Could I do an apprenticeship?

[Whuut]

Bit of background- I left school at 16 with ok ish GCSE grades, not the best, but went straight on to do what I loved, can't say exactly as very outing but it's in the entertainment business.

I'm on maternity leave at the moment and when I go back to work, I would like to do an apprenticeship in engineering. What I used to do is no longer an option as it takes me away from home too much. I've had a little look online, most of them say what you need to be able to apply and the one that I don't have is English C or above(I got D, I know, dreadful.)

Does anyone have any advice on what I could/should do? Could I just go for it and hope they would take me anyway? I think I'm pretty smart, I had a hard time at school, mostly bullying, so left without much but I learn well whilst doing things- hence wanting to do an apprenticeship and not uni. Or would I need to re-sit English? Go to college?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

This is one of those where you'd be well advised to contact the firms offering the apprenticeships and asking them. I imagine they will say no. I suspect the only way you might be able to bypass it is if you have a higher qualification that demonstrates your capability - eg if you had a decent English a level, or a degree. Quite often firms ask for certain qualifications to reduce the number of applications they have to sift through!

Math and English A-C is a pretty standard ask across the board really - I have a feeling you are going to need to redo it. You can apply, but it wouldn't be fair to anyone else for them to make an exception for you, would it.

It's unfortunate that you had a bad experience at school, but that isn't going to wash as an excuse - it's so easy and accessible to resit that GCSE. If I were a hiring manager I'd be impressed that you had the dedication to redo it - I would not be impressed if you applied and turned up with the excuse as to why you don't have the required qualifications.

Apprenticeships are in demand now, especially with the rising cost of university.

@Isleepinahedgefund Thanks for replying. Totally get what you're saying, you're right. I am now thinking of going to college to find out how to resit. Just for the record, I wouldn't of given an excuse or said I had a hard time at school, I was just saying here to give some context. I definitely wouldn't try and use it as a pity party get in.

Posted too soon. Thanks for the advice!

I also think getting that C is your first step. A C in English & Maths (or the functional skills equivalent) is the bare minimum for almost any work spheres. Get that, and so many more doors will open for you!

@MaidofKent78 Thank you, I have noticed that, luckily I did well in maths so just the English I need to get. I'm going to look into it. I've never had a job that has required any kind of qualifications so this is all a bit new to me.

Do you have an NVQ or Level 2 qualification equivalent to 4gcses grade C?

@ShimmeryShiny No, I don't have anything apart from GCSE's. As soon as I left school I started working. English is the only one I would need to resit though as I have A-C in everything else.

As has been said already, best first step is getting your GCSE sorted. You will need to get it anyway if you want to start moving up to higher qualifications. In principal you can find some level 2 apprenticeships that may take you with grade Ds (now 3s), but that is very rare in engineering. If you can find one, they would then also ask you to do your English alongside the apprenticeship. It is always worth asking any company you are interested in. If nothing else they will then know you are keen and if you get back in touch in a few months, having sorted your English, they know you mean business.
In the mean time, if this is a possibility for you, I would highly recommend you ask for some work experience or even just a day of shadowing, so you can find out more about roles and companies. It will make a great impression and means the companies also get to know you. I have seen this lead straight to apprenticeship offers, but even if not, it will look great on any future application and will really help you find the roles and companies that are best for you.
Good luck!

Thanks @Theresa17, that's a good idea. Wouldn't be possible at the moment at DS is a bottle refusing, velcro baby and only 4 months old. But definitely something to look into when he gets bigger.