Has your child decided to take a different route and not go to university on a full time basis? Tell the National Apprenticeship Service about your experience. £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[PoppyMumsnet]

Figuring out whether your DC wants to go to university or not can be a stressful period for both parents and DCs alike. If your child has decided not to go to uni full time, it’s often hard to know what other options are out there. The National Apprenticeship Service, which is part of the Department for Education, wants to hear about Mumsnetters’ experiences of finding alternatives to uni. They want to know whether you’ve heard of the different apprenticeships options and whether they’re appealing to you and your DCs.

Here’s what the National Apprenticeship Service has to say on apprenticeships:

“The government has stated that all young people must stay in some sort of education or training until at least their 18th birthday. This does not necessarily mean staying in school. Young people have a choice about how they continue in education or training post 16. One of these choices could be an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is a real job, with real training, meaning you can earn while you learn and gain the necessary skills and professional competencies in your chosen career. They are available to anyone over the age of 16 living in England. There are different entry requirements depending on the sector and job and can last from a minimum of one year up to five years.

At any one time, there are up to 28,000 apprenticeship vacancies available online in a variety of careers and industries across England such as the likes of Rolls-Royce, BBC, ASOS, ITV, Barclays, Airbus, IBM and Google, as well as thousands of small and medium-sized businesses.”

Here is more information from the National Apprenticeships Service about apprenticeships

They also have a partnership with The Student Room which you can access here

Here are a few questions that the National Apprenticeships Service is interested in hearing your thoughts about. Please comment on the thread below.

• If your child has decided not to go to college/university, have you been able to find out what other options are out there?
• Do you know how apprenticeships work - do you know what qualifications they give and what they pay? Please tell us about your experience.
• How difficult has it been for you to find information about apprenticeships and what types of apprenticeships are available?
• Did you know that there are degree apprenticeships?
• Did you know you can become a solicitor without going to university full time?

Everyone who posts on the thread will be entered into a prize draw and one person will win a £300 voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

Standard T&Cs apply

An Apprenticeship sounds good but not sure where to look for the informaion

My son has always wanted to be a builder so an apprenticeship will be really well suited to him. Great for practical learners

IBM both sides
This is an interesting article showing the career paths of a graduate and apprentice in the same company. I'd want to see how pay and progression opportunities differ through their careers though.

Mine are too young to be thinking about that yet but I honestly think that apprenticeships are a fantastic idea as not everyone is academically minded and want to spend four years at university so this is a great way for them to learn a trade.

my eldest decided to get work experience and take a part time course at the local tech college

My children have not reached that stage yet, one still at primary school. When they do reach the age to decide their options following the end of compulsory school age (which may increase yet again) then my view is that as long as they are happy with the path they are choosing then I am happy to. I will guide them as best as I can but the decision needs to be theirs. There's too many pushy parents about who only want for their children what they couldn't have, they're not putting their children's best interests forward, I'm goinig to try very hard not to be one of those though I do understand that some children do need more guidance than others.

Just starting to look at options now DD is getting a little older and with the school now offering apprenticeships in certain fields with a half day release each week into our local university this has opened up a whole new life for her.
So after exams etc she will already be familiar with university life and also the options of working while learning so we will look at options then.

My DD went to college for two years started a third year as she wasn't ready to go to university and wasn't sure what she wanted to do unfortunately she didn't continue with the third year and took a year out to figure out what she wanted to do with her life applied for apprenticeships with no luck but it all turned out for the best as she is now starting university in September to become a teacher.

I work in the NHS and our Trust provides some great apprenticeships in business and admin, catering, HR and IT. I am looking forward to the new degree level nursing and therapy apprenticeships starting soon.

We have one DD at Uni studying an arts degree, unless she goes into teaching (which she is not that keen on) I cant see how her particular degree will have benefitted her career at all, although she has grown a lot as a person and become independent.

Our DS1 wants to join the Army, we need to investigate what apprenticeship roles are available in the military as I can see this would be an area that would interest him.

Son is thinking of getting a job asap and just working for a career.

My girls just turned 5. Sure I'll be worrying about this stuff in no time at all

My older children are 17 and 18 . My 18 year old is currently doing level 2 b-tech in ICT , then hoping to either go into work or go into an apprenticeship. My 17 yr old is currently doing a-levels. She is hoping to get a place at leeds uni next year when her course is complete. I think so kids are more academic minded and suited to uni and others more practical and suited to on the job learning. I really dont mind which route they take as long as they are happy

My two are too young to be considering university at this time, but from my experience I think it is fantastic that other options are becoming more recognised.

I'm very interested in apprenticeships as I work for an employer who's heavily invested and I see some amazing results every day in my work place.

