Allowing son to do apprenticeship over A-levels?

[Bornonablueday]

Hello,

My son wants to do an apprenticeship at 16 and I want him to do a-levels. There doesn't seem to be any high level apprenticeships for 16 year olds, with entrance requirements being low at 4/5s. He will most likely end up with 8/9s in all STEM like subjects, so I think he should continue to A-level and then do an an advanced apprenticeship at 18. Do I allow him to do the low level apprenticeships at 16? Or some how make him do A-levels.

As long as he’s been shown the various pathways to get where he wants to be and he’s made his choice then let him live his life hire he wants to

As a mum of three nearly all grown boys I think you will struggle to 'make' a 16/17 year old do what you want. Does he have something specific that he wants to be apprenticed in, if he has a passion then be thankful and let him follow it. To be honest two of mine have bachelor of science degrees with all the trailing debt that brings and neither of them are working any where near the fields they studied. In fact DS3 who wants to do an electrician apprenticeship will probably out earn them both in a few short years if they all follow their current paths.

A levels and uni are good for some things but not nearly what they used to be.

Also if he doesn't do A levels now it doesn't mean he is banned from them forever, he might come back to it with new eyes after a spell getting up super early to put in a full days work!

I think it depends what career he wants. As long as it aligns with his chosen career I'd leave him to decide. He will be more engaged of he had picked the course himself. You can't force him to actually learn and put the work in and A levels are much harder than GCSE's.

Degree apprenticeships are like hens teeth, so they are very difficult to get on. I would get him to do A Levels, then he has a choice of applying for apprenticeships with a university backup, but bear in mind A Levels involve a lot of self study, so if he just doesn't want to do it and doesn't do the work outside class, it will be very difficult to get good grades. What apprenticeship does he want to do? He will need to do a lot of research and make sure there are apprenticeships being offered at L3 and hopefully enough scope to progress to L4/7.

Firstly, I don't think you can make a 16 year old do anything.

Secondly, why is your viewpoint more valid than his? How does the choice fit in with longer term career plans?

If, for example, he wants to be a doctor, then yes, he needs A Levels. If he wants to work in IT, then doing a Level 3 apprenticeship followed by a degree apprenticeship could be a much smarter thing to do.

My son did an apprenticeship at 16 after starting A levels. He did it for an IT services company And also did BTEC networks and telecoms alongside on day release- he's been working 9 years in it- lives in London now and it's stood him in very good stead- there 'are' good ones out there for 16 year old ( he had to have 6 GSSEs at B or above) which he had. The difference is there are 'more' choices in them at 18. He was much better when he started work- was too lazy to be frank to do the written work at A level !! But fine when it came to actual 'hands on' work

If he doesn't want to do A-levels and isn't motivated then he might struggle, particularly if he's looking at maths/physics/chem type combination. DS got all 8's and 9's and has found maths and physics really hard work (did comp sci as other subject and found that much easier). DS is going to be doing a degree apprenticeship but he applied for about 15 before he got on one, despite being predicted A's and an A star and having a lot of related experience. It's a pretty gruelling process generally involving sending off a CV and cover letter, then doing personality tests and a short online interview and then doing full face to face/online interview which can last between one and two hours. The interviews also often fall around the time of mocks and DS had to miss one of his, it's a lot to try to juggle.

I think you need to consider what the apprenticeship involves and who it is with. Is it with a good company with good prospects? Has he even found an apprenticeship he's interested in yet? I'd recommend he keeps his options open. Apply to some good companies and read the reviews on Ratemyapprenticeship, he can ask questions at interview about what the prospects are at the end of the apprenticeship. At the same time apply to do A-levels because an apprenticeship is not guaranteed even with good grades. DS found the things he did outside of school were much more important at interview and they wanted to see his enthusiasm and drive and that he had worked as a team, learnt from mistakes etc. Interview/presentation skills were also important, wearing a suit, answering using the STAR method etc. although this might not be required so much at 16.

So get him to keep his options open and apply for as many things as he can. Even just going through the interview process is great experience IMO and if he doesn't get anything and ends up doing A-levels he'll have more of an idea of what he needs to get a degree apprenticeship. There's a lot of competition so work experience, volunteering, short courses, after school clubs, his own projects etc will all be really important for him to do.

