The common saying is that school days are the best days of your life, but that’s before you get to university. Streamlining your education into a subject you enjoy and love with the aim of moving into employment in that field afterwards can seem a long way from the subjects that you loathed at secondary school.
But there are other options which might be preferable such as travel, working, and apprenticeships,. Apprenticeship, in particular, promises a combination of on-the-job training, practical skills in careers as diverse as hairdressing to plumbing to manufacturing in readiness for working at companies such as Airblast AFC, and a salary.
Don’t assume that taking an apprenticeship precludes you from studying for a degree in later life. Colleges offer foundation degrees, HNDs and more as part of higher Apprenticeships, which can be topped up into a full degree at a later date.
Don’t also assume that apprenticeships are for people who failed to get into university, in fact many college courses are extremely competitive and growing in popularity. The quarterly Apprenticeship Index showed a 24% increase in vacancies posted between August and October 2013 and the same period the previous year, and online applications leapt by a massive 43%. According to Apprenticeships.org the Government wants employers to create more positions to meet the growing demand.
The most popular courses include childcare and hospitality and catering; two sectors where only a little theoretical knowledge is needed before the apprentice works with a child (or children), or at a bar. The skills associated with these roles cannot be learned in a lecture theatre, and no textbook will tell you how to calm a screaming tot or cope as supervisor on a busy Friday night in a pub or restaurant.
A graduate, on average, will earn around £100,000 more than a non-graduate over the course of their career. But that is a journey, and the student debt of an average student will cling to them for years, perhaps even decades. A London student, for example, can expect to owe £35-40,000 in fees and loans by the end of university life, according to this frightening Which University piece. In comparison an apprentice will make money as he or she learns. They’re entitled to the minimum wage and 20 days of paid holiday per year. Compare their likely financial position at 21 to a jobless student – there’s only one winner.
There are some drawbacks to apprenticeships. They are very precise – an apprentice bricklayer is fairly limited in his career choices following completion, while an English or mathematics graduate has a wide range of options available post-university. An apprenticeship does not exist for some careers fields, such as medical or scientific careers.
There’s also the feeling that being a student confers – it’s an exciting and exhilarating adventure, of meeting new people in an environment where learning is only part of the experience. A graduate can explore hobbies, interests, and opinions, and different ways of thinking about a subject close to their heart.
The choice is down to the student, and it may not be an easy one, particularly if he or she has not pinned down a career ambition, or if there are two courses that appeal; a beautician apprenticeship or a fashion-based degree, for example. In that regard there is nothing to stop her applying for both options simultaneously while taking A-Levels, and making the final choice at a later date.
