Introduction

Gaining an Apprenticeship is one of the best career moves that you can make. You will gain valuable skills and qualifications, and get paid while you are training. If you complete an Advanced Apprenticeship, you can even progress to higher education. And, if you can continue to work while learning you could end up with a degree with no, or little, debt.

But sometimes it can prove to be quite difficult to gain that Apprenticeship. Many training providers could offer you one, if you have the required skill and qualifications. But, an offer will normally only be made if you find an employer first. This can be the biggest problem for many who want an Apprenticeship, especially in some of the more popular skill areas, such as plumbing.

Plumbing has become one of the most popular Apprenticeships because of reports in newspapers about the big wages that plumbers can get. This may, or may not, be true, but it is one reason why thousands of young people want to become plumbers each year.

But plumbing apprenticeships are hard to find because:

• Many plumbers are self-employed so they would have to spend a lot of money on insurance to have someone working for them.
• They might not be able to afford the time to train a young person who has no plumbing skills.

You will really need to think about the job or skill that you want. For example, lots of young people want to be motor mechanics. This could be because they like cars and look forward to having their own. But their might be lots of other young people thinking the same thing, so it is why a motor vehicle apprenticeship may be difficult to find. And yet there might be vacancies in mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineering involves the design, development, installation, operation and maintenance of just about anything with moveable parts. So, although you would not be working with cars, you would get training in a much wider range of subjects and may be paid more.

There are often vacancies in business administration, sometimes because young people are unaware of what can be involved in the job and so think it will be a boring subject. But an Apprenticeship in business administration could lead to a career in finance, insurance or law, or could lead to a management position in an office environment.

In this guide you will find tips to help you decide on which job you may want in the future and how to find a trainer and an employer to offer you an Apprenticeship.

What do I really want to do?
If you are thinking about doing an Apprenticeship, you do need to know what you want to do. If you get an interview the employer will definitely ask why you want the job, so you do need to know as much as possible about the job and why you want it.

Tip 1

Find out as much as possible about all the Apprenticeships that you could do and then decide which you would most like, and which would suit you best.

• Ask your Connexions advisor for help
• Find out about different jobs from Connexions libraries
• Use computer software such as Kudos or Pathfinder+ HE
• Talk to friends and relatives to see what they know
• Check out the Careers’ Sites mentioned in this website

This will help to make sure that what you want to do matches your skills, your qualifications and hopes for your career.

Tip 2

Try to find out about which jobs show a growing demand.

There’s no point in going after a job in an industry, or sector, where there will be a lower need for workers because you could end up out of work in a few years. Connexions should be able to help - ask them about Labour Market Information. Or you may be able to find out from the regional development agency, such as Yorkshire Forward, or your Local Authority.

But also remember that jobs are still needed in declining industries. As an example, in the second half of the 1900s, many jobs in engineering were lost, as manufacturing companies contracted or closed, and so companies could recruit skilled workers who had been made redundant, so they did not need to recruit apprentices. But those workers are now reaching retirement age and so, recently, there has been an increasing demand for engineering apprentices.

Finding a Training Provider and Employer
When you know which Apprenticeship you want, you then need to find both a training provider and an employer. There are many different ways of finding an employer, but the most important thing is that you do it as early as possible. It is never too early to start once you are begin your final year at school.

Finding a Training Provider
Once you know what you want to do, find out which training providers offer an Apprenticeship in that subject.

Tip 3

Find out which training providers specialise in the subject that you want to study.

In Yorkshire and the Humber there are a number of websites that list providers by Apprenticeship offered. These are being replaced by local area on-line prospectuses. You should be able to search for Apprenticeships by subject, for example ‘plumbing’. If you have left school, you can still search the prospectuses but may not be able to apply on line.

To find your local area prospectus, look in the regional information pages.

Tip 4

Find out if there are any national employers or providers who offer Apprenticeships in your area. You can find a list by clicking here. Many have an on-line application process. There are many examples of national providers, such as CITB Construction Skills, JTL and Vidal Sassoon, and they may not appear in your local area prospectus. You may be able to apply for some of the Apprenticeship positions on-line.

