Apprenticeships
You can do an apprenticeship in one of 600 different occupations in everything from jewellery making to cyber security, veterinary nursing and law.
Apprenticeship standards have been developed for all apprenticeships. Developed by groups of employers, they set out what things the apprenticeship should include and what the apprentice needs to learn.
An apprenticeship enables you to build up knowledge, skills and the behaviours to do a specific job, gaining qualifications and earning money at the same time.
Apprentices spend 80% of their time in the workplace gaining the skills to do a specific job, but they also have 20% of their learning off the job. This could be online or at a college or university.
At the end of the apprenticeship the apprentice must pass an End Point Assessment [EPA]. This could take the form of an exam, a practical project or a task and these are graded.
There are different levels of apprenticeships depending on your existing qualifications and experience.
For more information on progression routes from an apprenticeship go to the Qualification planner
- Intermediate Apprenticeships - equivalent to five good GCSE passes
- Advanced Level Apprenticeships - equivalent to two A level passes
- Higher Level Apprenticeships - This is equivalent to a level 4 or 5 qualification such as an HND
- Degree Apprenticeships - These lead to a full degree and often professional qualifications
Find out more about apprenticeships