It’s National Apprenticeship Week! To celebrate, our Education and Training Lead, Katherine Lear, reflects on the benefits of earning while you’re learning.
Have you considered an apprenticeship to kickstart a career? Apprenticeships are fantastic opportunities to gain high-quality training alongside industry experience, with a range of different courses and levels to choose from.
How do apprenticeships work?
Typically, you can expect to spend three or four days each week gaining skills in the workplace, and one or two days with a training provider – all of which you get paid for. Apprenticeships can take between eight months and six years to complete, depending on the level, the type of apprenticeship and your previous experience.
Apprenticeships range from Level 2 (equivalent to GCSEs) up to Levels 6 and 7 (bachelor’s and master’s degrees). At a higher level, they are likely to have entry requirements – previous relevant qualifications – but at lower levels, there are often none. In fact, if you don’t yet have GCSE English and maths or equivalent, you can sometimes gain these with your apprenticeship. Degree apprenticeships are a fantastic way to gain a degree while avoiding student debt. Attending university part-time, you would also be in paid employment, working part-time in your chosen industry.
If you’re a woman with a conviction, an apprenticeship could be the pathway into your new career.
Apprenticeships: the facts
1. There are more industries hiring apprentices than you might think
While apprenticeships are well-known in vocational industries like plumbing and construction, they are also commonly found in areas such as: HR, business administration, accountancy, journalism, engineering, data analysis, digital marketing and software development. We can help you explore your options based on your interests.
2. Apprenticeships offer the same benefits as more traditional qualifications
Apprenticeships are a great way to gain qualifications outside of an academic setting. Some advantages of this more practical working method are that it can appeals to different learning styles. Typically, people with neurodivergent conditions such as ADHD prefer a more hands-on approach to learning, so this route might be perfect!
3. You’ll be paid fairly
After completion of the first year of an apprenticeship, every apprentice is entitled to the National Minimum Wage, but many employers actually pay more than this. The average salary for a degree apprenticeship is £23,109 per year (Glassdoor, 2025).
4. There’s no age limit, making them a great option for people who want to retrain
While apprenticeships are a great option for someone leaving school, they are also excellent opportunities for people at any stage of life who are looking for a career change, especially if caring for children or family members.
If you are a woman with a conviction and think that the apprenticeship route could be right for you, fill in the form on this page.
