Apprenticeships can be a great option for those looking to learn a career – here are some of the pros and cons for you to consider before going the apprenticeship way.
Benefits
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- Described as structured training programs designed to help you acquire the know-how and skills needed to help you achieve success within your chosen line of work, apprenticeships provide participants with the opportunity to work in practical situations to earn a qualification.
- You get to advance much faster through your chosen career by securing a job earlier. Furthermore, you get to make a handsome amount of money earlier in life.
- By hitting the ground running through participation in apprenticeships, you demonstrate to employers that you are ready to work; more importantly, you get to earn some much-needed experience. You also get to gain huge amounts of confidence in your line of work by participating in a hands-on learning program.
- Apprenticeships ensure that you are earning a salary while under training. Since you get a paycheck from your employer, while the government covers tuition payments, as is the case for most students, you can forget about paying tuition and accumulating student loans.
- It facilitates freedom of choice. With over 400 apprenticeships available in a variety of industries including commerce, construction, sales, and sports among others; finding an opportunity in your desired line of work will be easy.
- It’s a different approach to learning. By participating in apprenticeships you get to spend your learning time working as opposed to studying all day.
- It entails, learning from experienced heads in the same workplace, such as DST, and through hands-on training. This also gives you the opportunity to earn further qualifications including HNDs and HNCs as well as honorary and foundation degrees.
Drawbacks and Disadvantages
disadvantages of an apprenticeship
- Don’t expect to earn as much as a graduate. The set minimum rate for apprentices is a £ 2.73 per hour worked. However, this is the least amount you can expect to earn; a large number of apprentices get to go home with a higher amount.
- An apprenticeship won’t get you into some careers. If you wish to establish a career in medical or scientific circles, then you will most likely need to have a degree in the first place.
- one of the worst disadvantages of apprenticeship is the fact you will be used to do all the hard monotonous work
disadvantages of apprenticeships for employers
- Time Consuming – Taking the time to teach an apprentice your trade, is certainly going to slow you down, even meaning in the short-term you can take on less work
Lack of Commercial Understanding – As well as a lack of experience, often you might find that apprentices lack the commercial understanding of working within the trade.
It’s best to take the time to consider your options since most employers place a higher value on graduates.
For those who have set their mind on going the apprenticeship route as opposed to applying with their A-levels, it’s important to note that the variety of available courses is relatively smaller, each with a longer course duration period.
Furthermore, the advantages of participating in a full-time learning program and the comprehensive coverage associated with degrees are not available in apprenticeship programs.
On average, entry-level salaries are higher for graduates. Degree holders enjoy a higher hourly rate as compared to those with NVQ-level qualifications; this is according to the findings of a Labor Force Survey conducted back in 2014.
