Apprenticeships
Why choose an apprenticeship? • • • •
Get paid while you learn – you are paid a training allowance while you work Gain more qualifications – like your friends at college, you are still working for qualifications that will help you in the future More adult environment – if you feel you’ve had enough of school, this is a chance to work, be treated (and behave) more like an adult Applied, practical learning – some people find learning easier when they can see things happen and get involved.
What is an apprenticeship? •
You need two things to make an apprenticeship; an employer and a training provider. While you work with your employer on a daily basis, you need the training provider to oversee your qualifications and offer additional training where needed. Some employers are large enough to train and assess their own apprentices.
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You’ll be paid for your work. The National Minimum Wage for apprentices is currently set at £2.50, but you can get paid more than this – it depends on the employer. Your salary should increase as you gain qualifications.
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Like any job, your hours of work, annual leave and pay may vary with the employer – so make sure you read the detail and ask questions about your employment conditions before you decide.
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There are three levels of Apprenticeship; Intermediate Apprentices – this is the level taken by most apprentices and you train for a Level 2 qualification. Advanced Apprentices train for Level 3 qualifications and this is usually where they have to take on a more technical or supervisory role. Higher Apprentices will train to Level 4 and is usually a professional or managerial role. Some schemes take you on at Intermediate Level and may decide to offer further training once they have assessed your potential to progress.
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You will gain qualifications that have been agreed nationally by your industrial/occupational sector. Your employer may also add qualifications which are specific to your job. You will work towards a competency based qualification where you show what you can do. You will work towards a technical qualification where you show what you know or understand. You will take Key Skills or Functional Skills to demonstrate the appropriate skills such as literacy, numeracy and communication which are valued by employers.
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The types of apprenticeships available reflect the employment and industries in your local area (so young people in different parts of the country may have different options). To see what areas of training are funded locally, visit www.apprenticeships-in-sussex.org.uk You can use this site to search for training providers in your area.
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For more information visit Apprenticeships
How do I find an apprenticeship? There are several ways to find an apprenticeship, and you will need to try all of these. •
Respond to a vacancy 1. Register with the National Apprenticeship Service. Vacancies for apprenticeships are advertised here – you can see examples of real vacancies – the type of job, pay, training on offer etc. When you are registered, the site will e-mail you when relevant vacancies come on-line. Be aware, however, that you can’t start an apprenticeship until after your official school leaving date (the last Friday in June) but you can apply before this date. 2. If you just want to window shop, you can view vacancies regularly (without registering) at www.brightonandhovejobs.com. Do this regularly and get to know the local job market and the types of apprenticeships that come up in Brighton and Hove. 3. Many of the larger, national employers advertise their apprenticeship schemes on-line. Think about which area of work interests you and target some of the larger employers. The schemes often recruit in the New Year, with a view to starting in late summer – so start your research early.
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Register with a training employer 1. Register your interest with local training providers (who will be in regular contact with local employers). Even though you’re not due to leave school until June, you can get registered with them. Some may ask you to come in for an interview or an aptitude test (e.g. construction) so that you can both decide if this is the right route for you. Some providers (such as hairdressing)
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run taster days. You can search for local Apprenticeship Training in Sussex
training
providers at
2. If you are accepted onto their waiting list, they will have your details on file when they do find an employer. Some training providers show a list of opportunities on their website. The training provider will then put your details forward (along with other candidates) for the employer to decide who to interview. •
Find an employer 1. You can approach employers direct. This could mean writing (or emailing) or telephoning some local employers to ask if they employ apprentices or would be willing to do so. 2. You could identify employers by searching on www.yell.com or search a directory such as Brighton and Hove Business Directory You might have had a work experience placement with an employer or know of a possible opportunity through family or friends. 3. If you find an employer willing to take you, the employer can approach a training provider to talk about setting up training. The government pays the cost of the training for 16-18 year olds, but your employer will need to agree to any time involved in achieving the qualification and paying your training allowance. A training provider will be able to give the employer full information about how this would work for their sector of employment. For contact details of local providers see Apprenticeship Training in Sussex 4. Finding an employer is the hardest part of setting up an apprenticeship. If you have one, local training providers will be very keen to set up a successful programme for you.
For information and advice about speculative letters and your C.V., see the ‘Looking for Work?’ leaflet.
NEW! Access to Apprenticeships •
It can be difficult to find an apprenticeship, so do consider a back-up plan.
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If you were hoping to start an apprenticeship but haven’t managed to do so, there will be a new programme available to you this year. If you are unemployed for 13 weeks (after the end of the summer holidays), you will become eligible for an Access to Apprenticeship programme.
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Access to Apprenticeships programmes are designed to start you on your training with a training provider before you have found your employer. You receive support and work experience to help you find an employer. -3-
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If you find yourself without an employer after you have left school, contact the Youth Employability Team
Produced August 2011 by the Healthy Schools Team @ Brighton and Hove City Council
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