Apprenticeships also offer learners the opportunity to earn while they learn, and it is even now possible to gain a degree through apprentice training.
Apprenticeships, however, continue to be seen as a second-best option for school leavers when compared to university. In 2015/16, there were only around 900,000 students undertaking an apprenticeship, compared with nearly 1,800,000 undergraduates. Given the immense benefits of taking an apprenticeship, these numbers seemingly don’t make sense.
A possible explanation may be that Further Education training providers have not been given the right of access to school students and therefore young people have often lacked crucial information. The so called ‘baker-clause’, an amendment to the government’s Technical and Further Education Bill that will take effect from January 2018 however now forces all schools to give FE providers access to their pupils, and hopefully, therefore, stops schools preventing students hearing about the benefits of alternative routes.
As a result of the baker clause, we at Central YMCA are hopefully that many young people will now see the immense benefits of enrolling on a study programme or taking an apprenticeship.
Further education can provide a route through which more young people can gain the skills and subsequent employment they need to live happier, healthier and more fulfilled lives, and it would be hugely positive if more young people are able to see their potential.
A subsidiary of Central YMCA, YMCA Training, have been providing further education opportunities since their establishment in the midst of the deep recession and mass unemployment of the late 1970s, and have grown into a major national training provider delivering programmes to almost 10,000 learners each year.
Currently, YMCA Training is offering study programmes, apprenticeships and traineeships in fields as diverse as business administration, retail, fitness, health and social care and motor vehicle maintenance.
Further education has the capacity to transform the lives of young people and the society in which we live, and YMCA Training is honoured to be a part of that.
If you would like to see the apprenticeships that YMCA Training is currently recruiting for, please see the current vacancies page.
Central YMCA also works with many employers across the UK helping them find apprentices that fit their business needs. Email Chloe Reader to see how we can help your organisation.
