Introduction to
Apprenticeships
Presented by:
Carolyn Savage
Head of Apprenticeship vacancies
National Apprenticeship Service
23/02/2012
Introduction to Apprenticeships
Objective
•To introduce the Career Progression
Opportunities that are available
through Apprenticeships
•To present the latest information on
Apprenticeships and to present an
update on current employer
Apprenticeship opportunities
•To introduce Apprenticeship
vacancies system and how to apply
•To introduce some Top Tips for
candidate applications
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National Apprenticeship Service
What is an Apprenticeship?
An apprentice is an employee within a company or organisation, earning
a wage and working alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific
skills.
Off the job, often on a day-release basis, apprentices receive training to
work towards nationally recognised Qualifications such as National
Vocational Qualifications (NVQ), Technical Certificates and
Key/Functional Skills.
There are 3 types of Apprenticeships:
Intermediate Apprenticeship- equivalent to five good GCSE passes
Advanced Apprenticeship- equivalent to two A-level passes
Higher Apprenticeship- the apprentice will work towards a Level 4 +
qualification.
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Introduction to Apprenticeships
What is an Apprenticeship?
From August 2012 all apprenticeships for 16-18 year olds must be a minimum
of 12 months.
Learners can progress more quickly if
they complete all the elements of the
Apprenticeship sooner than anticipated.
Learners do not pay for their training.
All apprentices must be employed
for normally 30 hours per week
The employer must be willing to allow
the learner time off for study for the
duration of the Apprenticeship.
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National Apprenticeship Service
Why Consider Becoming an Apprentice?
Earn a salary: a minimum of £2.60 per hour & paid holidays, average
£170 per week
It is a real job with a contract of employment
Receive relevant training and learn job specific skills
Choose from over 220 types of Apprenticeship
Gain nationally recognised qualifications
Work at own pace, unit by unit, suits a practical learning style
Can progress into university, or up the career ladder
9 out of 10 completed apprentices are in work or education after
completing their Apprenticeship
During their working lifetime an apprentice can earn on average £100,000
more than someone who does not have an Apprenticeship
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Who Can Do An Apprenticeship?
•Anyone aged 16 or over
•Entry requirements vary; some require 5 GCSEs A*-C
and some don’t
•Other considerations – motivation, potential, maturity,
reliability, eagerness, punctuality, ability to learn,
determination
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Some Apprenticeship Successes
•In 2010/11 there were 457,200 people that started an Apprenticeship in
England
•In 2010/11, 200,300 people successfully completed and achieved their
Apprenticeship framework.
•The success rate for achieving the framework is currently 76.4%.
•The programme is going from strength to strength…with more employers
engaging daily with Apprenticeships.
•A number of government incentives have recently been launched to further
increase apprenticeships, and enable more people to successfully start and
achieve their apprenticeship, and progress onto sustainable employment.
•New wage subsidy £1,500 to support SME’s to employ 16 to 24 year old
Apprentices from April 2012
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Vacancies by Sector Subject Area
Feb 2011 to Jan 2012
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Top 10 Sector Frameworks for vacancies
Feb 2011 to Jan 2012
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Apprenticeship Vacancies
How to Apply!
•Website which typically has over 10,000 live vacancies on any given
day – real employed status apprenticeships
• One form – multiple applications
•Candidates are in control of their applications in real time
•Accessed through www.apprenticeships.org.uk which tells you
everything you need to know about apprenticeships
•Vacancies are posted daily from Small independent companies right
up to large national employers including Carillion, Cable & Wireless,
Jaguar Landrover, Rolls Royce, Ford, etc and many more
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National Apprenticeship Service
Apprenticeship Vacancies
How to Apply!
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National Apprenticeship Service
Apprenticeship Vacancies
Search Result
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Apprenticeship Vacancies
Vacancy Details
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Apprenticeship Vacancies
Complete Your Application
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Apprenticeship Vacancies
Manage Your Applications
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Apprenticeship Vacancies - Alerts
Make the System WORK for YOU!
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Available Support
•Dedicated e-learning sites at www.apprenticeships.org.uk
•Site for JCP/Next Steps and Candidates
•Register your account as a strategic partner
•Dedicated Teachers/IAG Packs available
•Also register for RSS feeds of live Apprenticeship vacancies to your own web sites for
selected geographical areas or sectors etc. For support to set this facility up contact
:[email protected] or call 024 76 82 6482
Make sure if you are assisting a candidate that they register as a candidate and not as
strategic partner!
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Top tips when supporting candidates
applying for Apprenticeships
•Applying for an Apprenticeship is a competitive process, candidates can make as
many applications as they wish, and up to 10 at any one time
•Make sure candidates have an appropriate email address and voice mail on their
mobile phones and that usernames and passwords are easily remembered
•Ensure candidates are careful when registering on Av as this data is pulled through
on their job application form
•Many candidates do not sell themselves on their application forms and only give one
and two word answers, they need to expand
•When giving details of hobbies and interests, ‘drinking with mates’ is probably not a
good idea to include!
•Remember to include any work experience whether paid or not including voluntary
•Remind candidates to log onto their ‘My Home page’ on Apprenticeship vacancies to
track their applications on a regular basis
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Top tips when supporting candidates
applying for Apprenticeships
•Encourage candidates to check their applications(spell check)
•Ensure candidates have considered how they will travel to the job if
successful
•Preparation for the interview/assessment centre is paramount, many young
people are not adequately prepared:
•preparation of Questions and Answers and interview practice
•Take copies of application and vacancy printout to interview
•Thoroughly read information sent to them regarding interview/assessment
centre
•Get the candidate top prepare a couple of questions to ask at interview
•Try to get the candidate to think about why they are interested in the job role
and an Apprenticeship to mention during the interview to show a genuine
passion and interest
•Most employers are looking for people who are reliable, trustworthy, honest,
and flexible and who can work as part of a team and have good
communication skills, make sure that candidates bring out these qualities in
their interview.
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Top tips when supporting candidates
applying for Apprenticeships
And finally……..
•Prepare candidates for rejection and how to handle
•Encourage candidate to ask for feedback through the Learning
provider
•Try to encourage them not to be put off by rejections, try and try
again
•Use all the support open to them regarding Careers Advice
•Careers Advice call 0800 100 900
•Apprenticeship Helpdesk (Apprenticeship vacancies)
call: 0247 7682 6482
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Any Questions?
[email protected]
www.apprenticeships.org.uk
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Carolyn Savage – Head of
Apprenticeship Vacancies
Tel: 07796 941150
National Apprenticeship Service