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Meadowhead School

Meadowhead SchoolAcademy Trust

Apprenticeships & Training Providers

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship offers a combination of work and a qualification, enabling apprentices to earn while they learn and build the experience and skills that are needed in today’s competitive employment market.

80% of the apprentice’s time will be spent at work, with 20%, taken up with training towards nationally-recognised qualifications; typically, an apprentice will spend one day each week at college or a training centre, with four days at work.

Who are apprenticeships for?

Anyone living in England, over 16 years old and not in full-time education can apply for an apprenticeship. Students can apply while they are still in school but can only start after they have officially left school and once they have turned 16.

In most cases, GCSE grades 3/D (or above) in Maths and English language are required. Advanced and higher or degree apprenticeships will require higher-level qualifications.

Experience can be really helpful when applying for an apprenticeship. For example, work experience, volunteering, hobbies that demonstrate interest in an area of work or activities that develop work-related skills can all be beneficial.

 apprenticeships

What types of apprenticeships are there?

Apprenticeships are offered in a huge variety of sectors and industries from engineering to legal services, veterinary nursing to accountancy. Degree apprenticeships for nurses and polices officers were announced last year.

Apprenticeships are available at various levels:

  • Intermediate, offering a qualification at level 2
  • Advanced, offering a qualification at level 3
  • Higher, offering a university-level qualification at level 4 (or above)
  • Degree, offering an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.

Why choose an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship might suit someone who prefers to learn through doing a job, rather than spending all the time in the classroom. Applicants won’t need to know how to do the job that they’re applying for - that’s what the apprenticeship is for, after all – but they will need to make sure that they’re ready to start work.

Apprenticeships have the benefit of building substantial experience alongside a qualification, which means that employment prospects are improved. The vast majority of apprentices stay with their employer on completion or move into employment elsewhere.

Why not choose an apprenticeship?

Young people sometimes worry that choosing an apprenticeship means choosing a job for their rest of their working life, but apprentices can still change career direction if they want to. They can use the skills and experience they’ve gained to seek work with another company or in another industry.

For those who aren’t quite ready to start an apprenticeship, a traineeship might provide the experience that could lead to an apprenticeship in future.

Finding out more

You can find out more about apprenticeships and search for vacancies here

Further sources of information and local vacancies include:

Year 11 students and sixth-formers planning to find an apprenticeship should notify Mrs Evans (Careers Leader) in the careers office.  She can offer support with finding and applying for vacancies and information on upcoming events.

When employers contact the school with offers of apprenticeships, we will get in touch with students who have expressed an interest in this way.

If you have any questions about career education and guidance at school, please contact Mr Collins (Careers Leader) email: careers@meadowhead.sheffield.sch.uk