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| Writtle College Graduation 2015 |
Apprenticeships have been around as an option for a very
long time! In fact, apprenticeships were
first developed in the Middle Ages, as a way of developing skills in particular
vocational areas like stone masonry or bakery work, often taking 10 or more
years to complete. Nowadays,
apprenticeships are available in a much wider range of areas – from Agriculture
to Horticulture, and Finance to Health Care. And they will usually take a lot
less time to work through than 10 years – most can be achieved within 12 - 18 months
whilst some may take 3-4 years, depending on the qualifications being
gained. It’s even possible to do a
Higher Apprenticeship and get a degree!
So why bother doing
an apprenticeship?
Employers are often reported as wanting employees who are
motivated, passionate, have the right skills/be willing to develop more skills
and have some commercial experience. An
apprenticeship will give you the chance to demonstrate motivation, and gain the
skills and commercial awareness, whilst also earning money! So whilst some of your friends are still in
sixth form, college or university, you could be learning the skills for a
specific career – and gaining qualifications from level 2 (GCSE standard) to
degree standard. This will mean either
going to college one day a week, or doing some study while you are with your
employer. What’s there to not like?
What are the drawbacks
to doing an apprenticeship?
There will always be potential drawbacks to any option. These might include:
· Combining work and study - you will need to be organised!
· Fewer hours for social commitments.
· Having to decide a specific area to get your
qualifications in – for instance if you have a general interest in Horticulture
you would have to apply for an Horticultural role to do the apprenticeship in.
· Focussing on a career area like this for some
people would be a bonus, others may need longer to decide.
What would you get
out of doing an apprenticeship?
As an apprentice you would gain valuable work experience, a
qualification (or more often a range of qualifications) a salary, skills and
plenty of opportunities to further your career. Once you have finished your apprenticeship you may well be offered a job
where you have done the apprenticeship, or you could find a new employer with
the qualifications and experience you have gained.
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| Apprenticeship in Horticulture |
Which is better,
college or an apprenticeship?
There is no right or wrong answer here! Partly it will
depend on what vacancies are available locally to you for both college courses
and apprenticeships. Some
apprenticeships, like veterinary nursing or farriery can be very hard to find,
so applying for a related college course can give you a very good plan B in
case you do not get an apprenticeship straight away. Another aspect you may want to consider is how much practical experience you would get with either, to develop the skills for your
chosen career. Also you need to think about how you learn best – would
you prefer a work environment or a college environment more? Do you need any extra support with your learning
– or to redo your English or Maths GCSE? Both these will be available through
an apprenticeship and at college.
What next?
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| Mark Yates (left) Careers Coordinator |
Now would be a very good time to start looking for an
apprenticeship. You can contact
employers directly to find out what opportunities there will be with them, and
also register with http://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/
to find out more information and https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship
to register for local apprenticeships. If you want more information about higher apprenticeships where you could
do a degree as part of it, you can also use http://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/?gclid=CNe8j-_skMsCFRBmGwodfAwKhA.
It’s worth talking through your plans with your parents/carers and a careers
adviser, to ensure you get all the support you need.
Written by Mark Yates
Writtle College Careers Coordinator
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