Apprenticeships are fast becoming one of the most innovative ways of finding new employees for companies and getting vital experience for people looking to succeed in their specific chosen fields.
A lot of apprentices are on a lower wage than permanent employees, but they’re able to find quality skills and experiences that they need to advance in the workplace.
In a lot of cases, these apprentices also earn themselves permanent positions that can help both, the workplace and the individual. How do apprenticeships work? Follow our guide to find out more.
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What Is An Apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a great way for someone to gain work experience and learn more about their chosen field of work, whilst spending time on the job. Despite the lower pay in some instances, apprenticeships are considered as a real job and look great on someone’s resume.
The fact that someone shows the motivation to work at a lower wage in their preferred profession shows that they may become a valuable asset to any future employer.
One of the most important parts of an apprenticeship is that you get to learn new things. On top of being in the workplace, you also get to take part in earning qualifications on the side.
This will benefit you in terms of getting well-deserved recommendations on your resume and will help to find you jobs in the future. Just because your time may end with your temporary employer, doesn’t mean that the apprenticeship hasn’t done its job.
How Do Apprenticeships Work?
As previously mentioned, apprenticeships work by having a qualification course work alongside the employee being in and around the workplace.
Many apprentices will have set windows throughout their employment to go and complete their qualification course, usually in the form of exams or coursework. This ensures that the individual can enjoy their time in the workplace, whilst having the spare time to complete their course.
The good thing about apprenticeships is that you’re being paid to complete the course, as well as the time in the workplace. You may think that when you’re at college, or wherever you may be doing the qualification, you aren’t getting paid.
This is the opposite. Employers will often pay their apprentices to complete the coursework so that they have a fully-qualified individual to employ at the end of their time at the company.
In order to qualify for an apprenticeship, the best thing to do is research the chosen course you’re looking at. People will choose apprenticeships that are within the field of work that they wish to succeed in, sometime in the future.
Some apprenticeships will require their apprentices to be without a university degree so that they can ensure that the participants are working their way up. Teaching people skills from scratch can be a great way of shaping an individual to their preferred area of work.
What Can I Learn From An Apprenticeship?
There are lots of important things that you can take away from your time as an apprentice, on top of the qualification that you will have completed on the side.
For example, the experience of being in and around a genuine workplace will give you a vision of what working life is like. By doing this you can make friends, learn the ropes, and give yourself the full idea of what it’s like to be an employee at that particular company.
With making friends comes making contacts. These people are a resource for you to use! People you meet will be able to find out what kind of person you are and how motivated you are for a job.
These contacts will then have other people that you can meet and potentially get job opportunities from. Of course, these people can go on to be your friends after the completion of your apprenticeship, but they can also come in handy!
One of the best things you can learn from an apprenticeship is how to become a good employee. Whether that’s for the company you’re an apprentice for, or for future employers. The best way of finding this out is by getting feedback from your superiors.
By asking them what you’re good at and what areas you need to improve in, you can get a good idea of your strengths and weaknesses. These can then be used and improved for your next job!
On top of all this, it’s important that you volunteer for as much as you can whilst on your apprenticeship. This is for two main reasons. The first is so that you can get as much experience as you can whilst at the workplace.
This is important to you on a personal level and also to your employer, so they can see that the apprenticeship has been successful. The second reason is so that your employer can see that you’re motivated and proactive.
Even if they can’t hire you at the end of the apprenticeship, they’ll give you a glowing reference!
How Long Do Apprenticeships Last?
Apprenticeships are good because they usually last anywhere between six months and two years. This gives you sufficient time to learn on the job and earn a qualification.
Of course, every company’s apprenticeship program may vary in length, as well as the time spent between the job and the course. The easiest way to find out is to contact the employer directly or to research the job, wherever it might be posted.
If you can do all of this and still find yourself interested, there’s nothing stopping you from applying!
Final Thoughts
Apprenticeships may seem like alien territory to those who haven’t been involved with one before, but the only difference is that you’re learning whilst working on the job. With regards to the areas of apprenticeships, they can be anything from engineering to PR and journalist positions.
Because of this, there are lots of different options to choose from out there, suiting lots of different people! You may be on less pay at first, but excel in your courses and get as much experience as you can! This can lead to bigger and better things in the future.
