What are apprenticeships?

Apprenticeships have moved on from what they used to be and are an exciting option for both apprentice and employer. You can now employ apprentices at all different levels, from school leavers to people that want to further their careers or change career direction completely.

Apprentices will spend at least 20% of their time on off-the-job training with your chosen training provider.  Apprenticeships offer the opportunity to have a flexible, but structured training programme, that meets your organisation's needs.  

• you can employ an apprentice who's aged 16 up to any age and from any background
• they combine working with studying to gain skills and knowledge in a specific job
• they can be new or current employees who are looking to up-skill
• As an employer, you can get additional help with funding an apprentice from the government.
• there's a wide selection of apprenticeships available, covering lots of different job roles
• you can adapt the training your apprentice receives according to the needs of your organisation
• an apprenticeship allows you to diversify and freshen up your workforce

This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.  The information is applicable to England.  It is targeted at employers who are new to apprenticeships and contains the latest information at the time of writing.  If you are an employer who is already offering apprenticeships you may be operating under different rules.  For the latest, definitive information on apprenticeships, please visit the Apprenticeships topic on Gov.uk.