Are Apprenticeships The Best Route To A Career?

Apprentice - a person who is learning a trade from a skilled employer, having agreed to work for a fixed period of time.

There are many routes into a career theses days, whether it's through university, an apprenticeship or even just from starting at the bottom, there are many options that lead into the world of work. The question is though, which is the best route?

We are taught to think university is great. It opens up a world of possibilities, allows you to explore a subject you’re passionate about and gives you access to a whole range of careers. On the other side there are apprenticeships. They give you the chance to head straight into work, whilst picking up qualifications and receiving a wage. With the cost of university going up and so many graduates now struggling to find jobs, there has been a surge in popularity for apprenticeships.

Apprenticeships offer people the opportunity to gain the qualifications desired and recognized by companies without getting into debt. Most apprentices will get their training fully funded by the government, and will actually get paid to learn!

The benefits of doing an apprenticeship include:

• Earn a wage whilst studying
• Gain industry recognized qualifications
• If you're aged 16-18 you won't pay for your training
• Gain valuable work experience
• Work alongside experienced staff
• Gain job specific skills
• Get your foot in the door for a company

For a lot of careers an apprenticeship is going to be the best route. For a career in IT support for example, you can do apprenticeships that will give you great certifications, vendor relevant qualifications in Microsoft, CompTIA and Cisco, all whilst gaining valuable customer facing work experience. All that on top of your years service to the company can open a whole variety of doors, whether with the company that you worked at during your apprenticeship or the new opportunities that will be available to you.

The reality is that it’s not that one is better than the other; you just need to figure out which route is the most suited to you. My advice is to look at the career you want, the industry you want to work in, and then speak to employers and training providers and see what they recommend. Some careers are best reached through a degree, whereas there are many that are far better reached through an apprenticeship.

What do you think?