Are Apprenticeships Cool?

Date: 30th Friday, March, 2018

For many young guns forging a path in life, Uni, as it is affectionately known, is the obvious, perhaps natural route to academia and hopefully a profession or at least a job at the end of all that blood, sweat and beers.  Well, perhaps with some lines of study, this may work out as planned, but not for all as we see many overqualified graduates having to take jobs that they might consider well below their pay grade.  There’s always the ‘gap-yah’ or the master’s to gain some extra experience but at some point, for most, the moratorium must come to an end.   The challenge for many young people is competition, seen both at home and increasingly from a broader international pool.  With so many talented, degree-level applicants available, it’s a buyer’s market in many sectors so standing out from the crowd matters. Tough indeed!  Tough times can require a fresh approach - why not throw apprenticeships into the mix?  On-the job training has been around for hundreds of years and was commonplace in the UK during the 1950’s 60’s and 70’s for many of those leaving school at 16.  After a lull for some years, the concept is making a resurgence and now, with increasing funding, is becoming slowly but surely mainstream.  And it makes perfect sense as it serves to teach skills that are a pre-requisite for work. The apprenticeships approach can also accommodate life-long learning ambitions with subsidised degree courses and professional training, consequently, although it might take a little longer to gain a degree or two, the chances are they may well be more relevant and useful.  For 18-year olds, making the decision to embark on an apprenticeship is certainly brave as it goes against the general trend and may not adhere to peer and sometimes parental pressure.   Apprenticeships can challenge traditional expectations.  An apprenticeship may not be perceived as the coolest thing to do (yet) but as momentum gathers and the opportunities across sectors broaden, they will inevitably gain more gravitas and become the obvious choice for many young people.  Now that’s cool!

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For more information please contact:

Neil Yorke
The Best Connection Group Ltd
e-mail: neil.yorke@thebestconnection.co.uk
www.thebestconnection.co.uk

or

Jan Blann
Market Notions
Tel/Fax. 01926 843693
Mobile.  07976 284248
e-mail: jan@marketnotions.com

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