As GCSE results day is approaching, it’s time to make a decision about your future. If you are currently in year 11 you may be battling the decision whether to attend college or to do an apprenticeship. This blog will help you weigh up your options.

Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity to gain practical experience while learning. 80% of your time is spent in the workplace and 20% of your time will be spent on off-the-job training. The aim of an apprenticeship is to further develop your practical skills and knowledge in your chosen sector, this gives you a head start in your career as most of your peers may not have experienced a professional working environment. When doing an apprenticeship with us, you will be allocated a Skills Coach that will have regular meetings with you to help and support you with your apprenticeship coursework and overall journey.

Progression within the company:

Apprenticeships allow you to progress within the company, you can develop your skills further to acquire a senior position in the future. There are many opportunities that apprenticeships provide you with.

Earn while you learn:

An apprenticeship allows you to earn a salary while gaining knowledge in your chosen industry. You will receive one-to-one training sessions with your skills coach. The aim of an apprenticeship is to boost your skills through working in a professional environment. Once you have started your developing your skills through the apprenticeship you become more valuable to the company and employer, therefore are able to discuss a potential increase in your salary.

College

After taking GCSE’s many students opt to attend college as this is seen as a safer option that provides more opportunities. However, in recent years apprenticeships have become more common, therefore providing a wider range of apprenticeship opportunities. If you are torn between college and an apprenticeship, it is important to know that you can do an apprenticeship at any age 16+, therefore you can do an apprenticeship after college.

Study multiple subjects:

While being at college you can choose to study more than one topic, this gives students some form of flexibility when deciding what to do as a career as they feel that they have more options. Although apprenticeships will only allow you to study in one specific area, you can do as many apprenticeships as you please.

Future Earning potential:

Many students believe that the earning potential is higher if you attend college as the minimum wage for apprenticeships is £4.80 per hour. However, this is not always the case, apprenticeships allow you to gain practical experience, which is what employers usually require. You can also work your way up to a senior position within your company.

Your ideal career:

You may decide to attend college as you are aiming for a career in the medical field etc, apprenticeships may not be the best option for this as they do not offer many apprenticeships within the medical field. However, this may change in the future, so always do your research on the current apprenticeships available.  

We offer a wide range of apprenticeships that you may be interested in, If you would like to learn more about apprenticeships, please contact us on 01273 980260 or email  info@nextstepapprenticeships.co.uk