions services) is also able to offer you advice and tell you where you might find out more details of what’s available in your area.