Apprenticeships
An Apprenticeship is on-the-job training leading to a nationally recognised qualification, developed by industry for people of 16 upwards. Most of the young persons training is done while working for an employer who helps the apprentice learn their trade, the rest can be provided by a local college or by a specialist learning provider, or in some cases you could deliver everything yourself.
Elements of an apprenticeship includes
- a knowledge based element
- a competence based element
- transferable or “key skills”
- a module on employment rights and responsibilities.
The length of an aprenticeship varies depending on prior skills levels of the apprentice, the qualification being obtained and industry sector. Generally, Apprenticeships take between one and four years to complete.
Earlier research, conducted in February 2008 by Populus on behalf of the LSC to launch the first National Apprenticeship Week revealed 59% report that training apprentices is more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff, with 59% believing that Apprenticeships lead to lower overall training costs and 53% feeling that they reduce recruitment costs; 57% report a high proportion of their apprentices going on to management positions within the company.