Automotive apprenticeships

With increases in university and tuition fees coupled with the growing tightness in the job market, many young people are choosing instead to focus on apprenticeships and work experience opportunities.

By Christian Judd

An apprenticeship is a genuine job working for a real employer combined with practical training and theoretical knowledge, which aims to give experience and develop skills whilst also earning a salary.

Apprenticeships in the automotive industry are available throughout the UK and there are currently 130,000 businesses offering schemes in various industry sectors, from customer care to vehicle maintenance, with roughly 255,500 individuals enrolled on an apprenticeship.

Anyone living in the UK, no longer in full-time education and aged over 16 years old can apply to become an apprentice, at any time of the year, depending on vacancies. Apprenticeships do not require any payment from the applicant and the National Apprenticeship Service will pay the cost of training depending on age, supplying 100 per cent for apprentices aged 16-18, and up to 50 per cent for those aged 19-24, with a contribution for specified places to apprentices aged over 25+. As apprenticeships are essentially paid work and training combined, all apprentices must be given the suitable national minimum wage. First year apprentices and those under 19 work at £2.68 per hour. 19 and 20 years olds are paid £5.03 per hour and those aged 21 and over £6.31 per hour. Apprenticeships must last at least 12 months with apprentices working a minimum of 30 hours a week, leading to a them gaining a globally recognised national qualification.

There are three types of apprenticeship available, depending on current skills and qualifications: Intermediate Level Apprenticeships, Advanced Level Apprenticeships and Higher Apprenticeships. All levels culminate in apprentices receiving a nationally recognised professional qualification with a technical certificate such as a BTEC, relevant to the specific apprenticeship chosen. Ultimately, Higher Apprenticeships are similar and equivalent to degrees, and with the current expansion these specialised and highly skilled opportunities are becoming more widely available.

A secure career is a real possibility after completing an apprenticeship – 85 per cent of apprentices will continue in employment with 64 per cent of those remaining with the same employer. 32 per cent of all former apprentices have obtained a promotion within a year of finishing, as employers admit to viewing qualified apprentices as 15 per cent more employable than those with other qualifications. So, if you’re seriously tempted by a career in the motor industry, an automotive apprenticeship is a very good place to start.