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If you’re about to leave school (or have already), be it secondary school, sixth form or college, you’re almost certainly thinking about your options for your next steps. Why not consider an apprenticeship?
Having joined the Savills Apprenticeship Programme in 2016, I’ve had first-hand experience of how this entry route into the world of work can bring a variety of benefits and opportunities. I now spend a lot of my spare time talking about and promoting apprenticeships and I have to say, I find it quite easy once I get going. There are so many great reasons to do an apprenticeship, from the general to the more career-specific reasons, it’s hard to select just a few.
Below is a list of five reasons why an apprenticeship could be the right choice for you
- 'Earn While You Learn' & Don't Owe A Penny
I decided to begin with the most obvious reason. 'Earn While You Learn' has become something of a motto for apprenticeships on a national scale. It means you are paid a fair wage whilst you work and study part-time and train toward your industry-recognised qualification, which your employee pays for.
With raised tuition fees, student loans can result in significant debt, but apprenticeships can avoid all that. - You Still Get To Complete Your Higher Education
It is widely thought that the traditional route of doing your GCSEs then A-Levels before going to University is the only route to a succesful, professional career, but simply isn't true.
In both Advanced and Higher apprenticeships you still earn a reputable, industry-recognised qualification. - A Break From Full-Time Education - Without Sacrificing It
It is no secret that young people today are put under a vast amount of pressure from an early age. I remember feeling deflated after completing my GCSEs and any staying power left in me was quickly evaporated by my AS-Levels.
Full-time education is not suited to everyone and an apprenticeship provides an ideal solution, without sacrificing your education entirely in the process. This is helped by the fact that, although the courses you undertake aren’t easy, they don’t consume your whole week and are actually relevant and applicable in your day-to-day work. It is essentially learning whilst on the job!
- Increased Employability
Whilst a degree is still a sought after and highly regarded asset in your employability arsenal, having a little extra something to add is the key to standing out from the crowd in the recruitment process.
Apprenticeships offer just that in the form of up to five years first-hand experience in industry and all the training that comes with being employed by an established firm, as well as the degree!
- Support & Guidance
Qualifications (and jobs, for that matter) can be challenging at times but the one thing apprenticeships offer, that I personally feel that other routes lack, is the abundance of support and guidance available.
Not only will you have your usual support network of family and friends, but you also gain the added support of your teammates and colleagues, fellow apprentices and students, your employer in the form of your graduate and apprenticeship team, and your course tutors and student services.
For any queries, concerns or requests there is always someone willing and able to assist. Ultimately, they want you to succeed as much as you do.
