Employment and Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships in the UK can be explained in their simplest form as training to earn a qualification that will enable you to perform a specific job such as Engineer or Accountant. They are usually in an organisation, and they tend to offer to hire you after the training is completed.  Apprenticeships have to be delivered through a registered provider, even if an organisation or employer is paying for it. If you are 18 or over and looking for a non-university route to starting a career, you might want to consider an apprenticeship.

The resources on this page provide you with information relating to apprenticeship training, work experience, and jobs including links to employer rating sites and useful information about different types of industries. 

It also includes resources that allow schools to book employer sessions for their students as well as a list of government-approved apprenticeship training providers (or ROTO – Register of Training Organisations).

What is the difference between employment and apprenticeships?

Employment is simply finding work for which you are paid. There are different types of jobs in the UK and they require different qualifications or experience or both, depending on the type of work, organisation and industry. Some jobs  require just GCSEs or at most a College qualification or A/Levels but they are mostly lower level jobs in certain sectors such as Retail, or parts of the Construction industry. 

View featured apprenticeships schemes

Do you love numbers? Are you interested in helping businesses and organisations manage their money better and grow? Are you naturally curious? Perhaps accounting could be the profession for you. See this featured apprenticeship from BDO.

Are you interested in a technical or IT career in a major global Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) company? Check out this featured apprenticeship from Siemens.

If energy and power supply excites you, or you are a STEM student interested in power generation, National Grid offers an apprenticeship programme that could help you start a career in that sector. National Grid is vital to the UK government’s focus on moving to green power sources so it’s also a good place to learn about this. Check out the National Grid apprenticeship programmes.

See below for more links to useful pages and resources.

Name of resource	Type of Content	Free or Paid?	What will you find there?	Link to resource
Apprenticeships Zone	Vocational skills and apprenticeship resources in different disciplines	Free to view	An online tool owned by AIM Group offering a directory of apprenticeships from different companies in various sectors, with location, industry, company and similar details available for each. You can also search by industry or by location.	https://www.theaimgroup.co.uk/
Qualifications Zone	Vocational qualifications and careers resources	Free to view – qualifications are not free	This is part of the AIM Group website. It offers a directory of qualifications from diverse sectors that people at different stages of their careers can take. For each qualification, you will also find information on the course delivery mode (such as if it is online), how long it takes to complete the course, and if it’s fully or partially funded. Useful to know, especially if funding is important for you.	https://www.theaimgroup.co.uk/courses
Apprenticeships	Employer directory for apprenticeships	Free to view	A government website that provides information on apprenticeships for both students and employers. You can also find videos from apprentices and employers, as well as a search tool(‘find an apprenticeship’).	https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/
National Careers Service – Explore careers	Employment and careers resource site	Free to view	A site that allows users to explore a variety of jobs and provides information* on each job. You can search for jobs by set categories and sub-categories, typical hours per week, typical shifts, how to enter that career and what you’ll do while working. It also has some details on career path/progression, but not much. *Average Salary may not always be available or specific.	https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers
Notgoingtouni	Apprenticeships and work experience advice	Free to view	Information about apprenticeships and work experience for school leavers. It includes case studies and articles on different topics within different industries, directory of employers providing apprenticeship opportunities by region and industry sector.	https://www.notgoingtouni.co.uk/
The Guardian Jobs	Jobs search site	Free to view and search	A directory of 5000+ jobs available for application in a range of sectors and companies, hosted on the jobs.guardian website. You can filter by keyword, area, type and sector.	https://jobs.theguardian.com/?INTCMP=gdnwb_copts_jobs_editorial_links
Small Business Toolbox: How to become self employed in UK	Self-employment advice	Free to view	A video all about becoming self employed for the first time in the UK, including preparation, the HMRC registration process, business bank accounts and insurance.	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYdWyKIuwQM&feature=emb_logo
Global 2000: The World’s Best employers	Jobs and employment resource	Free to view – Registration required	If you are looking to get into work, wouldn’t it be helpful to find out what those already working in an organisation really think about them? Forbes’ list of World’s Best employers in the world, published annually, is based on employees opinions of their own companies and others. It can be filtered by name and industry.	https://www.forbes.com/lists/worlds-best-employers/#71a9a78d1e0c
ROTO: Register of Training Organisations	Apprenticeship and Training resource	Free to view and search- training is not free	A UK government-approved list of training organisations that are registered to provide apprenticeship training. They are not direct employers themselves but may work to support an employer organisation.	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-training-organisations