Son wants to do an apprenticeship after leaving school but what if he doesnt get accepted on to one?

[Boredandlonely9182]

My son leaves school next year and my husband and I feel pretty clueless on next steps. We both just went to sixth form and then uni along with all our friends . Was seen as the done thing 20 years ago. I had some friends at school who left at 16 and started work straight away and have done really well for themselves.
Our son is not academic at all. Hated school and cant wait to leave. He is in the bottom set for all lessons and is predicted 3's ,4's and 5's across his gcses. He also has adhd and we also think he is on the spectrum aswell but no diagnosis for that yet.
He thinks an apprenticeship would be the best option. As more hands on and just one day a week at college.
There is no point whatsoever in him taking A levels or attending a college 5 days a week as he will either give up and stop going, or will go but likely not to pass the a levels.
We dont really know what is available for him to do? When should we start applying for apprenticeships? And what if it takes a long time for him to be accepted on to one and he leaves school with nothing to move on to?
And if he fails maths and English where would he resit them? Hoping someone can advise us. Thanks

My ds wants to do electrical installation or HVAC, but hasn’t found an apprenticeship yet. I don’t know what to suggest to him as a back up. He doesn’t want to work in an office.

He can do level 2 electrical, but that might also not lead to anything if he can’t get an apprenticeship yet.

If he fails his maths and English GCSE he will be able to get on to an L2 apprenticeship but he will have to pass L1 functional skills maths and English and be working towards L2 which is the equivalent of a 4 at GCSE. but doesn’t need to pass it

if he progresses and does a L3 apprenticeship then he must pass the L2 functional skills.

unless things have changed recently…..

now he should get ‘some’ support with this. How much depends on whether he studies at a college or a 16-18 yr old work based training provider but the maths and English support will be minimal really. Most of the work he will have to do independently and that is VERY difficult for a lot of these learners. As someone else said the pass rate is very low.

I would encourage him to try as hard as he possibly can to get the 4 at GCSE. Otherwise it could really limit his opportunities and will be so much harder to pass functional skills whilst also doing an apprenticeship. He will really regret it if he doesn’t put the effort in now.

You can still go through the college route, my lad was the same and ended up doing a Btec business course and enjoyed it but there was loads of options. He resat his English via college as he go a 3 while doing it.

I assume he cant drive yet? I have a young relative who cannot secure an apprenticeship as all the companies want him to be 17 and have a driving licence. So despite doing well in GCSEs and passing interviews, hes stuck in a very basic college course until he can pass his test.

That was a very unpleasant shock for all.

Only going on very limited personal experience. Ds is employed by a large contractor, they took on (I think) 5 apprentices who started together, 2 had done electrical qualifications at college so are further along their training, one has almost finished. When he started his second year a new apprentice from his company joined their group at college having already done level 1.
From the college open day we went to they suggested that you could swap from college to apprenticeship at any stage and they would put students forward when apprenticeships opened up. Not sure how this works in reality though.
As @turkeyboots said being able to drive is an advantage, Ds passed his test a couple of months in and after driving a year is insured on company vehicles (but doesn’t have his own van, he drives his car to his base). Being over 18 is also an advantage as some sites apparently don’t allow under 18’s.

If he’s not doing a levels I would throw everything at him getting a 4 in English and Maths it is so much harder when you have to retake. Also work on him getting his driving license as soon as he can.

My son wasn’t academic. He passed his GCSEs with 4s 5s and a few 6s. He did a year at college doing level 2 carpentry. He’s now in an apprenticeship and absolutely loves it. Not only is he earning good money for a 17 nearly 18 year old but he’s learning something he enjoys. He still goes to college one day a week. We’re in the SW England and apprenticeships in our area are difficult to come by. He applied via the gov website and followed his application up with an email to the director. The met him and allowed him to shadow the team for a week then offered to take him on. Best thing he’s done. Would definitely recommend an apprenticeship

My DC is on mild ASD and completed BTec Level 3 national diploma in IT with 2A levels with bit of a struggle and also did EPQ with grade A equivalent to 0.5 A level. DC is applying for apprenticeships with no success in TFL and IT. Working in supermarket part time. Until DC gets apprenticeship what course can be done? I don't want DC to sit at home with social media. Any suggestions welcome. May be higher tier GCSE Maths and Science?

Sorry but that just not true at all. My son has 3 decent A levels and experience on construction sites and he cannot get an apprenticeship in construction for love nor money.

That doesn't match with my experience.

As an employer who takes on apprentices, first point, HE needs to call and email. I refuse to engage with someone whose mum does it. A good application shows they’ve had a part time job or done volunteer work, it would detail their transport arrangements (I don’t want to be picking up and dropping someone off every day).

GCSE maths and English a C equivalent is needed but most colleges will offer “functional skills” alongside the industry training.

I have a ND team so that’s less of a factor but for ADHD knowing they are managing it is important as they do have to work on a portfolio outside of college.

Contact local further education colleges and see what they offer, they often advise on how to secure a placement.

But to reiterate, the apprentice taking action independently is one of the key things I look for.

Also for ADHD the single most important factor is finding something they are interested in.

Thanks, this information is useful for my DC as well.

That's true. The two BAE Naval yards here in Glasgow are using a lot of Asian, particularly Filipino, welders because there aren't enough locally.

The welding is interesting as my firm have welders and yes they are mostly older

DS did T-levels after school and can't get an apprenticeship at all

What about at the local council?

My DS left college this year with 2 good BTECs and has not been able to find an apprenticeship. Unless you want to work in a nursery, they are very few and far between in our area and competition is huge. He is working part time in a hotel kitchen. Really hard to get full time work doing that too. No shop jobs either.

if he doesn’t get his maths and English he can do a level 2 apprenticeship instead of a level 3. He sounds very sensible. Contact your local careers advisor to explore options. Some apprenticeships are through colleges and tie in with the academic year, others apprenticeships are through providers and can be started anytime.

Friends son got taken on by a large construction company. He failed maths and so had to repeat this at the same time through college. Which he did and he did pass.
He’s almost finished his apprenticeship now, earning over £45k. He worked away from home so had all his accommodation and bills paid for. All his money was spends. He saved and has bought a house. 21 years old. Own home. Earning £45k which will increase.
He was not an academic boy either but is absolutely excelling.

Apprenticeships are amazing. My son's just completed a five year long one in law and he's now working in law (not solicitor) with no debt whatsoever.
If you find a job he wants at an employer. He needs to tell them about the apprenticeship scheme.