It is a job with training program where the apprentice/ employee gains the knowledge, skills and behaviour on and off a job and get paid. All apprenticeship training programmes end in achieving formal qualification.You can start an apprenticeship with you existing employer or a new employer.
Anyone with the age of 16 and over not in full-time education can apply for an apprenticeship. No prior qualification needed for apprenticeships either some of the employers might require GSCEs (A-C) in English, Math and Science.
Apprentices are entitled at-least to apprentice wage rate (£4.81) if they are either
- Aged under 19
- Aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship.
Example: Emma at age 23 in the first year of her apprenticeship is entitled to a minimum hourly rate of £4.81, but from the second year she will be entitled to National minimum wage rate; which is £9.50 per hour.
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
There is no upper limit for employers to pay to apprentices, employers can pay above to apprentice wage rate and National minimum wage rate.
The government and your employer pay for the apprenticeship training.
Apprenticeships must be at least twelve months long but could last as long as four years depending on the level of qualification you’re going to get.
Example 1: Angelina is undertaking a Level 2 Adult Care worker Apprenticeship, she reached gateway in first 12 months of her apprenticeship after successfully completing the Level 2 Diploma in Adult Care and Level 1 Function Skills in English and Maths. In the next 3 months she appeared in the EPA and she passed it with distinction.
Example 2: Kate is undertaking a Level 5 Departmental Manager Apprenticeship, she reached gateway in first 24 months of her apprenticeship after successfully completing the Level 5 Diploma in Operations and Departmental Manager and Level 2 Function Skills in English and Maths. In the next 6 months, she appeared in the EPA and she passed it with merit.
Apprentices get the same working rights and conditions as everyone else.
A percentage of apprentices are taken on by their employers and many more go on to find work elsewhere. But doing an apprenticeship doesn’t oblige the company to take you on.
A good apprenticeship should offer you the following:
- Good support and a manager you can talk to about any issues you’re having
- A clear framework – what are you going to learn? What’s expected of you?
- Time to study, ensuring you’re able to manage your daily workload and study commitments
- Clear communication about how long the apprenticeship will last.
There a lot of different types of apprenticeship in everything from restaurants to web design. Large companies tend to offer big apprenticeship schemes – for example, British Gas – but smaller organisations are also beginning to take on apprentices. To apply for the apprenticeship please visit the government website: https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship
All apprenticeships lead to a qualification. There are three different levels – intermediate, advanced and higher (the equivalent of a degree). Find out more about the different qualifications available on the institute for apprenticeship: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org
Functional skills form part of all new apprenticeship standards – although learners who already have obtained the level required by the apprenticeship will be exempt from undertaking them. Functional skills qualifications are available in English, ICT and mathematics.
There are multiple reasons to choose an apprenticeship:
You learn while you earn:
As an apprentice you would have opportunity to learn skills of a specific job role from an experienced staff all while earning your wage.
You received Relevant and practical work experience:
Every apprenticeship is designed in a way that teaches you specific set of skills for the job role in your chosen industry. These crucial skills would be learned on the job or off the job; by obtaining the knowledge off the job and gaining skills on the job.
You boost your career prospects:
Every apprenticeship is tailored in a way to gain your invaluable experience and make you an integral part of a company and teach the industry’s needs. These skills and experience attract the prospects from other companies within the same industry or others; in other words, it boosts your prospects in the market.
You avoid student loan:
Most students coming out of the university have thousands of pounds in loan to payback, it is repayable as they reach reasonable salary. But in apprenticeships the government covers the costs, and all the benefits are yours to keep.
An apprenticeship is a work-based assessment so all of the qualifications, assessment and training will be completed on site. Your training coach will be meeting you regularly and giving you training throughout the apprenticeship journey.
It is totally up to you what you do after you complete the apprenticeship. However, you can apply for job at the same or new company. you can also look for higher level apprenticeship or further studies at a university
As an apprentice at any company, you are entitled to at least 1 and half-day of paid holiday every month, you would also be entitled to bank holidays. It is always a good thing to read the contract to know your benefits better.
All apprentices must be offered 30-40 hours per week which makes the apprenticeship full-time. However, apprentices with caring responsibilities can be offered part-time if agreed with the employer can work for a minimum of 16 hours per week.
By law an apprentice must spend 80% of the total working hours on a job and spend at least 20% of their time on off-the-job training. To attract government funding a 20% minimum threshold has been set. This is the minimum amount of time that should be spent on occupational off-the-job training during an apprenticeship. However, they may need more than this if, for example, they need training in English and maths. It is up to the employer and training provider to decide how the off-the-job training is delivered. It may include regular day release, block release and special training days or workshops. It must be directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard.
Example 1: Jennifer is undertaking an apprenticeship in digital marketer and has a contract of employment of working 30 hours a week. To meet statutory requirement her English Employer gives her 6 (20/30 X100) hours a week (20%) off to receive training relevant to digital marketer apprenticeship standard.