A new report has discovered nearly all apprentices are happy with their career choice, but we wanted to find out what made them so happy.
A new report by the Industry Apprentice Council (IAC) discovered that a staggering 98% of the apprentices they surveyed are happy with their chosen career path. The report, entitled "Possibly the best career route in the world?" - The 2017 IAC Survey Research Report, quizzed 1200 apprentices in their ranks to but we wanted to show potential apprentices exactly why nearly all apprentices are happy with their choice.
Here are the top five reasons apprentices are delighted with their career path!
1. Earn while I learn - 82%
Earning and learning is an obvious benefit for many who choose apprenticeships over other school/college leaver options. The opportunity to start earning your own money rather than scrabbling around as a university student is a benefit that 82% of apprentices savour.
Apprentices are often taught in the workplace which ensures what they are learning is valuable and applicable to their day-to-day tasks. The best thing about learning and earning is as the more apprentices learn and progress with a company they will likely see their pay packet increase too!
2. Career Prospects - 76%
Employers now give their apprenticeship programmes more attention as they look to diversify their intake from just university graduates. More and more employers are building proper pipelines for their apprenticeship in take which can see successful and hardworking apprentices succeed over time with a company.
Over three quarters of apprentices highlighted this and it shows that they are already reaping the rewards of these career paths. After apprentices have spent a few years with a company they can progress quickly through the ranks and achieve relatively senior positions quicker than their university counterparts.
3. Recognised qualifications - 73%
While the university route always promised a recognised qualification at the end of three years, apprenticeships have now hit back and can offer a range of nationally and internationally recognised qualifications from NVQs right up to Master's degrees.
This has grown to become a really big sell for school leavers as they look to continue building their CV and companies want to ensure they are providing real professional development. Employers like Accenture or Barratt Homes want their employees to compete with the best in the business so will support their learning and development to industry recognised standards.
4. Practical Learning - 54%
Everyone is different and everyone learns in different ways. For many leaving school and college, the idea of sitting in another type of classroom fills them with boredom and despair. On the whole, apprenticeships are focused on on-the-job learning. Apprentices will be at their desk/site/factory/studio rather than sat in the school room taking notes.
While practical learning is a fantastic way to learn, some book work can be required especially if apprentices want a career in areas like Accountancy, Engineering and Business and Management.
5. Avoiding debt - 57%
It is the elephant in the room. This large and expensive elephant is clearly not being missed by nearly two thirds of the apprentices surveyed. Students who attend university are saddled with huge amounts of debt especially after the tripling of tuition fees around five years ago.
No debt and the ability to learn-and-earn is obviously a big swing towards apprenticeships and certainly a reason to be cheerful - however, everyone is different and must find the path that suits them.
Start on the road to a happy career and find your apprenticeship here.
Image Credit: Paulette Wooton