If you’re a parent, guardian or carer, we’ll help you feel better informed about apprenticeships as a rewarding career pathway for your child.
Busting myths: What are apprenticeships?
An apprenticeship means your child will earn as they learn. They will work for an employer, receiving a salary, in a real job – often with additional mentoring and line manager support. They will spend 20% of their working hours training with a training provider, doing coursework, undertaking projects and studying. This mix of real-life experience and structured learning and training means your child will gain the skills needed for their chosen occupation. They will also come out of an apprenticeship with some real experience and understanding of the world of work, which boosts their CV and gives them both personal and professional confidence.
Apprenticeships are created by employers and training providers. The training given to your child is part of a structured training programme developing the skills, knowledge, practical experience and behaviours that are useful for a specific type of occupation. Just like any job or degree subject, if your child changes their mind about what interests them, the skills and knowledge they develop through their apprenticeship can be applied to plenty of other life and work options.
Apprenticeship training is of a high standard! Only training providers who are on the register of apprenticeship training providers can deliver the training, so your child is in good hands.
Apprenticeships include a nationally recognised qualification. Some even include a degree. You can find out more about degree apprenticeships below. All the training is free. If your child undertakes an apprenticeship, they – and you – will have no student debt to worry about.
Apprenticeships are for everyone, not just students who don’t enjoy academic learning. You can do construction apprenticeships, catering apprenticeships, digital apprenticeships… you can even do environmental apprenticeships and heritage apprenticeships. Nearly all of the organisations in our Youth Friendly Employers network offer apprenticeships and they have all made a commitment to ensure your child gets top-level support, training, and real career confidence.
Are you in a situation where your child wants to do an apprenticeship… but you want them to go to university? A school or college leaver can apply for university and an apprenticeship at the same time. They can make their final decision after they’ve had time to consider their options.
Apprenticeship FAQs for parents
We’ve collated answers to frequently asked questions about apprenticeships. These answers may help you feel better informed as a parent when exploring apprenticeships with your child as a potential option for next steps.
- Busting myths: Are Apprenticeships worth it?
- Jobseeker’s guide to Apprenticeships
- What to expect from a quality Apprenticeship
- What are Degree Apprenticeships?
- How to succeed in the first month of your Apprenticeship
- Apprenticeships vs Uni
- How can Jobcentre Plus help you find apprenticeships?
Explore apprenticeships with your child with our FREE online course
This short modular online course is designed to help your child explore Apprenticeships and see if they could be a good career pathway now or in the future. Your child can take the course in one go or over time. They will earn a certificate of achievement on completion.
Course topics include:
- Apprenticeships and how they work
- Useful plans and guides to help you navigate your next steps
- The skills you need and which you’ll develop
- Where to start with looking for an apprenticeship and how to find one near you
- Long term apprenticeship goals and career planning
Gov.uk resources: Apprenticeships Parent Pack for parents and guardians
This January 2023 parent pack has been brought to you by Apprenticeships.gov.uk. They also have a great page full of support for parents and guardians.
Some ways for parents to explore apprenticeships:
- Browse our apprenticeships advice hub to help you support your child in making career decisions
- Find apprenticeships with our Create Your Future database. It’s like a jobs board for young people, and if you’re signed in you can find apprenticeships local to your region!
- Encourage your child to take our free online Explore Apprenticeships course. They’ll find out everything they want to know about apprenticeships, and get a certificate of achievement on completing the course.
- See what’s on offer with our Youth Friendly Employers network. The link lets you browse all their early career hubs on the site, and can help your child discover big-brand employers and ones they might not have thought of before. Each employer profile outlines what they can offer, from apprenticeships to work placements.
- Explore our career guides with your child. They can discover all kinds of careers matching their interests. Each career offers a taster of what it might be like to do that job for a living, salary guides, and ways into that career from school onwards – including apprenticeships, of course! It can be a great way for your child to think about their next steps in an inspired and informed way.