Once you have found which training providers offer the Apprenticeship that you want, you will need to apply for a place with them. You will be invited for an interview to see if you are a suitable candidate and this is where you may be lucky - they may have a list of employers with whom they work and who are looking for apprentices. If they don’t, they may offer you a position subject to finding your own employer.

Finding an Employer
Job Adverts
Job Adverts Many employers use the local Connexions service to advertise job vacancies, including Apprenticeships. Some Connexions services have a jobs section on their website. Many offer a registration service so that they can advise you of specific vacancies that arise in the skill area that you are seeking. If they don't, then you might ask why not?

Other employers may place adverts in the local press. You will need to keep looking once you have decided what you want to do - it’s never too early once you get to your final year at school. Some websites track all job vacancies in your areas and you can register with them on key words so that they automatically e-mail you with vacancies that match the words selected.

Tip 5

Register with your local Connexions service to get information on vacancies. If you are still at school, speak to your Personal Adviser about registering for vacancies.

Tip 6

Register with job advert websites for information on jobs that fit your need. Some of these might be worth a try:

Career Jet
NHS Jobs
Job Site
Public Sector Jobs
Monster Jobs
Fish 4 Jobs
Total Jobs
Job Centre Plus
Yorkshire Jobs Today
Gisajob
Workthing
Reeds

Tip 7

If a job is advertised seeking a trainee or ‘junior’ don’t be put off if they don’t mention an Apprenticeship. If it’s the type of work that you are looking for, you could always ask about starting on an Apprenticeship once you’ve got the job – the employer may not know about the training programme and, if you make a good impression they may want to develop you further.

Tip 8

Go walkabout. Some jobs are still advertised in shop windows. And many companies have a notice board at the front of their premises headed ‘Vacancies’.

Tip 9

Keep looking! The week that you don’t look may be the week that a suitable job is advertised.

Jobcentres
Jobcentres have a list of vacancies with local employers. The centres also have ‘touch-screen’ computers to help you find jobs suited to your needs. In addition there is a website (www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk) where you can also do searches for suitable vacancies on their ‘Search for a job’ page (Or click on Job Search at the home page). The search will allow you to say where you want to work, how far you want to travel from that centre and the type of job. You can enter ‘Apprenticeship’ as a key word and that may come up with some Apprenticeships, but it will also include jobs where you to have an Apprenticeship already.

There is also a telephone service called Jobseeker Direct on 0845 6060234.

Tip 10

Any of the websites mentioned above could be a good way of finding possible employers - see the section below. If employers are recruiting it could be worth asking if they would be prepared to take you on as an apprentice.

Networking
Networking is about using or developing contacts - friends, neighbours, relations or friends of neighbours and relations - to find a suitable job. Networking is the way that many people in senior positions find out about vacancies that never get advertised. It’s about promoting yourself and your abilities to others so that a company may decide to create a new job just for you or may think of you if a job becomes available. But there is no reason why you should not use the same technique to find an Apprenticeship.

Tip 11

Let your friends, neighbours and relatives know that you are looking for an Apprenticeship. They may know of one of their own friends and relatives, or work-mates, with other contacts, who may be looking for someone suitable. And don’t be afraid to ‘sell yourself’. If you are still at school, your teachers (or mentor, if you have one) may also be able to help.

Tip 12

Work experience - did you do your school work experience in a related subject? Has that employer got vacancies or, does the employer know someone else who does? It is import to remember that, when you do go on work experience, it may be the only time that you experience the ‘world of work’ and, if you do well, you could get that all-important written reference to help you later.

Careers Fairs and Events
Many schools or districts hold careers fairs. You may be lucky and find an employer at one of these who is looking to recruit apprentices. You will need to have an open mind about what the employer does because some recruit into areas that you had not thought about. As an example, the NHS doesn’t just employ nurses and doctors – they also recruit trades people and office staff, so don’t be afraid to ask exhibitors about potential vacancies that meet your needs.

Tip 13

When you go to careers events, you should try to make a good impression with potential employers. Look smart. Behave like you want a job. Take copies of your CV (see Tip 15) with details of what you are seeking. Keep an open mind about the jobs that the exhibitors may have available. And don’t be afraid to ask for advice.

