I’m sure you have all heard of Alan Sugar’s famous show, seen the Sorcerer’s apprentice, or even heard the word flown around school or college… but what is an apprenticeship? and how could it benefit you and your future?
I am a current apprentice and have put below have put together a 101 overview of all you need to know about apprenticeships and how it may suit you. I have pulled together a few common questions that will answer all you need to know about the fantastic opportunities!
What is an apprenticeship? How is it different from an Internship?
An Apprenticeship is a paid job where the employee works for a company alongside studying a specific field for 20% of their on the job hours. The goal of an apprenticeship is to learn alongside work, in order to gain that first hand experience. It differs from an internship as interns do not typically study alongside the job, or gain a qualification.
How does studying and the regular job work alongside one another?
From the start to the end of your apprenticeship you will be assigned a course coach that will guide you through your tasks and managing work alongside. Most of the course projects and assignments will correlate to the work you do for your company and will help advance your learning. Your manager will also work alongside you and your coach to make sure you are gaining as much out of the work and apprenticeship as possible.
What’s your favorite part of being an apprentice?
Working alongside so many other apprentices and the coaches has been a really fun experience. Learning new skills together and bouncing off each others ideas. A lot of the apprentices I learn with are from different companies but all in the digital marketing space. This gives us all a great opportunity to use our on the job skills to help each other learn. All the coaches are very approachable and extremely helpful which adds to the experience.
What levels are there for apprentices?
| Intermediate | 2 | GCSE |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced | 3 | A level |
| Higher | 4,5,6 and 7 | Foundation degree and above |
| Degree | 6 and 7 | Bachelor’s or master’s degree |
Any Advice?
Some advice from me would be to go into your apprenticeship with excitement and enthusiasm to learn. Utilize all the resources you are offered and try to stay as organized as possible!!
