APPRENTICESHIP GUIDE BUILDING REAL SKILLS FOR REAL JOBS
ACCOUNTING PAINTING & DECORATING SPORT BRICKLAYING COOKER EALTH & SOCIAL CARE USINESS ADMINISTRATION JOINERY COMPUTING EAUTY THERAPY BARBERING ELECTRICAL INSTAL AIRDRESSING HOSPITALITY DESIGN CLEANING WAREHOUSING SOCIAL MEDIA & DIGITAL MARKE CUSTOMER SERVICE MOTOR VEHICLE CHILDCAR UPPORTING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SCHOO ANUFACTURING SOCIAL MEDIA & DIGITAL MARKE EALTH & SOCIAL CARE BRICKLAYING COMPUTING
WELCOME Are you considering an apprenticeship programme? The Etc. offer apprenticeships across a range of industries Training and development is provided by our trainers and assessor who are all industry experts in their fields.
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Apprenticeships Explained 6 Apprenticeships We Offer 9 Success Stories 10 What Next? 13 Finding Your Own Apprenticeship
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How We’ll Support You
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CONTENTS
What Can An Apprenticeship Do For You?
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WHAT CAN AN APPRENTICESHIP DO FOR YOU? An apprenticeship will develop your Knowledge, Skills, Behaviours and Attitudes in your chose industry sector.
WHY CHOoSE AN APPRENTICESHIP? Where do we start? There are many reasons for choosing the apprenticeship route including: • Earning a salary whilst gaining valuable work skills • Developing working relationships which enhance your career prospects and opportunities • Gaining hands on experience, skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes to help you stand out from the crowd • Increased future earning potential Did you know that 77% of apprentices stay with the same employer after completing their apprenticeship?
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APPRENTICESHIPS EXPLAINED how long does it take?
Additional Development
Depending on the level and occupation, your apprenticeship can last between 1 and 4 years. The duration will be agreed between you, your employer and your assessor.
If you do not hold GCSEs in maths and English (and ICT where required) or cannot provide certificated evidence of having achieved, you will have to complete functional skills qualifications as part of your apprenticeship.
will i have to attend college? Apprenticeships are about upskilling an individual and achieving occupational competency takes time. Depending on the apprenticeship you have chosen you may be required to attend college weekly. This will be discussed with your assessor.
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Functional Skills are “the English, maths and ICT skills that individuals need to operate confidently, effectively and independently”
Employment Rights and Responsibilities
Personal Learning and Thinking Skills
The purpose of Employment Rights and Responsibilities is to ensure that the apprentice has a knowledge and understanding of:
Groups of skills covering the following:
• Their legal and rights responsibilities, and those of their employer
• Independent enquirer
• Their role in the organisation and the industry as a whole
• Self- manager
• The variety of career opportunities and progression routes available to them
• Creative thinker • Effective participator • Reflective learner • Team worker
how much will i get paid? Apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage. The current minimum wage rate for an apprentice is £3.90 per hour. This rate applies to apprentices under 19 and those age 19 or over who are in their first year. www.gov.uk/ national-minimum-wage Apprentices are entitled to 20 days annual leave a year excluding bank holidays.
apprenticeships explained: How will i be assessed? Some apprenticeships now include an end-point assessment which could include: • A multiple choice short answer test • An observation of practice which is undertaken in the workplace • A learning journal to refl ect on the last 3 months of your apprenticeship
CURRENT RATES
These rates are for the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. The rates change every April.
AGe
APPRENTICE* under 18* 18-20* 21-24** 25+**
wage £4.15 £4.35 £6.15 £7.70 £8.21
Example An apprentice aged 22 in the first year of their apprenticeship is entitled to a minimum hourly rate of £3.90. Apprentices are entitled to the minimum wage for their age if they both: • are aged 19 or over • have completed the first year of their apprenticeship
Example An apprentice aged 22 who has completed the first year of their apprenticeship is entitled to a minimum hourly rate of £7.70.
• A presentation You will be supported throughout the process by your assessor. If your apprenticeship does not involve an end-point assessment, you’ll be assessed in the workplace by your allocated assessor.
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WHAT DO I NEED?
Some apprenticeships require a good level of English, maths and or ICT. Our initial assessment and your GCSE results will help inform us of your ability and any support you may need to help you achieve. - You must be at least 16 - You must be a UK resident - You must be employed - We can help with this.
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APPRENTICESHIPS WE OFFER The Etc. offer apprenticeships from levels 2 -5 in: Accounting
Hairdressing
Human Resources
Health & Social Care
Personal Training
Painting and Decorating
Beauty Therapy
Paralegal
Bricklaying
Customer Service
Business Administration
Plumbing
Carpentry and Joinery
Management
Childcare
Mechanical
IT, Web, Software
Motor Vehicle
Digital Marketing
Painting and Decorating
School Business Manager
Pipefitting
Design and Draughtsperson
Manufacturing Operations
Electrical Installations
Project Control
Joinery
Scaffolding
Engineering Fabrication
Supporting Teaching and Learning in schools Warehousing & Storage
Exercise and Fitness
Welding
Facilities Services
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success LUCY level 3 hairdressing
An apprenticeship has proven just the job for Lucy. The 23- yearold from Middlesbrough says that she is enjoying her apprenticeship so much, she doesn’t feel like she’s at work; “I have so much fun at work, I love it. I’m gaining hands-on experience and getting paid at the same time.”
