Leaving college?

Have you thought about an Apprenticeship?

Apprenticeships are an increasingly important and valued pathway for our students, offering positive progression and stunning opportunities.

Principal, Barrow Sixth Form College

I found my Apprenticeship by using the National Apprenticeship Service website, it’s easy to use and allowed me to go straight to the company’s website for more specific details.

Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College

The technology being used by the National Apprenticeship Service, such as the mobile phone app and website ties in well with what we are trying to achieve at college by encouraging participation in learning and training through the diverse use of digital technologies.

Principal, Birkenhead Sixth Form College

Gaining new skills and working for a major company in my local area is the best part of being an apprentice.

Former Blackpool Sixth Form student

I considered university but found it wasn’t for me. I like the Apprenticeship route because I can earn while I learn and there are good future prospects.

A Level student, KGV Sixth Form

Higher Apprenticeships allow employers to recruit and train young people to degree level and are transforming the way in which businesses acquire new staff with the skills they need.

Careers Adviser, Stoke Sixth Form College

Putting time and effort into researching Apprenticeship opportunities that suit you and your skills is crucial. Use as many different sources as possible to gather as much information as possible to inform your decisions.

Former student, Priestly College

Several Xaverian students have gone on to successful Apprenticeships with prestigious companies such as British Aerospace.

Anne Brown, Careers Manager, Xaverian College

Foreword

Over the last few years we have seen a renaissance in Apprenticeships, including the development of over 30 Higher Apprenticeship pathways in areas like Legal Services, Accountancy and Advanced Manufacturing. This provides a real choice for bright young talent, so much so that employers now rate the Higher Apprenticeship route as the best choice for school leavers, with 71% of employers recommending that a young person does an Apprenticeship – higher than any other option.

The project to raise awareness of Apprenticeships has given Sixth Form Colleges in the North West and Staffordshire the expertise and knowledge to:

– offer excellent careers advice about Apprenticeships

– highlight the fantastic Apprenticeship opportunities available with blue chip employers

– effectively support students to apply for an Apprenticeship online

As the case studies in this document prove, the project has been a success with over 1000 young people made aware of the opportunities available and encouraged to apply and many individual success stories of young people securing great Apprenticeship opportunities.

Well done to all those involved.

John Myers Head of Employer Accounts The National Apprenticeship Service Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and Cheshire & Warrington

Over 100,000 employers are offering quality Apprenticeships in more than 200,000 locations, with a minimum duration of 12 months except in exceptional circumstances.

National Apprenticeship Service data1

71%of employers recommend

Apprenticeships

We took the Apprenticeship route…

Apprenticeships are increasingly recognised as the gold standard for work-based training. There are over 100,000 employers offering Apprenticeships in more than 200,000 locations, covering more than 170 industries and 1,500 job roles.

Discover why these young people chose an Apprenticeship as an alternative to higher education…

more than

170 Industries

Nikita PalA Level grades: A, C, D in ICT, Economics and Chemistry at Loreto Sixth Form College Destination: ICT Apprenticeship with Capgemini

Nikita’s minimum target grades were achieved at A2 in Economics (Grade C) and Chemistry (Grade D), however, in A2 ICT, Nikita gained Grade A, improving on her minimum target grade by two full grades! She had thoroughly enjoyed her ICT course, and, having achieved an ‘A’ grade, she decided to change her career path.

Nikita had heard about Higher Apprenticeships and thought they looked like an interesting alternative to higher education. She wanted to keep her options open and therefore prior to her A Level exams, applied on the National Apprenticeship Service website for a Higher Apprenticeship with Capgemini.

Soon after, Capgemini got in touch to offer her an interview because they were impressed with her CV and grade A in ICT.

Nikita went for the interview which consisted of a group exercise, face to face interview and aptitude test, and later that day was offered an Apprenticeship which she accepted.

In November, Nikita began intensive training for her Apprenticeship in Telford where accommodation, food and travel was provided. This three months’ training was very demanding but Nikita passed each assessment with flying colours and was totally committed to this process, getting enjoyment and self-fulfilment with each experience. The successful completion of this phase of training was essential for Nikita enabling her to progress into the full Apprenticeship programme.

Nikita now works with the Head of Oracle within Capgemini. She is currently working on complex training requirements and budgeting needs of her section in the company. This is enabling Nikita to mix with the key mangers in the organisation and raise her profile in the company.

Apprenticeships are available at Intermediate, Advanced and Higher (degree) level, covering more than 280 skills and industries and 1500 job roles, from advertising to youth work via environmental engineering and nuclear decommissioning.

