How we began our journey
When my son told people he wanted to do an apprenticeship they thought he meant to learn a trade – plumbing, electrics, bricklaying etc. There was very little understanding out there that professional apprenticeships are available. My husband works in construction management and apprenticeships have been around in this area for many years, so an office-based apprenticeship was not a new concept to us. Some companies offer degree apprenticeships, some offer professional qualifications – for example some of the big accountancy firms and insurance companies. There are a lot of options out there. What isn’t out there is an easy way to find them!
There are different levels of apprenticeship –
Levels of apprenticeship
Apprenticeships have equivalent educational levels.
| Apprenticeship | Level | Equivalent educational level |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate | 2 | GCSE |
| Advanced | 3 | A level |
| Higher | 4,5,6 and 7 | Foundation degree and above |
| Degree | 6 and 7 | Bachelor’s or master’s degree |
Having been to an apprenticeship information evening at Middlesex University my son had been introduced to Young Professionals and we used that as a starting point. We then discovered the Government ‘find an apprenticeship’ page and that proved invaluable. Not being entirely sure what business my son wanted to go into we could search for all apprenticeships within a radius from our postcode and just look at what sort of things were being advertised. Maybe a long-winded way of doing it, but there are so many companies you will never have heard of that offer apprenticeships and it gave us a better idea of what he might like to do. Another great resource is Not going to Uni, so I recommend you have a good look through their articles and see the featured opportunities.
https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship
https://young-professionals.uk/
https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/
https://www.findapprenticeships.co.uk
https://advice.springpod.com/series/apprenticeships-explained – This link to Springpod has a long list of video explanations that you may find useful
Apprenticeships UK 