Reflect

Dr Morrison is founder and Director of Amazing Apprenticeships, an organisation that works with government, schools and FE colleges, and many of the country’s biggest and best employers to champion apprenticeships and inspire the next generation of apprentices.

Over the last 10 years, apprenticeships have been transformed, with a clear focus from the government on increasing quality, expanding the breadth of programmes and engaging more employers to create opportunities. And it’s worked! The current range and breadth of apprenticeships is impressive. In England, we now have a programme of opportunities that are designed to support every stage of an individual’s career, whether just getting started in their first role, upskilling in their current role or re-careering into something completely different.

Did you know, for example, that there are nearly 700 different apprenticeships, covering approximately 70% of occupations? If your child has a career in mind, there is most likely an apprenticeship that will support that route, whether that’s in a more traditional job such as plumbing, engineering or accounting, or a new, emerging role in cyber security, data analysis or visual effects.

One of the most exciting developments has been the expansion in the levels of apprenticeship, including the creation of degree apprenticeships which take individuals from an entry level role (foundation or intermediate), potentially through to a master’s degree. Many universities offer degree apprenticeships, and they attract a huge amount of attention, from both school leavers and experienced adults within the workforce.

Alongside these exciting developments, back in 2017, the government introduced the apprenticeship levy, which operates a bit like a mandatory tax on all businesses with a payroll in excess of £3m. Levy funds generated can only be spent on apprenticeship training and, from April 2026, a small number of short courses. This means that many larger, well-known businesses now have a financial imperative to bring apprenticeships into their workforce plans for new recruits and existing employees, and many now offer high-profile apprenticeship programmes that sit alongside their traditional graduate routes.

Young people and their families are catching on to the benefits of having a credible, high-quality alternative to traditional academic study. An option that offers a debt-free way to get into work, gain new skills and achieve qualifications. Tick, tick, tick. It’s not all brilliant news though. One of the downsides of this transformative approach has been matching the supply of vacancies to the demand for opportunities, and it’s fair to say that we are seeing a significant imbalance.

Schools and careers professionals are doing a great job of promoting apprenticeships to their students, but will often focus heavily on degree apprenticeships being the ‘golden ticket’ that applicants should be aiming for. And whilst this is a fantastic ambition, the reality is that the vast majority of school leavers will not start their apprenticeship career as a degree apprentice. They will also need to look at advanced or higher apprenticeships, and should focus on securing employment with the right employer. This shouldn’t be seen as a negative, or a backwards step – it is the reality of how the system works.

Motivate

All of this can be true. It can feel overwhelming when you first start looking for apprenticeship vacancies because they are real jobs, meaning that employers will decide when to advertise their positions, and which platforms they use. However, I’d like to share some top tips to help.

Firstly, start early. You can start researching apprenticeships whenever you are ready. The earlier the better, as this will enable your teen to build up a picture of when apprenticeships are advertised, the types of opportunities, and entry requirements. If your child is in Year 12, this is a perfect time to start exploring options. If your child is in Year 13, be ready to start applying from the autumn onwards, as some employers will advertise almost one year in advance of when they expect their apprentices to start.

Keep options open. Young people can apply for apprenticeships alongside applying for sixth form, college, full-time university and anything else they’d like to explore. It’s a good idea to have some different options so that by results day, they can decide which route will be best for them.

Remember that applications are unlimited. Unlike university applications, there is no limit to the number of apprenticeships that a person can apply for. I can’t give you the ‘perfect number’ because this will vary between applicants, but keep in mind the amount of administration that having multiple applications can create – you and your teen will need to create a good tracking system.

Don’t aim for the application deadline. We are finding that although employers usually advertise a closing date for applications, if they receive a surge of applications, they will sometimes close early. Try to be ‘application ready’ so that when a suitable position comes up, your child is ready to submit a strong application.

Ask for help. Every school and college has a named careers leader who will be able to provide support and signposting to further information. They will also oversee the programme of careers education for that setting, ensuring that students have access to information from different employers and apprenticeship training providers. Nudge your teen to engage with them and ask for support.

Finally, remember that apprenticeships are not a ‘one time’ only opportunity. Although it can feel stressful to have a next step lined up to perfectly coincide with the end of the academic year, it may not always work out like this. Apprenticeships are added throughout the year based on the needs of businesses. Remember too that there is no limit to the number of apprenticeships that your child (or you) can undertake across their career. The system is designed to provide progression, meaning that those who want to can move through the different levels, as their career builds.

Support

The Amazing Apprenticeships website proudly hosts a wide range of free content designed for young people and their families. Each month we schedule webinars to help families to understand the apprenticeship landscape, bringing in high profile employers such as the BBC and EDF Energy to explain their opportunities and unpack their recruitment processes. We create guides and resources aimed to support parents and carers, and provide a monthly newsletter to keep you informed of the latest apprenticeship news.

Throughout the year, we release monthly vacancy bulletins, as well as the hugely popular ‘Higher and Degree Apprenticeship Listing’, designed to help bring vacancies into one place for you to explore. Our Meet The Employer platform is a popular way to explore a wide variety of employers and the apprenticeships they offer. Each profile also shows a breakdown of what to expect from their recruitment process, and how to ask for support if any adjustments are required.

When looking for vacancies, a really good starting point is to use the UK Government’s Find an Apprenticeship platform. This is a website hosted on gov.uk that all employers are encouraged to use (although unfortunately many do not). Users can set up an account and use the system to send you alerts when new vacancies are added.

There is also financial support available for care experienced young people, who may be eligible to receive the Apprenticeship Care Leavers’ Bursary of £3,000. For further information about this, please visit Gov.uk.

Apprenticeships really are amazing. If it’s something that interests your child, my best advice is to immerse yourselves in the process, seek out information, stay open minded about the levels and job roles, and take advantage of the support available.