What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a vocational education training programme.

Training is either part or completely funded by the government, which includes education funding the government obtains from the apprenticeship Levy. More details here.

Apprenticeships include:

• Paid employment
• On-the-job training
• Off-the-job-training
• Apprenticeship assessment

Apprenticeships can be used for both new employees, and existing employees to upskill or reskill them.

Funding rules require that:

• A job must be compatible with what is taught in the chosen apprenticeship.
• A prospective apprentice must stand to learn significant new knowledge and skills from the apprenticeship.
• Apprentices must be paid, even when they are undertaking their off-the-job training.
• Apprentices must be at least 16 years old and meet certain other eligibility criteria, relating to UK working eligibility, employment and the job role to be undertaken, there is no upper age limit for apprentices.

How do I get started as an apprentice?

An apprenticeship is a job with training leading to a qualification. If you’re currently employed in a role that offers experience related to an apprenticeship you’re interested in, please contact us and we’ll be in touch soon!

If you’re NOT currently employed in a suitable role, here are the three main ways to start an apprenticeship…

1 – Apply for an apprenticeship vacancy. Visit our Apprenticeship Vacancies Page to view our current opportunities. You can also explore all available apprenticeship vacancies in England using the government website findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk, where you can filter by your interests and location, plus save your searches and get email alerts for new vacancies.

2 – Talk to your current employer. If you’re interested in an apprenticeship as part of your career development, speak with your employer. Following this, you can contact us to book an information session to find out more about the programmes you’re interested in.

3 – Approach another employer. Consider approaching a potential employer with a proposal to join their team as an apprentice. Many have succeeded with this approach, showing their enthusiasm for work and learning.

For more information about becoming an apprentice, explore our Apprentice Guide.

We wish you the best of luck in your future career 🙂

*Eligibility applies.