Applying for an Apprenticeship

Some years ago many industrial companies ran apprentice training schemes, subsidised by the government, that often lasted up to five years and covered all areas of skill, from Trade Apprenticeships teaching manual skills from electrical fitting to plumbing, Technical Apprenticeships for Drawing Office personnel, laboratory assistants and so-on, Student Apprenticeships for budding Engineers and even Graduate Apprenticeships (normally just two years in length) intended to teach graduates how to actually use their newly won degree.

It was typical for a company employing, say, 4000 personnel to have two or three hundred apprentices in total, an Apprentice School, a full department dealing with this subject alone. Apprentices formed the backbone of the countries future skill base. How things change!

Having almost disappeared apprenticeships are now coming back into fashion, being offered not just by sizeable companies but by individual traders and craftsmen as well. Another change that has taken place is that employees no longer expect to have a job for life, or even a career for life. An individual who, some years go, might have expected his or her competition to be other young people of a similar age and skill level might now find that he is in competition with a forty-something ex-banker or similar.

So, how do go about researching the possibilities and obtaining one of these posts?

Firstly, be sure that this approach is for you; an apprenticeship is not just like a real job, it is a real job but with added training! You will need to be there on-time each and every day, you will almost certainly get the worst jobs especially at first, either the dirtiest, the most boring, or both! As an Apprentice you will need to both serious and committed.

Which industry? Which skill? Look around, talk to people who may be familiar with various fields, talk to companies, think of a spell of work-experience, talk to the Careers master in your school if appropriate. Remember that an Apprenticeship does not, necessarily, need to be in your home town; I did my apprenticeship 200 miles away but, if you think of following suit, be aware that living away from home, paying for digs and everything else out of an apprentices' wage will not be much fun - and it is not for just a few weeks. This route, perhaps, is not for the modern youngster!

A prime source of information will be the web; almost all skill area will be represented and you will be able to pick up a lot of valuable information in a relatively short time. For example, see The Institution of Engineering & Technology web site for detailed information in this sector; other industries have similar sites. Or, just plug-in 'Apprenticeships' into Google, and, hey=presto, a raft of meaningful sites will be listed, sites which exist for the sole purpose of informing you all about apprenticeships, how to find them, how to apply for them and so on. One, Apprenticeships.org.uk even allows you to create your own page to store information, applications and so on, have a look,

An Apprenticeship is time consuming, is hard work but can be ultimately rewarding. All will provide you with training, most will provide you with qualifications, most will provide you with the means to secure your future.