Career advice, guidance and information

Apprentices learn on the job, building up skills and knowledge, achieving qualifications and earning money all at the same time. As an employee, you will work alongside experienced staff to gain job-specific skills, whilst off- the-job, usually on a day release basis, you will spend time with a learning provider, gaining key skills such as team-working, problem-solving, communication and using new technology.

Apprenticeships are increasingly popular and demand for places is high. The success of any apprenticeship is dependent on the hard work and dedication of all those taking part. As an apprentice, you’ll be given the very best training for a formal qualification by both learning providers and employers. In return, you’ll be expected to use your training and studies to do the best job possible.

There are over 180 different apprenticeships on offer nationally, from administration to child care, plumbing to IT, retail to manufacturing to name but a few, covering the majority of sectors. See below;

• Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care
• Arts, Media and Publishing
• Business, Administration and Law
• Construction, Planning and the Built Environment
• Education and Training
• Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
• Health, Public Services and Care
• Information and Communication Technology
• Leisure, Travel and Tourism
• Retail and Commercial Enterprise

Advanced apprenticeships are also available after you have completed your initial apprenticeship. They offer you more extensive training, qualifications up to NVQ 3 and usually a higher rate of pay. (It's also possible to go straight on to an advanced apprenticeship from school or college if you have the high enough grades.)

First impressions count and as your CV will be your introduction to the employer, it's vital you get it right. A good CV will ensure you get noticed and ultimately secure you an interview.

There are no definitive rules to writing a good CV, but there are some basic guidelines you can follow to ensure your CV is presented professionally. For tips and guidance on how to write your CV follow our step by step guide below.

Ensure you always start your CV with the title Curriculum Vitae, it may sound obvious but it is important when formalising your CV. Follow with your personal details which should contain your full name and title, your postal address and full contact details including your e-mail address, as well as your home & mobile number. Also state whether you have a full and clean driving license.

This is an optional section and can be used to indicate your career aspirations for your chosen industry. Be aware however that a poor personal profile can do more harm than good, so don’t try to be clever. Use your personal profile to honestly reflect your skills, experience, attitude and behavior.

Start with the most recent or current employer, detailing the month/year you started and finished, together with the company name, position held and location. If you had a number of different roles within the same state them below in order of progression.

Follow with clear and concise bullet points outlining responsibilities and key achievements ensuring the detail is factual and to the point. When choosing your responsibilities and key achievements be selective and only include most relevant/important details, avoiding being extensive (we don't want to lose the employers interest).

Complete this process throughout your career history finishing with your first employer.

List schools, universities and dates including all qualifications & grades (GCSEs or O-Levels, A-Levels, Degrees).

Provide details for two references, ideally one of these should be your current or most recent employer. If you have not currently been in employment an academic (teacher or tutor) will be suffice. They will not be contacted without your permission being requested, however, it demonstrates that you are comfortable with the referees being contacted at the appropriate time.

For more hints, tips and useful facts about CV writing visit 'A Perfect CV'

A cover letter is a formal letter that is sent to an employer when a applying for a job to complement your CV. A cover letter must be presented as a standard formal letter addressed and written to the employer, it should include the following information:

• A basic introduction about yourself including a statement of which job you are applying for and that your CV is enclosed.
• A statement of why you are applying for the job, maybe link this to your career direction, qualifications and work experience.
• Details on why the employer should select you for the position, mention what contributions you can make to their organisation.
• It's helpful to do a bit of research about the company and make this clear in your letter. Mention what aspects of the organisation interest and appeal to you.
• Close the letter by thanking the employer for taking the time to consider you and state when you are available for interviews.

Few people look forward to job interviews, however it’s a great opportunity to sell yourself and with some prior preparation you should be ready and able to overcome any nervousness. It's always worth remembering that the interviewer wants someone to succeed and it could be you.

Research the job, the company, the products or services. It is vital as the employer will expect you to have looked into the company and have a basic knowledge of what they are about. This will show you have a genuine interest in the position within the company you are applying for and will put you at an immediate advantage to those who have not done their homework.

Tip: Online research and the job description/advertisement are great to do this.

You will be asked about what you have done in the past, therefore make sure you know your CV and are able to talk through all the points on it.

Prepare to be asked about your strengths, weaknesses and achievements. Think of some examples you can use when asked these questions. With the negative questions such as weaknesses try to turn this into a positive by showing the interviewer that you are aware of a weakness and are willing to turn this into a strength.

You may be asked if you have any question at the end of the interview, it is a good idea to plan some questions beforehand so you are not caught off guard. This will show a keen interest in finding out more about the employer and the company. Steer away from questions that require a yes/no answer and money/incentive questions i.e. holidays, sick pay etc. Try to ask questions around: the company & position, training/progression, the interviewers experience within the company etc.

Presenting yourself well is essential as first impressions last. Here are some points to consider:

• Arrive around ten minutes early.
• Dress appropriately for the interview, i.e. smart, well presented.
• Be aware of strong odours i.e. smoke, strong perfumes etc as this can be very off putting.

Throughout the interview maintain good eye contact (without staring) with the interviewer. When sitting down, look confident and keep the body language in check. Avoid crossing arms and do not hide hands under a desk. Alternatively, do not be too laid back and horizontal. Instead, look self assured and open.

Be sincere and interested. Enthusiasm is a positive, so is humour but do not over-do it as over-playing your keenness can appear desperate or false.

Listen carefully to the questions and ask for clarification if you need to get a better understanding. Do not be afraid of taking a brief pause before answering a question. This will help you compose yourself to give the best possible answer.

When answering questions, back them up with an example. Explain the situation, what you did, and the outcome. This will provide the interviewer with key evidence of your experiences.

