What's genuinely changed

Apprenticeships now run from Level 2 all the way to master's level. A young person can complete a full bachelor's degree while employed, with tuition paid by the employer and government, and finish with no tuition debt and several years of experience.

They exist across professional sectors — law, accountancy, engineering, digital, healthcare, business — not only the trades. And the competitive ones are genuinely competitive: places at well-known employers can attract hundreds of applications.

The concerns worth taking seriously

Not every apprenticeship is good, and it's fair to be discerning:

  • Quality varies. The employer and training provider matter enormously.
  • It narrows the field earlier. At 18 that's a real commitment, though not an irreversible one.
  • The social experience differs. Staying local and working with adults is not the same as moving away with a cohort — better for some, harder for others.
  • It's demanding. A full-time job plus study is more structured pressure than most 18-year-olds have had.

Questions to ask an employer or provider

  • What proportion of your apprentices complete, and how many are still here a year later?
  • Who mentors them day to day, and how often do they meet?
  • How is the off-the-job training organised, and is it protected when work gets busy?
  • What qualification do they finish with, and who awards it?
  • What happens at the end — is there normally a role?

The completion and retention answers are the most revealing. A good employer knows them and volunteers them.

The single most useful hour you can spend

Sit down with them and fill in their GetMyFirstJob profile properly. Not write it for them — fill it in with them.

We deliberately don't ask young people to produce a CV from a blank page, because that mostly measures who has someone at home able to help. The profile asks everyone the same structured questions instead, and we turn it into whatever each employer needs. But it only works if it's actually complete, and this is the part where an adult genuinely helps:

  • You remember things they've forgotten. The summer they helped at the family business. Two years of Scouts. The neighbour's dog they walked every day for a year. Young people routinely leave all of this out because it "doesn't count" — it does.
  • You can push for specifics. "Good with people" means nothing; "served customers on her own on Saturdays from sixteen" means a great deal. Ask "what did you actually do?" until the answer is concrete.
  • You can spot the gaps. Missing GCSE grades, no phone number, an unfinished right-to-work section — small omissions that quietly stop applications.

Do it once, properly, and it works for every application they make. The profile strength indicator on their dashboard shows what's still missing.

How to be useful without taking over

Beyond the profile, the most valuable things are practical: help with deadlines and travel logistics, do a mock interview, and be a sounding board rather than a decision-maker.

Try to keep genuinely open about the answer. Young people are acutely aware of which option an adult is hoping for, and a decision made to satisfy someone else tends not to survive contact with a difficult first year.

Where to look

Vacancies are advertised here and on the government's Find an apprenticeship service. Larger employers also recruit directly from their own careers pages, often opening in the autumn for the following September.

Deadlines are earlier than most families expect. Autumn of the final school year is not too early to be applying.

The short version

  • Apprenticeships now run to degree and master's level, across professional sectors
  • Quality varies enormously — the employer and provider are what matter
  • Ask about completion and retention rates; good employers know them
  • Spend an hour filling in their profile with them — you'll remember what they leave out
  • Be practical and open rather than steering toward an answer
  • Applications often open a full year ahead — autumn of the final year

Common questions

Will an apprenticeship limit their options later?

Rarely. Apprentices go on to university, to degree apprenticeships and to promotion within the employer. What closes doors is not finishing, not the route itself.

Are apprenticeships only for less academic students?

No. Degree apprenticeships at major employers are among the most competitive school-leaver positions in the country.

How do I know if an employer is any good?

Ask about completion and retention, ask to speak to a current apprentice, and check the training provider's inspection reports. Reluctance to answer is itself an answer.

Should I help write their CV?

We'd rather you didn't need to. Applications here run off their profile, not a CV they have to write from scratch — precisely so that young people without someone at home to help aren't at a disadvantage. Where you can genuinely help is sitting with them while they fill it in: you'll remember the volunteering and the Saturday jobs they've forgotten, and you can push them to be specific.

Explore apprenticeships together