What are the best Apprenticeships?

This is a question we get asked a lot but, to be honest, the answer is different for everyone. This is because different people value different factors when they are researching and deciding upon an apprenticeship. To one person, they may value the progression the company offers. Whereas, for someone else, they may value the salary on offer. 

Within this blog, we will take you through how apprenticeships are created and the different factors you should look at to determine which apprenticeships are best FOR YOU.

So, let’s start at the beginning…

Apprenticeships all start with a framework. This framework is written with training providers and employers in mind. Sometimes they are also referred to as Apprenticeship Standards. It has to be approved by the government, via the department of education. The framework basically outlines how an apprenticeship will be taught, delivered and assessed.

Once the apprenticeship framework has been approved, employers and training providers can then start offering it to apprenticeship seekers. This will happen in one of two ways. Firstly, an employer may decide they want an apprentice in a certain area, they will go to a training provider who will tell them the most suitable framework and then they will advertise the job role.

Alternatively, the training provider will specialise in a certain list of frameworks. They will actively speak to employers to see who needs apprentices for these roles. Once they find an employer who needs an apprentice, they will then advertise the role.

You can search through a list of approved apprenticeship frameworks here.

What’s next?

Once you know the framework/sector you want to focus your search within (i.e. Engineering), you can then start your search. You will see a list on the NGTU website that you can filter your search by.

When looking at the different adverts for different opportunities, these are the factors you need to consider to work out which opportunity is best for you:

• Location - you need a role that is close to where you will be living. Of course, if you are happy to relocate, this could be a different place to where you currently live.
• Money - a lot of people are motivated by earning a good salary. According to Total Jobs, the average annual salary for an apprenticeship is £23,000, which works out at around £12 per hour.
• Progression - if it’s important to you, consider what opportunity there will be for you to move up within the company.
• Satisfaction/Interest - the most important thing is to be happy. So, make sure you’re picking an industry that you’re interested in and will provide you with job satisfaction.
• Challenge - as well as being interested, the job needs to challenge you! Making sure you are learning new things is really important.

What are you waiting for? Create your profile and take a look at our current opportunities!