After year 11 pupils do not have to stay in school but have a choice about what they do between the ages of 16 and 18 years.
Young people do need to continue in education or training but this could be full time study in school, college or even with a training provider. It could also be full time work or volunteering combined with education or training. Alternatively it could be as an apprentice.
Apprenticeships are jobs with training attached that enable learners to earn while they learn. As with regular employees, apprentices earn a wage and will work alongside team members to gain industry knowledge and job specific skills.
Apprenticeships can be undertaken in a huge variety of different areas from accountancy to veterinary nursing, and business and administration to engineering. Employers can access Apprenticeship training for existing employees as well as new recruits.
Earning a salary – The minimum salary is £4.15 per hour; however, many apprentices earn significantly more.
Once an Apprentice completes their first year and if aged 19 or over, they are entitled to the minimum hourly rate of the national minimum wage for their age.
Paid holidays – An apprentice will be given at least 20 days’ paid holiday per year on top of bank holidays.
Gain qualifications – Apprentices receive training to work towards nationally recognised qualifications.
Learn job-specific skills – Apprenticeships are designed with the help of the employers in the industry, so they offer a structured programme that build skills needed to do a job well.
Build CV – Apprenticeships train in the skills employers want, they give apprentices choices in their career. Adding new skills to CVs, these could include customer service, communications, team-work, leadership and many more.
No university debt – Universities are charging around £9000 a year fees, add in a maintenance loan, which could be a debt of £45000 PLUS before even starting work. An apprenticeship allows you to pursue a career while earning a salary!
Anyone living in England, over 16 years old can apply to be an apprentice.
Our apprenticeships are work-based, so they are delivered entirely in the workplace. A Runway assessor visits the workplace every 2/3 weeks. Our assessors assess in a number of ways – observation, written, verbal, witness testimonies from managers and work evidence.
Apprenticeships generally last 1 year but higher apprenticeships may vary in length, after this apprentices decide with their employers whether they would like to continue with the same organisation or whether they think it is time to move on elsewhere.
The qualifications that an Apprentice would gain will vary depending on the type of Apprenticeship. For more information click here.
The average gross weekly wage for an apprentice is £200. The minimum wage for apprentices is £4.15 per hour, but in reality many employers pay more than this. The actual amount that an apprentice will earn is very much dependant on the type of apprenticeship being undertaken, the region and the type of business involved. Some apprentices can earn as much as £300 – £500 per week for a Higher Apprenticeship.
All employees aged over 16 must still pay tax and national insurance on their income.
Runway Training deliver the following qualifications as part of the apprenticeship:
Anyone over the age of 16, living in England is eligible to apply for an apprenticeship. The exact entry requirements depend on the job. English and maths GCSEs are not usually required but can be learnt ‘on the job’ as part of the training.
There are three levels of apprenticeship – Intermediate (level 2), Advanced (level 3) and Higher (level 4 or above).
Click here to register your interest.
