London Apprenticeship Company

Apprenticeships combine work with training.  If you are an Apprentice, you go to work and get paid to do so, but study towards nationally recognised qualifications at the same time.  It’s a simple principle – the best of both worlds because you get real work experience as well as qualifications.

Employers  all over the country recognise and value Apprenticeships as they show that you’ve been trained in the skills they need.  Apprenticeships typically take between one and four years to complete, depending on the type of Apprenticeship.  The length of time taken will depend on the ability of the individual apprentice and the employer's requirements.

Apprentices do real jobs for real employers.  So you’re paid while you learn.  If you are entering work for the first time, you will start earning from day one of your Apprenticeship. There is no set rate of pay for apprentices, however all employed apprentices must receive a wage of no less than £95 per week and a recent survey showed that the average wage per week for an apprentice is now around £170 and in some job roles around £210 per week.

As your skills develop, your pay will increase accordingly.  You may also get additional money for essential books, clothing or equipment, or to help you with a disability.  As an apprentice, you will receive the same benefits as other employees such as pension contributions, subsidised canteen and leisure facilities. There are targets and checks to make sure that your employer is supporting you and you are making progress.

As an employee, you will be in employment for most of your time as most training takes place on the job.  The rest usually takes place at a local college or a specialist training organisation.  You can complete this off-the-job training on day release or over a number of days in a block.  The amount of time you spend varies according to your Apprenticeship.  It could be anything from one day every other fortnight to two days every week.

You also spend time off the job with a training provider – often a local college or a work-based training provider – studying for vocational qualifications. So all the things you study will be useful in your job and help you succeed in your future career.

There are more than 180 career choices available in approximately 80 sectors of industry and commerce, ranging from accountancy to football, engineering to veterinary nursing, business administration to construction.

An Apprenticeship with the London Apprenticeship Company adds to this experience because a London Apprentice is:

• Skills matched to a job vacancy
• Allocated an individually named mentor to support them
• Given ongoing help with career progression
• Supervised at work and monitored carefully against performance targets
• Often paid more than the minimum allowance
• Able to work for more than one employer

Find out more about London Apprenticeships here.