If you are looking to gain the necessary skills, qualifications and work experience that will allow you to excel in your chosen career, an apprenticeship could be well worth looking into. But how do you know if an apprenticeship is what you are looking for? To answer this question, we have outlined seven excellent benefits of being an apprentice:
1. Show me the money! – You earn a regular income alongside your qualification
As an apprentice, you are essentially being paid to gain an education! A Level 3 apprentice that has just left school is presented with the opportunity to be paid for achieving a recognised qualification that their peers at sixth form would achieve after two years worth of homework, exams and time at school.
Although the apprentice minimum wage (£3.70 per hour) may be a little less than you can expect to earn once qualified, salaries vary depending on the field of work and employer and even a small wage is better than what awaits university student who has to pay to get their qualification!
2. There is a huge range of industries to choose from
The variation of qualifications available is increasing every day. Courses range from Digital Marketing to the newly approved apprenticeship in Midwifery! There really is something to suit everyone and this leads nicely into the next point…
3. You get on-the-job experience
An apprentice avoids the challenges that university students may encounter, like studying a specific industry for a minimum of four years to then realise they don’t enjoy their role in said industry. What could be worse than spending all of that time and money for it to go wrong? Not only does apprenticeship work-experience ensure you can establish that you are in the right job role for you but it is also is often favoured over a university degree by employers.
4. It’s very different from the structured, school environment
There are many reasons why an individual may not enjoy the traditional way that education in school works. At SCCU, we believe that not all classrooms have four walls and an apprenticeship is ideal for anyone who wants to try something new, productive and alternative to the traditional “sit in front of a whiteboard” approach to education.
5. You are still given support and guidance
Although it may seem daunting entering the world of work, there will always be an available helping hand, whether it belongs to your college lecturer, employer or tutor, like we provide here at SCCU.
6. You become more employable
Due to working with experts in a real-life workplace, an apprentice would develop a professional, self-sufficient mindset while adapting to working life a lot quicker than someone who had stayed solely in education. If an employer wanted to recruit a fully moulded, reliable, professional member of staff, an apprentice would have the upper hand in this situation due to having the vital experience on their side.
7. A permanent position with the employer is often possible
Many employers hire an apprentice with the intention to mould them into their perfect member of staff and due to this, they often offer the apprentice a permanent position in the company once their course has finished. The National Apprentice Service found that 64% of apprentices stayed with the same employer after completing their qualification.
So…what are you waiting for?
Find out how you can get an apprenticeship placement right here!