Speculative letters and/or phone calls
If none of the above finds you an employer then you will have to work a lot harder. You will need to search for, and contact, potential employers by telephone or letter to ask if they would like to offer you an Apprenticeship. This is called a speculative approach. Letters are probably the better way of approaching potential employers as they give you the chance to include a CV with information on your skills, academic qualifications (or expected grades) and why you want the job. It is still worth a phone call, however, before you write, as this will enable you to find the name of the best contact to address the letter to. Regrettably, if you just write to the personnel department, it may get no further. But, if you can find the name of a manager in a particular department, he, or she, may feel that you are ‘just the person that they are looking for’ and may then suggest a speculative interview.

Tip 14

When you do write to a potential employer, appearance is everything. Use good quality paper, type the letter on a computer and make sure you turn on the spell-checker. Nothing is worse than a letter claiming ‘attention to detail’ with spelling mistakes.

Tip 15

Prepare a CV. But – Be Brief. No CV should be more than 2 pages. Read the section on CVs by clicking here.

Tip 16

Find out about what the employer does. If you are going to write to them then you do need to know something about the company.

Do they have a website? Are there any press reports that you can refer to? Have they got a new product, new big contract or have they just taken over another company? If you can mention any of this in your covering letter it shows that you have read up on them; and you could use the information as a reason to suggest why they may be needing someone like you.

Tip 17

Don’t be put off if you don’t get a reply. The majority of letters don’t get acknowledged these days, but some companies may still keep your letter on file in case they do get a suitable job later.

Tip 18

Don’t be afraid to follow up the letter with a telephone call. It’s a very good way of getting feed-back on the style of your letter and it shows that you are keen.

How do I find potential employers?
There are a number of directories that you can try. The most common is the telephone directory – especially Yellow Pages, as this will list employers by the type of business that they are involved in.

There is a website (www.yell.com) that provides the same information, making searching a bit easier. But remember, if you want an Apprenticeship in plumbing, you may need to think of other searches besides ‘plumbers’ - there are companies offering ‘building services’ who would also employ plumbers, so try to widen your searches.

There are other trade directories like Kompass and Kelly’s that you could use. You should find these in your local library and they also have websites at www.kompass.co.uk/ and www.kellysearch.co.uk/ although these may require you to pay a subscription to access the information.

There are many trade journals and professional publications that you could look through. They will contain articles about featured employers but there are also usually sections in the back pages on job vacancies. You may find copies of relevant ones in your local college or university that you can look through.

You may also be able to find information on potential employers through the relevant Sector Skills Council website. The SSCs were established to improve skills and productivity in particular sectors. There are 25 in total. For a list of these, including details on their websites and contact numbers, click here.

What more can I do?
There is no point in doing a lot of hard work to find a prospective employer if you don’t have the qualifications or skills that the employer is looking for, or that 'something extra' that will persuade the employer to choose you. So consider doing some of the following:

Tip 19

If you have never done any paid work, get a part-time or holiday job. It often doesn’t matter what you do as long as you can show that you can arrive at work on time. And, if you think you deserve it, ask for a reference to show that you are a reliable worker. If you have worked - did you get any awards for time-keeping?

Tip 20

You may have played some team sports, either at school or outside school. This shows that you are a ‘team player’. If you were the captain of the team this can be a good selling point.

Tip 21

If you haven’t worked before, were you a member of a voluntary organisation, or an association like the scouts or guides? This would show that you have commitment and interests in worthwhile activities that might separate you from others.

Tip 22

Remember to put all of this information in your CV.

Tip 23

Research the job that you want, to find out about some of the equipment or tools that are used. This will help you to show some understanding of the trade if you do get to an interview.

Tip 24

When you do get an interview - be prepared. Click here for help (you will need to scroll down to the interviews bit):

Tip 25

Finally - if you are yet to take your GCSEs, work hard and get the best grades that you can. It’s a hard life outside school and you will need to show that you are better than other applicants to get that all-important interview. Good Luck!

If you would like to download a copy of '25 Tips' click here.