2020 – The New Year
Well, 2020 has gotten off to a hectic start, with events happening all across the globe that can be classed as pretty significant. You’ve got the awful bush fires in Australia, Iran and the US flexing their muscles and… Oasis might be getting back together!? Despite all this noise, it is important to self-evaluate and set goals for your year. Do you want that promotion, or do you actually want to change career, learn new things and further yourself? These are all questions that are common with the turn of the new year. As well as asking yourself if dry Jan is worth it, ask yourself if you’re on the right path.
Changing career can be tough and scary, as change usually is. If you’re in the right sector and working your way up the career ladder, great! However, there’s a large percentage of people who will feel that they never wanted to go down the route they’re on and would like to consider a change. If this is you, you’re in the right place.
Not Going To Uni
Who are we? What is Not Going To Uni?
Not Going To Uni was founded in 2008 and has captured the imagination of not only students, but parents, teachers and career advisors. We are now the UK's number one website dedicated to helping school & college leavers make informed decisions about their future, by showing the opportunities that exist outside of the traditional university route. These can include apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships, gap years, traineeships and jobs. Despite this, we are not anti-uni!
We work with some of the biggest companies in the world such as Mercedes, Google, Facebook and many more… as well as local companies. We believe in allowing young people the best opportunities to ensure they have a great career in something they want to do!
Our website currently, as of January 2020, has two and a half thousand opportunities ranging across every major sector and the UK. Some opportunities are also located abroad in countries such as the USA & Australia!
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships combine a mix of learning and gaining experience with being paid. It gives the apprentice a real taste of working life, learning about that sector & role that they’re in and what the rewards can be. As an apprentice, you work with experienced colleagues who allow you to get on-the-job training and learn closely. A lot of young people find this easier than sitting in a classroom and trying to learn without implementing the teachings themselves.
As an apprentice, you will also learn key soft skills such as punctuation, teamwork and dynamics of a working environment. These skills are invaluable for a good career as well as everyday life. Problem solving in a team, working together, using each other’s strengths to achieve a common goal can really bond people and this is why we often see a large percentage of apprentices being offered full-time work within the same company when their apprenticeship ends. It is common that an ex-apprentice will rise through the ranks within the company having been taught their ways and understanding the company. Apprentices also have 3/4 years on others that may have gone to university and only learned via lectures/seminars.
Having spoken to numerous employers from both big and small companies, experience is the most sought-after trait in any candidate. Getting a degree is obviously a massive achievement… however, the number of post-graduates who struggle to find work or go into something completely irrelevant to their degree is staggeringly high. Completing an apprenticeship, having that experience and understanding the sector/the role makes you a lot more attractive to employers and you will often see these candidates being hired over those straight out of university.
Degree Apprenticeships
If you’re set on going to university but think that an apprenticeship could be useful, a degree apprenticeship ticks all your boxes. This is where you combine an apprenticeship and a degree… yes, it’s obvious I know. You’ll split your apprenticeship between university and actually working, giving you the best of both worlds. It gets better. You get our degree paid for and get paid a salary! Now this might sound perfect and that’s because it is.
A lot of people haven’t heard of degree apprenticeships or actually know much about them and really miss out on the potential. So please, if you have any influence over young people and you’re reading this, make them aware of degree apprenticeships. These are highly prestigious opportunities and therefore spaces are limited. A degree apprenticeship will set the apprentice up in the best possible way to go on and have a successful career. Combining the degree with experience and hands-on learning will go a long way in getting employed and entering the company at a higher level.
If you are interested in an apprenticeship, a degree apprenticeship or any other early careers, visit the search page for all of our opportunities.