I don't think you can make a 16yo do A levels if they don't want to!

They are a massive step up from GCSEs, and need a lot of self study. So even if you can 'make' him turn up to lessons - which may be a struggle, he will still need to put in a lot of his own time and effort.

He will get much further, and much better results if he is doing something he wants to do, and is happy doing it.

Let him choose. Even if it turns out to be a mistake, he will learn from it.
I can’t imagine he will do particularly well in A levels if he isn’t motivated to do them.
You have to allow him to grow up and make his own way.

My friends son did an Apprentice at 16 in IT .
He now lives in Dubai with a very very high income.

It’s not for you to ‘allow’ it. He’s 16. He should be allowed to choose his own pathway of study

Is he wanting to do a trade? If so and he can get on an apprenticeship then he should crack on, save himself the misery of alevels and student debt.
If he decides later he wants to return to education there are alternative paths.

It is his life not yours

Has he considered T-levels / Level 3 Btec Extended Diploma? They could be a good 'compromise' between your two options.

@Bornonablueday what would he like to do? Does he have a specific apprenticeship in mind/a specific career path he wants?

In my particular area of STEM apprenticeships they do extremely well. Those who do degrees are not better off because they lack the practical experience that is required by the industry. Don't make the mistake of thinking its a cop out option, standards and expectations are high.

How old is he now? He needs to think about what area he wants to work in as that will affect the best way forward.

If he's on track for 8/s in STEM subjects then rather than trying to 'make him', if you can the perhaps try and discuss, unpick his thinking and motivations for an immediate apprenticeship rather than A-levels then a hgher level apprenticeshis or allowing for a change of plan to a STEM university degree. If is wanting a little income earlier, is it fear of university debt or a dislike of school. Dpending on his specific motivations, you might then now how to advise, If it's being tired of the restrictions of school then if available, perhaps STEM A-levels at a college. If it's rear of university debt then explain that it's mpre of an income-based graduate tax.

Good luck.

It’s his life and his education, so it should be up to him. If he wants to do an apprenticeship, support him to find one that is in line with his planned career path. A-Levels are bloody hard (I found the GCSE to A-Level transition much more difficult than the A-Level to degree transition!) and would be all the more difficult if he doesn’t actually want to do them. Poor kid would be miserable!

Another way to think about this is that because he is clearly bright, this may give him a boost later in his career even if he goes down the apprenticeship route. For example, he may be able to set up his own business and grow it in a way that those who are less intelligent would. What I’m saying is that career success is not necessarily linear and always linked to academic qualifications.

“Allow”? He’s 16, capable of making his own decisions.

My DH got 8 O levels. he left school at 16 went to college and done hos apprenticeship, made a shed load of money ( £130 a day in 1985) retired when he was 50. Never had a penny from his parents, he made his own fortune. Let your Son follow his own path.

If you force him into doing A levels that he's not interested in, nobody wins. You will spend the next year chivying him along and he might spend it resisting you - then the mocks at the end of yr12 make the decision about what happens next.

My DS has excelled in an apprenticeship as it turns out his motivation for hard work is a wage and a purpose. His employer will fund a degree apprenticeship if that is the path he wants to take, or he can take his BTEC and experience anywhere he wants. There's more than one path to a successful career.

@Bornonablueday

Has he had any thoughts about what he might like to do eventually, OP?

What kind of apprenticeship is he considering at the moment?

Really wish the level 3 apprenticeship was worth a little more academically. Speaking to companies who offer level 6 apprenticeships, state that level 3 wouldn't be enough to get onto level 6 (which doesn't put the level 3 in a good light) they state they would need A levels. He wants to do engineering (by engineering, I don't mean mechanic.lol) wants to do something in electrical engineering. He's bored with just learning things with no purpose. He's relatively bright, built own computer at 9, built 3D printer at 10 and even fixed my car recently (which Ford garage failed to do) loves building electronic and mechanical projects.

Worried level 3 apprenticeship would limit him. Need to get him into an engineering lab at MIT or space x lol

@Bornonablueday

OP, do you think that he would be interested in an A Level Scholarship for Engineering in the Royal Navy?

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/joining-options/funding-and-scholarships/a-level-scholarship