Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships allow you to combine work and study by mixing on-the-job training with classroom learning. You’ll be employed to do a real job while studying for a formal qualification, usually for one day a week either at a college or a training centre. By the end of your apprenticeship you will hopefully have gained the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in your chosen career.

Apprenticeships are available at all ages from 16 upwards, and at different levels depending on your existing qualifications and experience. From the age of 18 upwards, there are a growing number of degree apprenticeships available, leading to a university degree while also being employed.

Apprenticeship-Levels

Finding an apprenticeship

FAA – Find An Apprenticeship – is a reliable source of information about currently available opportunities at all levels. By entering a keyword (e.g. engineer), your post code and a maximum travel distance (e.g. 10 miles) you can quickly find all the possibilities. You can also set an alert using the same details, so that new information is sent directly to you, as FAA is updated all the time.

The Apprenticeship Guide also lists currently available opportunities, along with advice and information on how to apply and what employers and trainers are looking for.

If we are notified by local companies and training providers of apprenticeship vacancies, these are posted on the Careers News page of this website and/or on our weekly student Careers Bulletin, sent out to Year 10-13 students via Firefly. 

Advice for Students

Advice for Parents

There are many excellent websites that give up-to-date no-nonsense advice. These include:

Success At School: A parents’ guide to apprenticeships

The Student Room: A parent’s guide to apprenticeships

Degree Apprenticeships

Degree apprenticeships were introduced in September 2015 and offer students an alternative route to achieve a full Bachelors or Masters degree as part of their apprenticeship. They are only available in certain subjects, but the list is growing all the time. As with all apprenticeships, they combine study and employment, with the employer paying the cost of the degree tuition, and paying at least the apprentice National Minimum Wage. For more details, and a list of the options currently available, check out the Prospects page.