18 Apr 2023
Starting in an apprenticeship once leaving school is a great way to earn while you learn. In addition, it offers you multiple options for selecting which industry you would like to work in.
The first main advantage of an apprenticeship is that you'll be paid to work and study! You’ll often start out on the minimum wage or another standard rate of pay for apprenticeships in your industry, however, you will be expected to receive a pay increase as you progress through your apprenticeship. Some businesses hiring apprentices offer salaries way above the apprenticeship minimum wage, so be sure to keep a look out for those!
As well as earning a salary, apprentices also get paid holidays. As you are treated like a regular employee of the company, you’ll get a holiday allowance of at least 28 days annual leave per year (including public holidays). You may also be able to request study leave, but this is up to your employer. However, you would typically be at work for four days a week, and at College for the fifth day.
Being an apprentice allows you to get first-hand knowledge of how an industry works. This allows you to develop your own skills and specialisms within the industry, giving you a slight head start.
By learning the skills employers need, you can build up your skillset to create an impressive CV which makes you stand out over degree educated candidates. This is because a new university graduate may have the qualifications, but they might not have the hands-on experience of the actual job role, whereas an apprentice gains the qualifications as well as the hands-on experience, and businesses want to employ people with hands-on industry knowledge as they don’t always have time to train staff thoroughly. A great many apprentices are actually offered full-time roles at the company where they apprenticed once they have successfully completed the apprenticeship. Many businesses basically view the apprenticeship as training their next worker.
Although University graduates may have a higher level of qualification than an apprentice, they will mostly have been working in unrelated fields while studying for their degrees. If they had a part-time job during University at all they were probably working in a bar, as opposed to their chosen field.
As you develop in your chosen industry with the first-hand knowledge you’ve learned, you will notice that you’ll have excellent progression opportunities. This is because apprentices learn a wide range of skills on the job which makes their CV’s stand out.
If you would like to apply for an apprenticeship, you need to be aged 16 or over. There is no upper age limit for apprenticeships, so even if you've been out of the education system for some time, this is no barrier to you applying for an apprenticeship.
In order to apply for an apprenticeship, search for an apprenticeship here with Our Bob and apply with a CV and personalised cover letter.
If you want to know more about apprenticeships, click HERE to read more!
