THEATRE
From Hollywood to the West End, the business called show is always looking for talented youngsters. The Royal Albert Hall recently took on its first apprentices. Hannah and Nathan are working full-time at the Hall, whilst working for their Level 3 in Technical Theatre with the National College for the Creative and Cultural Industries. Hannah says: “I’ve learnt about the political and social changes that have impacted the industry and I’m putting the theory learnings into practice. In comparison to my friends who have gone to university I’m miles ahead and have gained tangible skills that will continue to advance me in the future.”
HEALTH AND SAFETY
There’s a reason workers no longer lose limbs on construction sites. Health and safety officers are valued across industry and keep everyone accident-free. The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health is the awarding body for practitioners. Lee joined Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC) at the age of 18 four years ago, after gaining three As and one B at A level. As an apprentice he completed his diploma in July 2016 and is currently applying for Grad IOSH status. Now 22 he’s leading a stress management programme at Calderdale MBC. That’s real career progress.
CLOUD COMPUTING
Retail giant Amazon has a cloud computing division called Amazon Web Services (AWS). It hosts data for the likes of Netflix, Airbnb, and Samsung. AWS re:Start works with The Prince’s Trust and The Ministry of Defence (MOD) to train young people, veterans and their wives. Organisations that have pledged job placements to AWS re:Start include ARM, Claranet, Cloudreach, Direct Line Group, EDF Energy, Funding Circle, KCOM, Sage, Tesco Bank, and Zopa.
NHS
The NHS is Britain’s biggest employer. Naturally it has some incredible schemes, which span the entire organisation. These include student paramedic, digital marketing with Gov. uk, and a variety of technical fields. Charlie Brown, 19, switched from A levels to a four-year Advanced Medical Engineering Apprenticeship in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and its training partner JTL. He is learning how to maintain and service hospital equipment such as X-ray machines and linear accelerators used for radiotherapy treatment.
SOLICITOR
Need a law degree to be a lawyer? Not necessarily. For example, the Fletchers Solicitors Trailblazer Apprenticeship scheme is a fully funded Trailblazer six-year apprenticeship scheme, which offers aspiring lawyers an alternative route into the profession. It means that there is no cost to the apprentice at all. The scheme allows students to learn on the job, whilst completing an undergraduate degree (LLB), a master’s degree (LLM), and a Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the University of Law, as well as a period of recognised training along the way.
PORSCHE MECHANIC
Autofarm is an independent Porsche specialist based in Oxfordshire with a long heritage of taking on apprentices. In fact, its current owner Mikey Wastie started as an apprentice there 15 years ago.
Mikey says from his side an apprenticeship showed him the real world and gave him relevant experience of working with people in the trade. “Here, apprentices get to solve problems that are often unique to each car and gain experience to build their skills,” he says.
IT SALES
IT sales is a great choice of career for anyone with drive, personality, and a knowledge of tech. Computacenter runs one of the very best apprenticeships. In three years 102 young people have been put through the course, which takes candidates to Level 3 diploma in IT fundamentals, plus the ability to work towards CompTIA A+ or Microsoft exams. The apprenticeship is 12 weeks on a course, then 40 weeks on the job.
ENGINEERING
Global engineering and scientific technologies company Renishaw is recruiting 45 apprentices across its four engineering schemes; technical engineering, manufacturing engineering, software and embedded electronic systems design/development engineering. During this time they will also study for a Higher National Certificate and Higher National Diploma on a day-release basis. After completing the apprenticeship there is also the possibility of working towards an honours degree in engineering.
CHARTERED SURVEYOR
The chartered surveyor degree-level apprenticeship offers a practical alternative to going to university. There are two apprenticeship models, both backed by Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The Surveying Technician Apprenticeship earns you a Level 3 diploma and takes two years to complete to become an associate surveyor of RICS (AssocRICS), while the Level 6 degree-level Chartered Surveyor Apprenticeship (MRICS) takes five years. Entry level is five GCSEs for the technician course, and three A levels for the chartered surveyor.
CRAFTSMAN
Want to work with your hands? Sofas by Saxon is a bespoke furniture makers with a 35-year history in the industry. Joe Gill, apprentice upholsterer at Sofas by Saxon, says: “My role requires quite a bit of skill that I had on-thejob training for, particularly when you have to apply the foam to the frame accurately then add the material. I found the apprenticeship through North Lancs Training Group. Apprenticeships are really important because they give young people a chance to learn something and earn money at the same time. I’ve got mates who go to university and always complain about having none!”