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RYAN level 2 joinery
There’s nothing like rolling your sleeves up to get ahead in the joinery industry. 17-year-old Ryan secured an apprenticeship with bespoke kitchen and bedroom manufacturer, Wilson Drummond. With progression to a level 3 apprenticeship on the cards, Ryan’s hard work and dedication is clearly paying off.
AMY level 2 painting & decorating
Securing an apprenticeship was a step in the right direction for Amy. Having spent three years at college to gain her diplomas in Painting & Decorating, the 19-year-old moved into an apprenticeship to gain her NVQ. With aspirations to eventually launch her own business, Amy has gained both confidence and experience thanks to her apprenticeship.
Samuel level 3 business administration
Samuel is working his way through his Level 3 Business Administration apprenticeship in the Corporate Indirect Purchasing department of Cummins Global Manufacturing and Supply Chain company. When asked where Samuel hopes his apprenticeship will lead, he has big plans for the future: “My dream is to keep moving up. The next step is to become a Sourcing Specialist.”
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what next? 1. APPLY ONLINE
3. INVITE TO INTERVIEW
There are two ways to apply for our vacancies. If you’re ready to start an apprenticeship now, you can find all of our live apprenticeship vacancies on our website and apply through the National Apprenticeship Service. Or, if you’re still in school, you can apply for apprenticeships ready for when you leave by visiting our website.
Once you’ve attended an information session, your application will be passed on to the employer. From there they will shortlist applicants and select for interview.
2. ATTEND AN INTERVIEW When we receive your application we’ll invite you into the college for an informal information session. It’s nothing to worry about, it’s just so that we can give you some interview tips and tell you a bit more about the company that you’ve applied for an apprenticeship with. As part of this information session you will be asked to complete some short maths and English assessments to make sure you’re applying for the right level of apprenticeship. If you don’t attend this session, your application will not be progressed.
If you’ve been shortlisted you will be invited to interview. If not, don’t worry; we’ll keep hold of your application and put you forward for similar vacancies that we think will suit you.
4. BEGIN YOUR APPRENTICESHIP If you’ve been successful at interview, you’ll be contacted with a start date and time. If you have any queries at any stage of the application process, the apprenticeship team is here to help. Call: 01642 865 577 or email: apprenticeships@stockton.ac.uk
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finding your own apprenticeship You don’t have to wait for your dream apprenticeship to be advertised, you can find your own apprenticeship by following our step-by-step guide.
1. RESEARCH Start by having a think about the type of apprenticeship you want to do and the type of environment you want to work in. Do you think you will enjoy working behind a desk or outdoors? Once you’ve thought about this it’s time to have a look for employers that might want to employ you as an apprentice. There are many ways that you can do this:
ONLINE
Directory sites such as yell.com have contact details of thousands of businesses in your local area.
ASK PEOPLE
Sometimes it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Does your aunty’s friend run a shop? Would they be willing to take you on as an apprentice? Or perhaps your uncle works at a large engineering company. You never know who you may be connected with until you ask.
take a look
The chances are you’ll know your local area pretty well and know of lots of local businesses. Have a look around and see which ones are busy and may need extra help.
NOTE IT DOWN
Once you’ve completed all of this research, make a list of all of the employers you can approach and their contact details.
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finding your own apprenticeship 2. PREPARE You’ve now got your list of employers which is great! The next thing is to contact them. There are a number of ways to do this including:
IN PERSON
This may seem daunting but it’s a great way to literally get in front of a potential employer. Remember to bring along a CV so they can have a look over it after you’ve left and they'll have your contact details.
BY EMAIL
If you are contacting a large company, it may be best to contact them via email as the chances are they have many different sites and their HR/recruitment team might be based in a different building. Remember to attach a CV and cover letter so that they can clearly see why you would make a great apprentice for their business.
By phone
If you’re going to phone a company it may be best if you know the name of the person in charge of recruiting new staff as many businesses get dozens of telephone calls a day.
3. GO FOR IT You’ve done some research and you’re prepared to go and speak to some employers. Make sure you look the part and be polite. Remember to leave your details and be sure to get theirs. This way you can follow up with a phone call or email later on.
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4. what next? Hopefully you will have successfully secured an apprenticeship. If you have, well done! The next thing is to let us know so that we can arrange for you to be signed up and you can get started.
You’ve been unsuccessful?
If you haven’t been successful, don’t panic. Hopefully you’re more confident speaking to employers and you’ve picked up some good tips on how to approach employers. Keep trying and remember, you can still apply for apprenticeships on the National Apprenticeship Service website while you try.
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HOW WE’LL SUPPORT YOU We want all of our apprentices to enjoy their time with us, so we offer a range of services to make sure you’ll always feel comfortable and supported. EXPERT ASSESSOR You’ll be assigned your own assessor who will support you through your apprenticeship. All of our assessors are experts in their field so can give you the support and advice that you need.
YOUR SAFETY At all campuses we have a team of safeguarding staff to protect all of our students and apprentices to ensure personal safety and safety awareness are our priorities. DISCOUNTED BUS TRAVEL We’ve teamed up with Arriva to offer our apprentices discounted bus travel. You could save up to £321 a year on bus travel.
EQUALITY & DIVERSITY We value the diversity of our college community and we are committed to inclusion for all in everything we do.
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Harvard Avenue, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 6FB Tel: 01642 865 577 Email: business@the-etc.ac.uk
www.stockton.ac.uk • www.cleveland.ac.uk • www.neta.co.uk
