Last updated 10th December 2024.
Our free education resources will enable your students to explore their future with apprenticeships.
National Apprenticeship Week is a week-long celebration of all things apprenticeships, highlighting the work of employers, education providers and apprentices.
Each year, a series of virtual and in-person activities take place to showcase the amazing opportunities young people have to earn, learn and get a qualification.
As a pathway providing vocational training opportunities from Level 2 to Level 7, apprenticeships can help anyone (not just young people) to develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career.
To help you and your students explore apprenticeships, and whether it could be the right option for them, we’ve collated our free apprenticeship resources below.
Teacher Resources for National Apprenticeship Week
Lesson Plans & Resources
This lesson plan, presentation slides, and activities will help you and your students explore Applying for Apprenticeships.
This resource includes solo and group activities, information about apprenticeships, and useful links you and your students can use to find out more.
The accompanying lesson plan will help you explore how you to use the presentation slides with your students.
We’ve covered the resources you’ll need, curriculum links information, guidance on each activity, including an extension task, and a printable activity resource at the end of the lesson plan.
Access the Applying for Apprenticeships lesson plan & resources.
Free Online Courses
The Young Professional Training Programme is an online suite of resources, including courses, activities and toolkits to help young people build their skills for life.
Students can explore careers, and their education, training and work options using the modules. These include:
- You and Your Needs
- Your Confidence and Emotions
- Your Goals and Future Plans
- Your Skills for Life and Work
- The World of Work
Created in partnership with the Careers & Enterprise Company, these additional modules allow your students to understand what it’s really like to do an apprenticeship:
- Explore Apprenticeships: this short course is designed to help your students explore what apprenticeships are, how they work, and how to find them.
- In Apprenticeships: this short course is designed to help students explore apprenticeships in greater detail. It will be useful for students moving into apprenticeships soon, or those who want to know what it’s really like to be learning in the workplace.
Students can complete the course at their own pace, at home or in the classroom. They will also earn a certificate of completion after each course.
We support teachers, careers leaders and education providers to utulise these resources with their network of young people in the best way possible. At no cost to you, you can sign up as a Young Professional Provider to enrol cohorts of students and track user progress.
Simply email info@youthemployment.org.uk to get started.
Apprenticeships FAQs
It’s natural for your students to have questions about Apprenticeships. We’ve collated answers to the questions they are likely to ask. You can share the links with your students, or read up on the topics yourself so that you can answer student queries with confidence.
- 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
- How can Jobcentre Plus help you find apprenticeships?
Skills and careers activity booklets for students aged 14-17
These free Skills and Careers Activities booklets are perfect for your students to work through at home, and for schools to share or use as part of their careers education activities. They are editable so students can use it exactly how they want to. The tips and activities in the booklets aim to boost students’ skills, knowledge and confidence – whatever stage of education they are at.
Activities covered:
- Young Professional – free online training for young people aged 14+
- Choosing a career
- Understanding career options and pathways
- Boosting your skills
- Volunteering & work experience
- Employers & work
- Youth Voice Census
- Getting help
- Your Reflections
Resources for Parents/Carers
We know from our annual Youth Voice Census report that parents/carers are one of the most common influences in a young person’s life. Aside from their teachers, it’s likely a parent/carer is someone they’ll go to for help with their career options.
That’s why we created this resource for parents that busts apprenticeship myth’s, allowing them to feel more informed about the options their child might have. Share this with the families of your students to get them talking about apprenticeships.
Parent/Carer Resource
