How To Find The Right Apprenticeship

With thousands of apprenticeship opportunities and hundreds of employers to choose from, it’s important to consider all career options to ensure that your decision is correctly informed. From finding the right career path, choosing the best employer to searching for the ideal qualification and picking the perfect team, we’re here to help you find the right apprenticeship for you!

Choosing a career path

Career options that combine work and studies for young people after school include:

• apprenticeships which offer individuals the opportunity to constantly develop new skills and apply classroom learning in a real-world environment
• traineeships provide unpaid work experience and additional training to prepare the individual for an apprenticeship or work.
• T levels offer young people classroom training alongside an industry placement and offers the equivalent of 3 A levels

Choosing the best employer

Many apprentices offer bespoke training and educational programmes, which allows for a personalised experience regardless whether you’re the only new recruit or part of a larger team.

Benefits of an apprenticeship with a small employer include:

• a personalised experience
• a smaller team which can create stronger working relationships with colleagues, line managers and mentors
• hands on experience across different roles

Benefits of an apprenticeship with a large employer include:

• opportunities to relocate
• advanced recruitment processes
• the opportunity to work closely with other apprentices
• a range of career progression opportunities

Choosing an apprenticeship

Searching for the right apprenticeship can be tricky and it can be challenging to know where to start but it’s important that you start by researching which training provider is suitable for you including their Ofsted rating, learning facilities and support network.

Once you’ve found your training provider, it’s time to shortlist your job opportunities based on your employment needs. Read the job description and job advert to see what experience the apprenticeship will offer, including employee benefits and career progression prospects.

Company benefits can include:

• networking opportunities
• ongoing and personalised support from the employer and training provider
• peer-to-peer support
• social benefits
• student benefits such as discounts
• paid annual leave
• employee perks
• no tuition fees or learning costs

Note: speak to the employer and/or the training provider about how 20% off-the-job training will be delivered as employers take different approaches, so it’s important to recognise how this will take place.