Steer the talk to the most relevant areas of your experience/abilities/interest. Try not to waffle about past experiences, and instead focus on key points to keep the interviewer interested.

Answer questions in a positive upbeat manner as you only have a short period of time to sell yourself and negative answers can leave a lasting negative impression.

The interviewer will indicate the meeting is coming to an end by saying something like "Well, I think we've covered all the aspects of this role". This is often your cue to ask a couple of further questions (see preparation section). Do enquire about what the next stage is and when you will be likely to hear back.

As you leave, smile, good eye contact, a handshake, and thank them for their time.

Good luck with your interview. To be truly confident and perform at your best make sure your research the role and rehearse your answers. Remember, failure to prepare is preparing to fail.

If you have a young adult just starting out on life’s great journey it’s critical that they get the right advice and guidance along with support. Firstly, in choosing the right job, preparing for the selection process and then how to make the most of the training opportunities the apprenticeship scheme will offer. These first steps into employment may have an impact on the rest of their working lives, where they see themselves in 5, 10 or even 20 years from now.

If your son or daughter has chosen not to stay on in school or go to college the apprenticeship scheme will offer employment and training that will lead to a recognised qualification that can be measured against GCSEs and given the right employment setting A levels and beyond. It's easy for young people to think that they have time on their side, that after school now is the time to enjoy life a little. This is true but work plays a huge part in all our lives and employability will be as important at the start of their working lives as it is at any other stage, possibly more so, so your encouragement will play a big part of their future success.

There are many different apprenticeship schemes and we will help you chose the appropriate one with our partner providers, (young apprentices start at 14-16 years and are carried out in school, you can check if your school supports young apprenticeships by speaking to them). The main group of apprenticeships are 16 plus and in particular 16 to 18 years old. Some sectors have age restrictions so will not be suitable for the 16 to 18 age range. We will help you and your son or daughter identify these when considering the career path chosen.

The main benefit is that your son or daughter will be employed and working towards a recognised qualification that will give them a great start in life, building a vocational foundation which they will use to further themselves in time and will fall back on when looking to change career path as we do these days.

With so many young people taking apprenticeships it will be hard for anyone with no qualifications to gain employment let alone the job they want.

Your child’s details are protected against malicious attacks and attempts to gain unauthorised access. You should be aware that we do occasionally pass on contact information to carefully selected third parties that maybe able to assist your child by providing them with certain information, products or services. Although we assure you that this is only done in circumstances which offer a benefit to your child. If you’re not entirely comfortable you can instruct your child to opt out via the option in their profile or contact us to learn more.

Safety is our top priority here at FindMeAnApprentice.com and as such we have staff on site to personally and thoroughly check each employer that registers before they are able to submit a listing. To ensure complete confidence we take their company registration number and match it against a national database to ensure they are a valid and registered company.

Apprenticeships are designed by employers for employers, so they offer a structured program that takes the apprentices through the skills needed to do a job well. Most of the training takes place in the workplace on the job and the rest will be through a college or local training provider.

There are over 180 different apprenticeships on offer nationally, in 80 different sectors. With this broad range available it is more than likely there is an apprentice out there to suit your business needs.

Apprenticeships are work based training programs, so most of the training is done on the job in the workplace. The rest of the training is provided by a local college or training provider (usually on a day release basis) working towards nationally recognised qualifications.

There are currently two levels of apprenticeships:

• Apprenticeship: apprentices work towards a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) Level 2, Key Skills qualifications and in most cases a relevant technical certificate. (some candidates will not require to do the Key skills qualification if relevant qualifications are already obtained by the learner)
• Advanced Apprenticeship: advanced apprentices work towards a National Vocational Qualification(NVQ) at Level 3, Key Skills qualifications and in most cases a relevant technical certificate.

• A skilled workforce is vital for meeting the challenges of the global economy in the 21st century. Apprenticeships are considered to be a proven way of dealing with both current and future workforce issues. They enable employers to attract high-quality recruits and improve the skills and productivity of existing employees. The public sector is no exception to this and with many critical skills shortages and an ageing workforce, it faces serious skills and recruitment difficulties.
• Within the public sector an opportunity is being missed. This sector accounts for around 20 per cent of the national workforce, but employs less than 10 per cent of all apprentices.

Apprentices can bring vibrancy and fresh thinking into a business, they are eager to learn and to play their part, the companies that harness this energy often report an uplift in motivation from existing employees.

Because apprentices are involved in a work related training often in the form of an NVQ they will gain additional skills to add value to the practical on job learning they will do at work. The provider of the apprentice will often be able to offer work based NVQ qualifications to your existing staff regardless of how long they have been doing the job, so you will see a culture of achievement growing and this often results in increased productivity, a more motivated workforce an increase in staff retention and most importantly increased profitability!

Research recently conducted on behalf of the LSC (Populus. February 2008) to launch the first National Apprenticeship Week revealed:

• 77% of employers believe apprenticeships make them more competitive;
• 76% say that apprenticeships provide higher overall productivity;
• 80% feel that apprenticeships reduce staff turnover;
• 83% of employers rely on their apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future;
• Two-thirds of respondents believe that their apprenticeship programme helps them fill vacancies more quickly, whilst 88% believe that apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.
• 59% report that training apprentices is more cost-effective than hiring skilled staff, with 59% believing that apprenticeships lead to lower overall training costs and 53% feeling that they reduce recruitment costs;
• In terms of the return on investment linked to apprenticeships, 41% say that their apprentices make a valuable contribution to the business during their training period, while a further third (33%) report that apprentices add value within their first few weeks (or even from Day One);
• 57% report a high proportion of their apprentices going on to management positions within the company.
• Over three-quarters of respondents expect apprenticeships to play a bigger part in their recruitment policy in the future.