Altering Perceptions
Every year over 750,000 students take their A Level exams, each individual with the aspiration of climbing up the ladder in their chosen fields, and ultimately becoming successful and indeed well paid. Up until recently, there only seemed to be two options: either go to university or into full time work. Due to the lack of choice, the decision seemed to be a fairly easy one, that was until apprenticeships rocked the boat.
For some, when the word apprenticeship pops into mind, the preconception is that only those within blue collar or retail industries are benefitted by enrolling onto an apprenticeship. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many agencies now, offer apprenticeships in some of the most innovative and progressive industries in the world, such as digital marketing, software engineering, technology consulting and many more. Beforehand, the only possible route into these fields would have been with a university degree, but times are changing. These apprenticeships provide amazing opportunities to high school/ college graduates, eager to dive straight into work whilst still being able to gain a qualification at the end of their programme.
Benefits
Gone are the days of accumulating vast debt in order to pursue ones dreams, apprenticeships open up a world of capabilities, and put you into the driver seat of your career – all you need to do is switch on the ignition. The benefits Involved with apprenticeships are countless, from competitive salary to picking up invaluable workplace experience, to making friendships and creating core memories which will stay forever, apprenticeships really do sell themselves. And with countless businesses now offering them, the time to act is now.
Apprenticeships also offer an extended advantage over university degrees – EXPERIENCE! Whilst your peers are grinding away with their degrees for a minimum of three years: countless hours spent at their desks revising, lectures, seminars, coursework and the list goes on, you could be using that time to amass key experience which will help with your overall development. Not only will you be gaining on the job experience, but friendships also both within and outside the workplace can be formed, you can network with some of the best minds which your industry has to offer, which presents itself with future career opportunities.
A Taste of the Workplace
One of the biggest arguments for going to university is the social aspect and let me tell you as someone who has experienced both sides of the spectrum, social activities within my company are nothing short of spectacular. Granted not all employers which offer apprenticeships will embrace the same type of culture as mine but from speaking to some members of my cohort, it really is all rainbows and sunshine for the majority. To give you an example, my company finances a work outing every month in addition to many activities and team building exercising within the workplace. Where university social life mostly consists of going to the same nightclubs every weekend, there is much more variety when it comes to apprenticeships.
Learning Tailored to you
Comparatively, whilst universities limit you to solely cohort based learning within lectures and seminars, apprenticeships go above and beyond to deliver the very best learning experience possible to it’s apprentices. Which is why many agencies offer 1-2-1 learning to their candidates in addition to cohort-based learning. This is to ensure that apprentices are kept on track and can raise any issues regarding their progress/ areas which require development. Additionally, coaches are always an email away, going the extra mile to contribute wherever possible so that apprentices can attain their goals – this is one of the standout factors as to why I’d favour an apprenticeship over a university degree, as it is very easy to feel isolated when at university due to the sheer number of students and lack of professors.
So to conclude, you should definitely consider an apprenticeship as not only will you get paid a great salary, obtain a qualification and invaluable experience to bolster your career. But you will almost definitely grow considerably as a person, as I have done, improving core skills which simply can’t learnt anywhere else, skills that can be transferred into any part of life. This is merely to give you an understanding of what one can gain from an apprenticeship, both professionally and personally, but I implore you to go forth and read further into it, as you never know it could lead you towards a very prosperous career.
So… What’s Stopping You?
Some useful links:
https://www.multiverse.io/en-GB
