Post 16 options. No employers for apprenticeships

[MydogWillow]

Hi. Not been on here for ages but would really like to pick your brains please.

DS 16, Yr 11, last "formal" day next Friday. He is wanting to do an apprenticeship in soft landscaping/maintenance. We started looking for an employer early in February and found someone local who was very keen, had a meeting and they have been in contact with the college so assumed that it was a go-er.

However as time has passed, it looks like we have been let down by them as they have stopped communicating with the college and us also. However, they are exceptionally busy atm so we are trying to keep positive but time is ticking.

We are now looking at Plan B incase they definitely pull out but have found very few employers locally are wanting to take on apprentices. It would seem this industry is so busy that employers can't be arsed don't want to commit to training an apprentice particularly in the current climate. We are rarely getting responses at all, which I understand isn't unusual in that industry.

Travelling further afield is only as good as public transport allows (not reliable for early starts or late finishes associated with this work) or for cycling/moped.

While DS has enjoyed school he isn't naturally academic and so 6th form or college isn't for him.

So my question is:
If he finds somewhere suitable and they want to employ him but not through an apprenticeship, that will effectively mean he's NEET? And what are the implications of that?

We really hope the original employer comes through but my spidey senses are saying otherwise. We really thought we were sorted nice and early so this has taken us by surprise and are now panicking looking for other options.

TIA and thank you for reading.

That's a shame @TabbyStar, might be worth reminding them, we work up to 19th birthday or occasionally up to 25 but it can vary between local authorities.

Thanks Inpatient, she found herself a great apprenticeship, otherwise I might have chased them. I have worked with the County Council employment teams on other things so I know they're doing stuff, I'd forgotten about it tbh until I saw this question!

I don't think that is correct. Is he looking at level 3 nvq courses?

@InpatientGardener that's really interesting. I'm coming at this from the other angle of being an employer offering an apprenticeship. We'd love to target local people that the job could really work for.

@flowerycurtain contact your local authority and see if they have a post 16 team! They might have the perfect candidate for you that they're supporting. I'm always looking for people like you who want to give young people a chance, even groomed a plumber who came to my house into offering some work experience placements

It might also be worth him contacting some local companies. I know a lot of gardeners landscapers who might not want to do the paperwork for a formal apprenticeship programme but would be happy to take on a junior to learn on the job. It would stand him in good stead for more formal qualifications later and also help him identify which things he's interested in ie if he's more interested in hard landscaping, he could specialise in that rather than doing a general garden HND which is broader

@InpatientGardener I will indeed. I'd already contacted local schools but only 1 got back to me with a generic "we'll circulate". I hadn't thought to try LA.

It's in agriculture and the long term career prospects are pretty good. You can be on 30k plus a house by age 30. Admittedly you'll never be a millionaire but if you enjoy a physical role and working outside then it's bloody brilliant.

Sorry to derail the thread op. I'd echo what the poster before me said. Try approaching other local business. There's grants and support available to employers and if someone keen knocks on the door they might do it for them. Good luck to you and your son.

Some post 16 colleges have residences - Pershore college is a specialist in horticulture and do a level 3 in landscaping, but also arboculture and other stuff, and have their own halls on site

@Clymene

It might also be worth him contacting some local companies. I know a lot of gardeners landscapers who might not want to do the paperwork for a formal apprenticeship programme but would be happy to take on a junior to learn on the job. It would stand him in good stead for more formal qualifications later and also help him identify which things he's interested in ie if he's more interested in hard landscaping, he could specialise in that rather than doing a general garden HND which is broader

This. I no longer take on an apprentice without them working for me beforehand. Be it as a Saturday kid, holidays or day release etc. Far too many have parents that think an apprenticeship with me is a good idea but the kid doesn't like the reality. My current apprentice came to me at 14 and started by sweeping the floor. Your lad sounds motivated, research a college place but get him to contact companies offering labour, horticultural companies are busy atm so don't have time to think about formal apprenticeship but they do need help with the heavy work it will help him make connections and find out if he likes it.

@MydogWillow Sparsholt is well recognised as an excellent centre for land based courses and has a nurturing ethos. I know a number of young people who have studied and wide range of courses there including one young man who failed the thrive in a wide variety of other academic settings flying once he reached Sparsholt.

Many thanks. That's really good advice.

DS keeps saying he really just wants to crack on and so we might make enquiries on that basis. He wanted to start with a few days a week over the summer with the potential employer before starting his apprenticeship to see if he/they liked it, so we may now flip our new enquiries on it's head and ask for a junior role, but without the emphasis on an apprenticeship straight away.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Good news, after feeling so despondent earlier in the week about non-responses from local firms, DS had a telephone interview yesterday afternoon for a local apprenticeship/job he applied for a couple of weeks ago (they'd only just around to looking at the applications even though they said if you don't hear back by the 13th, you're application won't be going any further). He's was successful on that and has been added to the short-list for potential interview! We'll know next week. This is his ideal job on an 80 acre site (10 minute cycle ride too) and one he would most like.

He also had a call back yesterday from our local manor house (also apprenticeship and a 15 minute cycle ride) and the owner wants to see him this afternoon :-)

These many not come to anything of course, but we are feeling a lot more positive.