WHAT ARE APPRENTICESHIPS?
Apprenticeships provide 16-24 year-olds with a mixture of on and off-the-job training
while they are being paid. As employees, apprentices work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills. Off-the-job, usually
on a day release basis, apprentices receive training with a local training provider such as a MCQ to acquire the knowledge
to underpin their practical work-based skills. Off-the-job training can also be delivered in the work place.
Apprenticeships are designed by employers and can be tailored to meet employers’
needs. Apprenticeships can improve an organisation’s productivity and profitability, and are an effective means of filling
skills gaps in current and future workforces. They are available for both new and existing employees.
There are two levels of Apprenticeships:
- ‘Apprenticeships’,
equivalent to GCSE level, incorporate a National Vocational Qualification to Level 2; key skills and in some cases a technical
certificate
- 'Advanced
Apprenticeships’, equivalent to A-levels, incorporate a National Vocational Qualification to Level 3,
key skills and a technical certificate
Apprenticeships typically take between one and two years to complete, depending on the
type of Apprenticeship.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funds and promotes Apprenticeships. Established
in April 2001, the LSC exists to make Britain better skilled and more competitive.
It is the planning and funding body for post-16 education and training in England, up to but excluding Higher Education.
The LSC operates from a national office in Coventry and 47 local offices across England.
Each Apprenticeships structure is developed by the relevant Sector Skills Council (SSCs)
–employer-led organisations made up of business or economic groups within industry. Sector Skills Councils are also
responsible for the development of new Apprenticeships. The LSC works in partnership with Sector Skills Councils.
