Apprenticeships are big news. As we approach the General Election, all the main parties have had something to say about them – but whoever gets the keys to Number 10 in May, the facts remain; apprenticeships are a great way to either start or change career – and they’re not just for young people.
Apprenticeships have come a long way since the 12th century – yes they’ve been around that long! Ok they’ve been through many reincarnations – they’ve been politicised, ‘dumbed down’, ‘smartened-up’, rubbed out and rewritten… but with the country (especially employers) coming to the realisation that a university education is not the ‘be all and end all’, apprenticeships are more important than ever before.
Even the British media is starting to take apprenticeships a little more seriously.
Now, don’t get me wrong; some of the national papers still portray apprentices in hardhats and boiler suits, but there is hope. For example, The Telegraph alone recently published stories about the 10 most unusual apprenticeships, the 40 richest former apprentices and, a “Debt free at 23!”story. The apprenticeship winds are definitely changing.
What can apprenticeships offer?
Despite this new media attention, there is still much work to do to ensure that everyone understands the value of apprenticeships – as not every school or employer are currently embracing the opportunities that apprenticeships can offer.
The truth is the range of apprenticeships on offer today is vast – in fact, trying to cover the full spectrum and level of qualifications which come under the one heading is a challenge in itself. From GCSE level apprenticeships (Level 2) to higher apprenticeships and now even apprenticeship degrees, to coin a much used phrase… there really is something for everyone (who might be looking for an alternative to university).
An apprenticeship is a real job with training, so you can earn while you learn and get industry-recognised qualifications as you go. As long as you’re over 16 and not in full-time education, you can apply.
Apprenticeships can take between one and four years to complete and cover over 1,000 job roles, in a range of industries, from accountancy to financial advice, social media and digital marketing to dental nursing to plumbing. In fact, a cursory glance at the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) website reveals that there are nearly 28,000 vacancies.
Salaries for apprentices vary considerably, from the absolute minimum of £2.73 an hour for 16-17 year olds, to the more acceptable averages of between £6.79 to £11.63 an hour depending on the level of apprenticeship.
Last year at GetMyFirstJob we found places for 8,000 apprentices, this year we’re set on placing 10,000 apprentices on new and exciting careers.
This article was originally published by TotalJobs.