However.... this led me to encouraging DD1 to an apprenticeship. It was based in a school learning to do their social media. The employer side was great. The training element was non-existent - she was given worksheets and told to Google. When she raised questions, she was given a very bad time by the training organisation and the school didn't seem to have a clue. She left and is now at university. Whole thing so disappointing

DD2 is just about to start a diploma in jewellery manufacturing. Apprenticeships are a possible next step but I'll be far more cautious

One of my DC decided to do an apprenticeship after GCSE. He was not keen on academic work although he did quite well (12 good GCSEs ) Joined a global company - quite a competitive recruitment process - tests, assessment centre etc. Idea was to do NVQ level 3 qualification (the one offered advertised be equiv to two A levels) and then possibly degree. He has completed the level 3 qualification and now 3 years later earning around £20000 but the degree part for various reasons has not been forthcoming. Part of that has been down to his laidbackless, and part to lack of understanding or willingness/ability to implement the full scheme in the local department in which he works. However he does seem to be doing quite well and is currently working towards his next promotion which we hope will happen soon. We're a little disappointed because our idea when Allowing him to do the apprenticeship was that he would do a degree while working at the company. The lesson learnt is that you can't believe all the company say in their apprenticeship recruitment drive ( we were told he would earn around £30000 within five years - still possible but unlikely now I think). Parents lose control - once you've let them go, their progress is out of your hands and in the hands of the apprentice and the company (but I suppose that's similar at university). Overall I guess we're reasonably happy but I'd like to see him learning and earning more. Perhaps he'll be able to do a degree part-time but persuading him to do this is an issue ( as well as him persuading the company to support him). Hopefully he will get more enthusiastic about that later. The field he is in is IT. We found the process of finding out about apprenticeships quite easy - it is all online - school did not get involved . I Kew you could be a solicitor without going to university - remember that was possible way back in my day also in the 70s through articles and professional examinations - then afterwards it seemed to be that everyone did a law degree which exempted from some the professional examinations but still lots of others to do afterwards. Same with chartered accountants. One of my friends joined an accountancy firm after school instead of university and took professional examinations over a period of about three years to be a chartered accountant. Now they usually do a degree first but still have to take the professional examination afterwards when they have secured a training position.

So is the £300 voucher worth about a months pay on an apprenticeship?

• If your child has decided not to go to college/university, have you been able to find out what other options are out there?

Yes DS had a school careers evening which had a few companies offering apprenticeships and he'd looked on line and found others he could apply for.

• Do you know how apprenticeships work - do you know what qualifications they give and what they pay? Please tell us about your experience.

DS applied for 3 apprenticeships 2 in engineering 1 in business. With all 3 he had to do quite rigorous online tests to get through to the interview stage. The pay was between 10.5k - 19k (plus London weighting) He has been interviewed and offered his 1st choice which he will hopefully start in a couple of weeks (GCSE results dependant)
The scheme he has chosen will give him the qualifications to go on to a degree course if he wishes or he may be able to stay with the company who will fund his studies up to HNC level.

• How difficult has it been for you to find information about apprenticeships and what types of apprenticeships are available?

There is a lot of information on line however, there is an advantage to knowing exactly where your interest lies and looking at the schemes offered at your chosen industries.

• Did you know that there are degree apprenticeships?

Yes

• Did you know you can become a solicitor without going to university full time?

I do now.

If your child has decided not to go to college/university, have you been able to find out what other options are out there?
Yes through the government's apprenticeship website

• Do you know how apprenticeships work - do you know what qualifications they give and what they pay? Please tell us about your experience.

Yes, and I think some of them are well worthwhile and some are an excuse for hiring cheap labour. My daughter was hoping to do an apprenticeship in marketing, or a similar field. She was willing to be very flexible. This was her experience: Answered adverts which purported to be for digital marketing apprenticeships, but in reality were training providers looking for young adults to sign up for non-existent apprenticeships. I presume they get money for everyone they sign up to their 'training schemes' and invite to an 'Open Day'. Acceptance onto these training schemes was, of course, dependent on the young person finding an actual apprenticeship, but given that none of the training providers actually had or knew of any existing vacancies, this was all a big waste of time and involved her in travelling expenses and hours of time. Was intereviewed six times and didn't get offered anything. On four occasions she was told - and I quote - she was "not experienced enough". For a trainee position, why was the employer looking for "experience". Did they just want cheap labour? She had relevant GCSEs and AS levels in media, arts, graphics, English, Maths etc. While she was looking for an apprenticeship, we saw lots of adverts for apprentice call centre workers, waiting staff and hotel staff on the government's apprenticeship website. Why is this allowed? Traditional apprenticeships in engineering, hairdressing, bricklaying etc teach real skills that lead to proper jobs paying more than minimum wage. It does not take one year or eighteen months to learn how to wait tables (or any other 'skill' that will only ever result in a NMW job.) This is exploitative and should not be allowed. My daughter ended up being offered a good apprenticeship for a creative local small business, doing general admin work (or Business Administration as the gov website calls it). As a tiny business, it was clear she would learn a lot about how a company worked and gain valuable experience. However, the "learning" seemed to consist of the employer ticking off lists of skills that she'd acquired. There was no college attendance required, so really apprentices are being left in the hands of employers, who may be good or may be unscrupulous. My daughter was offered a real job by the company within 4 weeks or starting, earning more than double the apprenticeship wage, as her employer was also frustrated by their experience of dealing with the local college, which was meant to be responsible for the learning side of things. To say the college's apprenticeship 'expert' was useless would be an understatement.

