10 ARTICLES IN 10 DAYS: DAY 2

13^th September 2016: Could apprenticeships be a better option for teens starting their career?

There is a lot of stigma surrounding apprenticeships and some people even look down their noses and feel that they do not hold the same value and esteem as a university degree, or even that they are only for those who did not 'get the grades' at A level.

This to a snobbish myth; apprenticeships can lead to a HND or HNC and can even progress on to a bachelor's degree. Also, unlike many qualifications, apprenticeships are vocationally focused, therefore they can lead straight into a career in the specific field that the person has chosen.

For most young people about to embark on a 'student sentence', the burden of the expense of going to university weighs heavily on the shoulders of both the student and their parents. With apprenticeships, however, young people become part of the workforce, and are paid a wage for the work that they do and the training involved to become qualified in their area of expertise.

In 2014/15, 499,900 apprenticeships started across England. Some of the most popular sectors included; ICT, leisure, travel and tourism, engineering, public services and care and planning and construction.

Alex Cooper, who recently completed his Advanced Apprenticeship (which is equivalent to 2 A levels) said “I really enjoyed working whilst learning and earning. I’m awful at sitting exams and my concentration in the classroom is poor. Learning on the job had allowed me to go straight into an industry that I love, whilst getting paid”.

Image credit: http://careerbright.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Apprenticeship.jpg

Sources of information:

Jeanne Delebarre (2016). Apprenticeship Statistics: England (1996-2015). London: http://www.parliament.uk/commons-library.