National Apprenticeship Service data2

Osman Faruqui A Level grades: A, A, B in Maths, Further Maths and Physics at Winstanley College Destination: A Level Entry Manufacturing Development Rolls Royce, Derby

Osman is a real trail-blazer at Rolls Royce in Derby where he is part of the first intake for A Level entry in Manufacturing Development. In an innovative partnership between Rolls Royce and Warwick University, he will be working over the next 4/5 years towards an MSc in Engineering Business Management.

Osman originally planned to go to university after completing his A Levels but having secured a couple of offers he decided he needed a back-up plan. He quickly realised that the option offered by Rolls Royce gave him the chance to move more quickly to professional engineering qualifications whilst at the same time earning in an exciting company with good job prospects. Whilst initially concerned about the ‘prejudice’ towards this work based route to higher education, his university friends have increasingly recognised that in many ways he is ‘leading a student life with money!’

At College he was grateful for the information given about the Apprenticeship option and the encouragement given by his personal tutor and Maths teacher. He was also well supported by his family who saw this as a chance for him to ‘push to be the best’.

His commitment and progress has been such that, when he approached Rolls Royce about attending the Apprenticeship Fair at Winstanley College, he was encouraged to go along to promote the opportunities at the company.

Megan JonesA Level grades: B, D, E in ICT, Photography and Fine Art Destination: Business Administration Apprenticeship at Ashton Sixth Form College (training provided by Salford City College)

Megan Jones left Oldham Sixth Form in 2012, and, having gained careers advice and information whilst at College, was sure the Apprenticeship route was right for her.

Megan applied for over 20 vacancies on the National Apprenticeship Service website before being successfully selected for a Business Administration Apprenticeship at Ashton Sixth Form College.

The selection process involved completing a CV and application form, followed by a test and panel interview over a full day.

Megan’s job involves a variety of tasks including sorting post, data input, dealing with student enquiries and taking minutes at meetings. She feels she is developing a wide range of skills which will help her to progress quickly in her career following completion of the Apprenticeship.

Megan’s advice to other young people applying for Apprenticeships is “Start researching early as time goes quicker than you think. Also, apply for as many things as you can, be confident in your abilities and don’t give up!”

Apprenticeships have increased at a record rate. Data shows that over 500,000 people started an Apprenticeship in the 2011/12 academic year. Of these, more than 125,000 were 16-18 year olds.

www.thedataservice.org.uk3

Daniel SharplesA Level grades: A, A*, B in Business Studies, History and ICT at St John Rigby Sixth Form College Destination: Business Administration Apprenticeship (Level 4) at Stockport Council

Daniel decided to apply for an Apprenticeship after his A Levels, since he felt that university was far too expensive and that there was no guaranteed job at the end of it. He wanted to work in an office environment and therefore decided a qualification in business administration would allow him to diversify into a variety of other areas.

Daniel researched Apprenticeship vacancies on the college intranet and also the National Apprenticeship Service website. However, it was his college tutor who notified him of the vacancy at Stockport Council.

He was delighted to be successfully selected for the role of Democratic Services Apprentice and could not wait to start work after his A Levels. Daniel is particularly looking forward to gaining practical skills that will enable him to gain a permanent role. His advice to others seeking an Apprenticeship is: “don’t let a knock-back knock your confidence. There are sometimes hundreds of people applying for the same vacancy – keep trying!”

Rachel WatersA Level grades (predicted): A, A, A in Accounting, Business Studies and English Language at Aquinas College Destination: Higher Apprenticeship in Accountancy at Price Waterhouse Cooper

Initially Rachel was considering a career as a Primary School teacher, however, she changed her mind after receiving her AS results.

Rachel really enjoyed Accounting and felt a career in this area would suit her strengths. Through college, Rachel was told about opportunities at PwC and their School Leavers’ Programme. Rachel did further research and applied for the Higher Apprenticeship programme, which is designed to help develop business skills while completing formal training and studying towards qualifications.

After a rigorous interview process she was successful and gained a position as a trainee accountant in their Manchester Office. Rachel is looking forward to starting work and gaining practical experience while studying for her professional qualifications.

After finishing, the majority of apprentices (86%) will stay in employment, with two-thirds (67%) staying with the same employer.

Evaluation of Apprenticeships for Learners, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Department for Education (DFE) August 20134

Andrew ClarkAchieved grades: OCR National Award in Health & Social Care, OCR National Certificate in Health & Social Care and Adult Literacy Level 2 at Barrow Sixth Form College Destination: Level 2 Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship at a primary school (training by JHP)

Andrew is taking the OCR National Diploma in Health, Social Care & Early Years and GCSE Maths. Andrew has, for a number of years, had an interest in working with children and, throughout his time in college, has considered different roles such as Youth Work. However, having done a varied programme of work experience though his Health & Social Care courses he has realised that his passion lies with working with children in a Primary School setting, particularly with children with additional needs.

