An apprenticeship is a program that trains a worker to become skilled in a particular trade. Apprenticeships combine hands-on work with classroom learning to train the apprentice.
Apprenticeships are considered full-time employment. As the apprentice is learning, they are also applying the lessons through working.
Apprenticeships have many benefits that can often be overlooked when you’re going through the process of deciding what to do after you finish school or college. We’ve listed some of the key benefits you can get from taking on an apprenticeship and how they’ll reward you later on:
Earn while you learn
Enjoying the perks of social life, whilst also having enough money for your essentials is important. An apprenticeship usually starts on a very basic wage, however, there is an opportunity for this to increase once your first year of training is complete; 90% of apprentices are kept on by their employers upon completion of their course and nearly one-quarter of apprentices are promoted within 12 months of finishing.
Receive recognised qualifications
Certain apprenticeship positions qualify for unit standards which you can be allocated to a diploma course or skills programme.
Gain independence and confidence
Working in a company will teach you to take responsibility for your actions, how to behave in a working environment and how to be independent in your tasks. In turn, this will give you the confidence you need to carry out your role in a working environment.
Benefit from ongoing and personalised support
When you begin your apprenticeship you’ll be assigned an assessor who is the person responsible for setting all of your work, marking it and guiding you through your course. They’re there to answer any of your questions at any point and provide you with support tailored to suit your needs and on hand when you need guidance.
Gain real work experience
Working life is completely different to being in school or university and an apprenticeship is a way of easing you into that environment whilst having people around to guide you along the way. Your colleagues will be able to show you the ropes of everyday working life so that you’ll soon fit right in!
Improve your employability
Not only does your apprenticeship give you the opportunity to learn and experience your chosen career, it also makes you more employable to future companies. They’ll be able to see that you were able to apply yourself to the demands of a full-time job whilst also studying to complete the coursework element of your apprenticeship. Dedication is an important quality to employers and they’ll value your work ethic.
Develop your skills
When you begin your apprenticeship, you might not have all of the grades required to go on to the next level of your chosen career. However, you will usually be provided with the opportunity to re-sit your courses based on RPL (recognition of prior learning) that you gain during your apprenticeship or take functional skills to enable you to progress further within the business.
Discover your earning potential
Apprentices have increased future earning potential across the course of their career. This means that, if you progress on to an advanced apprenticeship and successfully complete it, you could soon command a salary suited to your position.
Enjoy your holidays
Apprentices are entitled to a standard number of paid holidays per month, plus all public holidays. This means that you can go away on holiday and not have to worry about how much money you might lose! Holidays are a massive part of striking that work-life balance and it’s important that you make time to relax in-between all your hard work!