Whether you are leaving school at 16, finishing college/sixth form at 18 or an adult seeking an apprenticeship, it is difficult to know if you are ready to take on the responsibility that an apprenticeship brings. To help you decide, we have put together a series of questions for you to ask yourself:
Knowing what job you want is really important, if you are unsure, then you may want to consider staying in education so you can study a subject you love for a little while longer whilst exploring the careers this could lead to. However, if you are sure that staying in education is not for you then you need to have a clear idea of what job role you are seeking.
To help you with this, you can use the Prospect Career Quiz which helps you to link your personality, skills and interests to a specific job role. This will then help you to know exactly which roles you are suited to so that you can search accordingly.
Another key element of being ready for the workplace is to have the key skills an employer needs and will be looking for. Things like self management, being organised and punctual as well as being able to communicate with colleagues and, where relevant, customers, are all really skills. You can read more about the skills you need to be successful in an apprenticeship here.
You can assess your own skills using the National Career Service Skills Assessment Tool. You can use our opportunities search function to see what skills employers are looking for. Each opportunity on there will have a “Desired Skills” section… How do your skills compare to what the company is looking for?
Furthermore, a crucial element of being ready for an apprenticeship is knowing where to find opportunities, research companies and apply to vacancies. Luckily for you, you can do all three of these things on the NGTU website! Use the links below to explore further:
Only you can answer this question. You need to think about yourself, imagine yourself in the workplace and decide if it is truly something you are ready for. And if you decide that you are ready, we wish you “Good Luck!” in your applications.