Andrew explored various options to enable him to have a successful career in Primary Education including local Higher Education options and eventually chose the Apprenticeship route .He has now secured an Apprenticeship with a local primary school and will be working towards an NVQ Level 2 as a Teaching Assistant with possible progression to Level 3.

The National Apprenticeship Service website helped Andrew to search through appropriate vacancies. He also attended the Employment Fair at Barrow Sixth Form College where he was introduced to JHP Training who found him the Apprenticeship at the primary school.

Andrew is mostly looking forward to helping children with learning difficulties and challenging behaviour. His says: “an Apprenticeship is the best way to improve your qualifications for your future career. Because it offers a work placement it gives you a lot of hands-on experience that can directly lead into employment whilst gaining further qualifications. It also still keeps the Higher Education option open for the future if that is what a person chooses to do.”

Laura EdieA Level grades: A, A, A in Psychology, Sociology and Photography at St John Rigby Sixth Form College Destination: CILEx Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Legal Services at Stephenson’s Solicitors

Laura has recently gained a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Legal Services with Stephenson’s Solicitors. The Apprenticeship offers the opportunity to advance and develop onto further studies in the future and is giving Laura a good proportion of work experience in order to set her up for the future.

Laura had considered university but decided against the idea as she believes work experience is the most important aspect in the workplace. The Apprenticeship route enables her to work throughout the week as well as experiencing the student life by attending Manchester Metropolitan University as part of her studies.

The careers adviser at Laura’s college told her about the opportunity and was extremely helpful in assisting her in the direction she needed to go. She also looked on the National Apprenticeship Service website in order to find Apprenticeship opportunities she may be interested in as well as searching the Manchester Chamber of Commerce website. Laura found the application process to be very quick and easy.

Laura said: “I am looking forward to settling in at my new workplace and being able to apply everything I have learnt at university. I am also looking forward to the independence and responsibility you are given in the workplace. Work experience is one of the most important additions to your CV and I do believe that you are able to develop in a career just as far as somebody who has chosen the university route after college. You will have hands-on experience, which is priceless and the reason you may stand out from the rest.”

Up to 15,000 quality Apprenticeship vacancies are available online at any one time at apprenticeships.org.uk. And in 2012, over one million applications were made online – an average of ten applications for every Apprenticeship vacancy.

Apprenticeship vacancies data 20125

We support Apprenticeships!

Created by www.concept4.com (ref 6839.1-12/2013), an ISO9001 Quality and ISO14001 Environmental accredited company.

The following colleges are dedicated to promoting the benefit of Apprenticeships and providing expert advice and guidance. Visit their websites for more information and Apprenticeship case studies.

Ready to be an Apprentice? Register today and find out about the latest vacancies: www.apprenticeships.org.uk

Ashton Sixth Form College www.asfc.ac.uk

Aquinas College www.aquinas.ac.uk

Barrow in Furness College www.furness.ac.uk

Birkenhead Sixth Form College www.bsfc.ac.uk

Blackpool College www.blackpool.ac.uk

Bolton Sixth Form College www.bolton-sfc.ac.uk

Carmel College www.carmel.ac.uk

Cheadle and Marple Sixth Form College www.camsfc.ac.uk

Holy Cross College www.holycross.ac.uk

King George V College, Southport www.kgv.ac.uk

Loreto Sixth Form College www.loreto.ac.uk

Oldham Sixth Form College www.osfc.ac.uk

Rochdale Sixth Form College www.rochdalesfc.ac.uk

Sir John Deane’s College www.sjd.ac.uk

St John Rigby Sixth Form College www.sjr.ac.uk

Stoke Sixth Form College www.stokesfc.ac.uk

Priestley College, Warrington www.priestley.ac.uk

Winstanley College www.winstanley.ac.uk

Xaverian College www.xaverian.ac.uk

Sources: 1National Apprenticeship Service data 2National Apprenticeship Service data 3520,600 people started an Apprenticeship in the 2011/12 academic year (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/

apprenticeships-starts-almost-double-in-two-years), of these 129,900 were under 19s. This is an increase of 13.9% on the

preceding year and 86.1% since 2009/10. The latest data can always be found at http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/

statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current/. 4Evaluation of Apprenticeships for Learners, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Department for Education

(DFE) August 2013 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-survey-learners) 5Apprenticeship vacancies data 2012: www.apprenticeships.org.uk/News-Media/Latest-News/Article224.aspx

Evaluation of Apprenticeships for Learners, Department for Business, Innovation

and Skills (BIS) and Department for Education (DFE) August 2013