Apprenticeships information, advice and guidance

For students who prefer to learn by doing, and for whom earning whilst they learn is a significant motivator, Apprenticeships can be a positive option. However, supporting young people to make informed choices about their next steps can be difficult for teachers and parents if they are unfamiliar with current Apprenticeship schemes..

The National Apprenticeship Service provides information on types of apprenticeships and apprenticeship vacancies. They have also produced a teacher pack which includes fact sheets, case studies, teacher resource sheets and activity sheets.

Research shows that Apprenticeships are an optimal way of training, developing and skilling people for the future, helping businesses to secure a supply of people with the skills and qualities they need and which are often not available on the external job market.

New statistics published by the department of Business, Innovation and Skills in March 2012 show an increase in the number of people starting an apprenticeship. Provisional data shows that in the first half of the 2011/12 academic year (August 2011 to January 2012) 256,500 people started an apprenticeship, including 79,100 young people (aged under 19), 77,100 19-24 year olds and 100,300 adults aged 25 or over.

The National STEM Centre apprentice – Leanne Spencer

Leanne is the Resources Assistant Apprentice and is currently working in the physical library helping visitors with their enquiries, cataloguing new books and teaching kits, helping to develop the Archive collection, maintaining the Centre’s vast collection of gadgets and representing the Centre at national conference exhibition stands such as the Big Bang festival.

“What I enjoy about being an Apprentice is that you learn on the job and get a qualification at the end of the Apprenticeship rather than get the qualification and then go out to get a job. I think that most employers would prefer someone with a qualification and experience rather than just a qualification.

I find that I have plenty of time to do my diploma, and as I don’t have to go to the college every week my studying doesn’t impact my work.”