Information for Apprenticeships

Recent increases in university tuition fees mean that more and more young people are looking to apprenticeships, and employers are often keen to take apprentices on in order to fill specific skills gaps or adapt to new opportunities and technologies.

Job candidates who have trained through an apprenticeship scheme are “more employable” than people with other qualifications, even degrees, a government survey has found.

Employability research conducted with 500 companies, by ICM Research on behalf of the government, revealed that employers rate apprentices’ skills and experience way above candidates who have followed other career paths.

Higher Apprenticeships were ranked top by survey respondents who said they were 25 per cent more employable than those with other qualifications. Lower level apprenticeships also scored highly as employers said people with these skills and experience were 15 per cent more employable than other comparable candidates.

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What does an Apprenticeship involve?

Apprenticeships are training programmes in the workplace, where employees work alongside experienced staff to gain specific skills whilst also receiving training from a training provider, such as a college.

They apply equally to new or existing employees and provide the perfect route for learning practical, on-the-job skills as well as furthering your education and gaining a formal qualification, all while earning a salary.

Apprenticeship programmes usually last between 12 and 48 months and consist of:

• Training for a number of qualifications (the Apprenticeship Framework)
• Workplace training and assessment
• Day- or block-release attendance at College

The Apprenticeship Framework usually consists of a competency qualification such as an NVQ, a technical knowledge qualification and a Key Skills qualification (Literacy, Numeracy, ICT).

Once on the Apprenticeship programme you will be allocated a training officer who will coordinate your training and liaise between you, your employer and the College. Your training officer will visit you in the workplace to monitor your progress, and at the appropriate times you will also be visited by an NVQ Assessor.

Earn while you learn

As an Apprentice you will be paid at a rate negotiated between you and your employer, and this will be stated in your terms and conditions of employment; however, it must comply with the National Minimum Wage for Apprentices, which is currently £2.65 an hour for Apprentices under the age of 19 and Apprentices aged 19 to 25 who are in the first 12 months of their apprenticeship.

What to do next

If you are a young person looking for an apprenticeship, whether already employed or not, you will find further information about applying for an apprenticeship here.  Alternatively, please call Course Enquiries on 01278 441234 or complete our Apprenticeship Enquiry Form and we will get back to you with more information.

Apprenticeship Vacancies

To search for Apprenticeship vacancies see the Apprenticeship Vacancy Matching Service.

Apprenticeship Newsletter

Issue 3 of the Apprenticeships at Bridgwater College Newsletter is available for download.