Tuesday 8 February 2022

An apprenticeship might be right for my girl! #NAW2022

 Did you know that it is National Apprenticeship Week? I didn't even know it was a thing but it is in it's 15th year and up until the last year or so I didn't know much about apprenticeships.

Ellie is 14 years old and is studying for her GCSE's and is already thinking about what she will do when she leaves school. An apprenticeship has came up again and again and it is looking like a strong possibility that she will be doing one when she leaves school.

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An apprenticeship is a genuine job that allows you to earn as you learn while also gaining skills, professional knowledge and qualifications. You work a minimum of 30 hours a week with an employer and study towards gaining your qualification with a college or training provider. I think that would work really well for Ellie, she prefers more hands on learning rather than sitting down and a school/college setting full time. She will gain real work experience and it is a great introduction to working life, easing you in whilst having experienced staff around to guide you along the way. 

Each level of an apprenticeship only lasts one year and, once completed rewards with a qualification. The levels are: Level 2 (equivalent to 5 GCSE passes), Level 3 (equivalent to 2 A-Level passes) right the way through to Level 6 (degree level) and Level 7 (masters degree). I think that is a great way to gain qualifications. It seems like you are basically being paid to learn.

Ellie has seen her sister get a part time job and has said she wants a job as soon as possible just so she can have her own money. An apprenticeship gives you a wage while learning as well as getting paid holidays. We know that an apprenticeship usually starts on a very basic wage but there's plenty of opportunity for this to increase once the first year of training is complete and we have read that almost 90% of apprentices are kept on by their employers upon completion of their course.

Apprenticeship schemes are now available across a wide range of industries from IT to accounting, engineering and finance, care and retail. Ellie has already found a few engineering one's which she would love to do, I just hope she can find similar when her time comes to apply for them. 

Did you know that you can start an apprenticeship whether you’re just leaving school and starting your career, want a change or you're upskilling in your current job. You can have a previous qualification like a degree and still start an apprenticeship.

What do you know about apprenticeships? Is it something your kids would think about?

2 comments :

  1. Our eldest nephew did an engineering apprenticeship - he's 22 and has his degree already through, and is now with his second company. 3rd nephew did a farming apprenticeship, although I'm not sure how correctly it was done, as he was working on the farm, then at college a couple of days a week. But the college washed their hands of their year group because they just wanted to work, and just mucked around in college giving them hassle. He left as soon as he was old enough and just works on the farm/does contract work for others. Having done uni myself which was perfect for me, now with tuition fees and the high cost of loans, I'm hoping N will go down the apprenticeship route - as long as he can find something that suits him. I'd rather he do that, get some decent qualifications behind him, and not just end up on the farm with nothing to show for it other than work experience.

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  2. Alec will get a work/study job through his school next year but other than that we find that here in the states apprenticeships are really hard to find... though I have been saying for nearly 8 years that I have been homeschooling that we need to get back to those types of jobs. So many people my husband comes into contact with truly feel that their jobs will disappear when they retire as no young people are coming along to take their place and no colleges teach the skills needed.

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