• How difficult has it been for you to find information about apprenticeships and what types of apprenticeships are available?

Finding information was easy.

• Did you know that there are degree apprenticeships?

Yes. I work in a university and have seen them advertised there. However, they only offer them for a very limited subject range.

• Did you know you can become a solicitor without going to university full time?

Yes

Wish they would consider it. Eldest off to Uni in sept, and will have such a large debt, I think it would be better to enter world of work straightaway

Scaryclown - I don't know what type of apprenticeships your child has been looking at but from my personal experience they pay a lot more than £300 per month, the apprentice minimum wage is £3.50 per hour so I'd be asking questions about ones you see that are offering less than £300 per month

A few years to go still. However, with degree fees rising and graduate career opportunities declining, looking at broader options is definitely more important.

DS decided not to go to university after A Levels. Has been doing casual work but is now 21. Wondering if apprenticeships are still out there for him with a level 3 qualification at 21.

I have a dd starting Y13 who is considering an apprenticeship next year. In answer to your questions:

1. Have discovered several national sites offering apprenticeships and her sixth form career newsletter emails out local opportunities.
2. What is unclear is what level of apprenticeship to apply for. with A levels should you be going for level 3 or degree level (or does it depend how relevant your A levels are or the grades obtained). Some adverts are unclear about salaries.
3. Not diifficult to find info but how do you know which schemes are the best ones in terms of colleges and employers. do you get a better deal with a larger or smaller company?
4. Yes know degrees are possible but very few advertised opportunities at this level.
5. Know solicitors possible but this isn't what dd is interested in.

Finally in answer to those who think that graduates usually earn more than apprenticeships, this is not always the case.

If your child has decided not to go to college/university, have you been able to find out what other options are out there?

Yes. My son was fairly academic and got ABB at A level so I assumed he might want to go to Uni. He wanted to do something entirely unsuitable (won't say what as it might out me). Thankfully the unsuitable thing fell through after about a year and then he came home and mooched about making me v.cross with him.

Luckily one of my other son's friends had got an apprenticeship at a local college and worked in the apprenticeship department. He suggested an IT apprenticeship to my son which should have been level 2 followed by level 3. My son enjoyed learning about IT support but hated writing about health and safety etc and wasn't very motivated to do it so although he covered all the necessary level 3 technical stuff he didn't get the qualification because he could never be bothered to write the required essays. The firm didn't take him on after the first year but he managed to find IT support work through an agency and 3 years on, is earning around £18000.00. (Not too bad a salary in the Midlands)

Son wasn't very impressed by the support provided by the college and felt that the assessor who used to visit him in his workplace had less IT support knowledge than he did himself and it was just a tick box exercise.

• Do you know how apprenticeships work - do you know what qualifications they give and what they pay? Please tell us about your experience. The money in his first year was low but my son thinks appropriate given how little he knew when he first started.

• How difficult has it been for you to find information about apprenticeships and what types of apprenticeships are available? It was fairly easy to access the website although my son got his placement in a different way - see above.

• Did you know that there are degree apprenticeships? Yes

• Did you know you can become a solicitor without going to university full time? Yes. For some areas of law it is probably a very sensible way of becoming a Solicitor.

This is something I have been researching recently for ds1 who just turned 16. He is going on to do A levels in Maths, Further Maths and Computer Science with the intention of becoming a software engineer. We had planned university, but recently discovered degree apprenticeships which seem the best of both worlds.

• If your child has decided not to go to college/university, have you been able to find out what other options are out there?

Yes, but only because I have been very proactive and attended specific degree apprenticeship fairs with him.

• Do you know how apprenticeships work - do you know what qualifications they give and what they pay? Please tell us about your experience.

Yes, as above. However, the only ones we are interested in are the degree apprenticeships.

• How difficult has it been for you to find information about apprenticeships and what types of apprenticeships are available?

If I hadn't had a contact at a University who told us about a fair specifically for degree apprenticeships, it would have been very difficult. Attending that was hugely informative and allowed me to speak directly to the recruiters for the companies that were running the apprenticeships. They were able to tell me what my son needed to do to maximise his chances of getting on one as they are very competitive.

• Did you know that there are degree apprenticeships?

Yes, as above.

• Did you know you can become a solicitor without going to university full time?

No.