Thread for those 18 year old NOT going to Uni

[boyoboys]

I've had a look but can't seem to find anything to discuss options for those children you don't want/aren't cut out for university. Surely every Mumsnet child can't be going to university .

There's such much advice and support from schools about going into further education but other than one talk by the Army and a prestigious /highly academic apprenticeship, DS has had no advice whatsoever from school (non selective but academically ambitious) as they only seem interested in those going to Uni.
He has zero clue what to do with his life and feels like he has to make a choice at 18 that will determine his entire future based on what little guidance we can give. Unfortunately we both went to Uni & followed a very structured progression so only know a more academic path.

We are fully supportive of him doing an apprenticeship or going to the workplace and it's absolutely right for him - he's a complete charmer & will no doubt do well if he can just find something that interests him. Where do we look or signpost him for help?

When his school opens in Sept he should ask if they will help with CV writing and finding an apprenticeship. The school has a duty to help him if he isn't going onto higher education although I appreciate this may not always happen in practice. He might want to speak to the school about help with a UCAS form too if he has a change of heart during the year and wants to apply to uni for 2024.

@boyoboys is he going into year 13? My ds is too and has said all along that he’s definitely not going to uni. He feels it’s a waste of money, he’s got ADHD so isn’t a natural student and he just wants to earn money.

Alongside earning (and he already works 15 hours a week) he really really wants to travel. So our rough plan is a year or two of working and travelling first, which will also give him plenty of time and experience to think about the future. He’s open to looking at higher/degree apprenticeships after that and there do seem to be quite a lot of general business/marketing ones that might suit. He’s also thinking maybe property /real estate or even the police.

I think particularly with apprenticeships you have to be quite sure because you’re not just choosing a subject but a career. Having said that, from everything I’ve read, if you obtain a degree via an apprenticeship, I can’t see any reason why you couldn’t then apply for some of the general grad schemes that aren’t fussy about degree subject.

Also, I’ve looked at the stats and the majority of higher/degree apprenticeships actually go to slightly older candidates, 21-25, so there’s no harm in delaying.

My son is the same.
Uni is definitely not for him right now which is fine with me. His grades aren't great and studying isn't really him.
He's mentioned all sorts of ideas every month or so. I suspect that he'll get some sort of job as a stop gap until he hopefully works out what he may like.

His older brother followed a similar path. He left school at 18, worked full time and did an apprenticeship at the business he worked at. He's now 22 and plans to leave his job next year to do another apprenticeship in a subject that he is actually interested in. This is the first time I've seen him so sure and that's really exciting.

I found this, schools pull out all the stops for the academic kids who want to do A levels and university but are worse than useless for everyone else. There should be a careers/ employability service near you so perhaps making an appt with them would be useful. Colleges usually work with local businesses to offer apprenticeships too, so your son could contact them.

Such a shame that schools are so focussed on universities, when it really isn't the right option for all DCs (even academic DC).

There is some useful stuff on https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/

My DS left school at 18, without a clue as to what he wanted to do. We told him that sitting about was not an option so he ended up working in Tesco for a few months (a continuation of his sixth form job) and is now doing an IT apprenticeship which he loves.

One bit of information, as it wasn't obvious to me, is that even if your DC already has Level 3 qualifications (e.g. A Levels) this doesn't preclude them applying for Level 3 apprenticeships, which tend to be easier to get into than the highly sought after degree apprenticeships. Although unfortunately the quality of apprenticeships does vary, as does company support to progress once the Level 3 is finished, so choose wisely!