Apprenticeships: a route to career progression for school leavers

One of the UK’s leading Government accredited companies, specialising in finding Apprenticeship opportunities for school leavers, reveals that there is an unprecedented number of vacancies for ambitious school leavers across each of the government’s nine skills’ regions of the country.

Positive Outcomes, a national training, Apprenticeships and recruitment company specialising in the delivery of Government-funded NVQ work-based training to employees aged 16 and upwards, has an average of 50 Apprenticeship vacancies with a number of the UK’s national blue-chip companies.

These Apprenticeships are for roles including customer services and administration within a range of market sectors such as the legal, estate agency and recruitment industries.

It is also one of the few training providers approved to deliver NVQ Levels 4 and 5 Management training that is the equivalent of a Foundation Degree, and corporate business training, incorporating workshops in IT and management.

However, according to Sarah Hill, the company’s Apprenticeship Manager, many school leavers are still unsure of which path to take, which is resulting in the majority of the posts being left vacant.

Ms Hill said: “Finding apprenticeship candidates with the right level of skills and ambition is proving to be a real challenge, despite the widespread action and publicity by the Government around the opportunities available through the National Apprenticeship Scheme.

“Many school leavers, aged 16, 17 or 18, are simply unsure of what to do next. It seems that many school career advisers are themselves less comfortable discussing the great opportunities available to school leavers from Apprenticeships.”

The Apprenticeship scheme is designed to give school leavers an edge, a job opportunity, and above all, career progression, she explains.

Apprentices are guaranteed a minimum wage of £95 per week, which is exempt from tax and National Insurance, combined with a real opportunity to learn ‘on the job’ and carve a career for themselves.

“Historically, employees that have joined a business as an Apprentice remain incredibly loyal to the company, working hard to add value, expand their work-based learning, experience and skills,” added Sarah.

Aastha Gill