Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week

An apprenticeship is essentially a paid job; with training included. For most apprenticeships the time spent learning is about 20% of your paid time. Apprenticeship standards are linked to job roles, we currently offer the following apprenticeship standards to employers:

• Business Administrator,
• Customer Service Practitioner,
• Early Years Educator,
• Payroll Administrator and Payroll Assistant Manager,
• Teaching Assistant,
• Team Leader or Supervisor.

In the 2022/23 academic year 100% of our graduate apprentices stated that they felt an improvement in their work-related skills, and our service is currently rated ‘Excellent’ by both apprentices and employers on the apprentcies.gov site. Natasha, one of our former Teaching Assistant apprentices had this to say about the impact of her time with us:

 

“The teaching assistant apprenticeship has helped me a lot with my future and career goals, as I now have a full-time job at the school I was at! And without this opportunity that wouldn’t have happened, I’ve always wanted to be in education ever since I was little and that has come true. I owe a big thank you to my mentor Marie who has been a big help through this journey and was there for me with advice if I ever struggled.”

 

Apprenticeship qualifications have come a long way in the last few years, but there are still many myths about what it means to be an apprentice in 2024. We sat down and asked our own Dave Hammersley, Programme Manager for Work Based Learning, to tackle some of the most common misconceptions about apprenticeships.

“One of the most common assumptions we get is that people think apprenticeships are only for young people. Not true! Apprenticeships are for anyone, of any age, looking to start a new career or take the next steps in their current one. The average age of apprentices studying with us works out to 34 years old, and we have several apprentices taking a new career path in their 50s.

The other big myth is that to start an apprenticeship, you also must start a whole new job or be paid at apprenticeship minimum wage. Again, not true! Many apprentices may have been with their employer for many years and are now stepping up to gain a promotion. The main difference most apprentices see when starting their learning is that their learning is planned, relevant and integrated into their work role.”

If you are curious about how an apprenticeship can open doors to your next career, or support you to grow in your current one, visit National Apprenticeship Week website to explore the possibilities. If you are looking for advice on next steps in your career journey, consider booking a FREE and confidential appointment with our Learning and Work Advisors. They can discuss opportunities available to you and point you in the right direction.

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