Are you a school leaver? (or soon to be one?)

Confused about which route to take?

Need some help and advice?

Helping young people consider all their future career options

IN SCHOOLS

Who are we?RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk is a free website providing young people with peer-to-peer information about Apprenticeships, School Leaver Programmes and lots of other school leaver opportunities.

Are you thinking of the best way to get a degree, but avoid the fees? Wondering how to make the most of your gap year? Perhaps you’re an eager beaver and want to jump straight into the working world?

If you’re thinking about leaving school and are not quite sure what route to take, don’t worry! RateMyApprenticeship wants to make sure you have all the information avaliable and are able to make an informed decision about your future career path.

What are your options?

If you want to know what a programme is really like, why not ask those who are already taking part in it. You can find out what to expect from those who have been there and done it through RateMyApprenticeship.

The website is choca-block with information on what people who are on these programmes really think. You can browse through hundreds of reviews written by young people just like you who have chosen one of these options. Below are a few snippets to get you started...

How can we help you?

“I feel very valued by PwC, there are so many people that I can turn for help, and everyone’s willing to help me and wants me to succeed.” Tax Technician, Higher Apprentice, PwC

“I am no different to other members of staff in the eyes of the team and the view of the company.” Higher Apprentice, GSK

“The managers I have worked for have been great; they are approachable, friendly & always willing to help/explain things if and when needed.” Trainee Auditor, School Leaver Programme, BDO

“Just do it. Uni will be come a background learning provider and those will only go who need to. Teachers, Doctors and other specialist skills that are required will go to uni. Most will do an apprenticeship in there area.” Pricing Assistant, School Leaver Programme, TUI Travel

“I believe my experiences here so far have been invaluable. I am treated

equally by everyone I work with and I am a valued team member. You

couldn’t ask for any better support here because you get it 100%

from day one.” Developing and Resourcing Administrator, Higher Apprentice, Peugeot Citroën

“My employer is always asking if everything’s okay and asking me things about my current work and is very supportive.” Intermediate Apprentice, Fujitsu

“I think that the salary that Capgemini offer is very competitive and is one

of the best apprenticeships on offer. It covers my costs easily, and i also

get opportunity to progress within the business and earn a higher salary.”

Software Engineer, Advanced Apprentice, Capgemini

Leaving school doesn’t have to be a move into the unknown; we’re here to ensure you are aware of all your options before taking the next big step.

What are my options?

These programmes are positioned by organisations as a form of ‘high school graduate scheme’. A School Leaver Programme is traditionally offered by large companies in industries such as Finance, Engineering, IT and Retail. School leavers salaries can range from £15,000 to £25,000. They are an option for students who might want to avoid university fees and hope to get a head start in employment.

“After now working at Willis as a school leaver for eight months, I cannot believe the number of opportunities I have had and the amount I have learned. Insurance wasn’t an industry that I knew much about but now I am now learning all the elements.” - Kourtnie Haden, Willis, School Leaver

“In my apprenticeship there is the constant reassurance of a team who both want you to succeed and excel at the career you wish to map out for yourself. I applied with very little technical insight however I found that the tutors catered to my style of learning and now I am able to understand as well as apply my skills to the projects I work on.” - Melisa Samuels, Capgemini, Higher Apprentice (Software Engineer)

Apprenticeships

Let’s get things straight...an Apprenticeship is a paid period of training which is balanced with a REAL job and paid REAL money. As an apprentice, you are taught a particular set of skills through a nationally recognised qualification that will help you in your role and career development.

School Leaver Programmes

“The EY degree course was such a great way for me to achieve both a credible degree from a respected and accredited business school and open the door to a great career. It’s great to be able to get the best of both worlds, studying at university and experiencing ‘uni life’ but also being able to put my studies into practice at EY.” - Leanne, EY, Sponsored Degree

Are you considering taking a year out after you finish school? Make the most of it with a Gap Year Programme! These provide well-paid work experience opportunities over a period of five-twelve months and build up your CV. IBM’s Horizon’s programme is a great example of this...

IBM’s gap year placements offer 12 months’ worth of experience that could transform your year out and your future prospects. They offer you an invaluable opportunity to work with a world-leading company, broadening your horizons and giving you a head start in your career and, if you decide to go to university, on your course. There’s plenty of training and support to help you become what you want to be. Which is just as well if you’re still deciding!

Gap Year Programmes

“At just 19 I believe I have a better experience of the world of work than most university students. I never imagined I would be on-site running an IBM Business Partner event! The variety of opportunities available for Gap Year Students is really impressive” - Susanna Garside, IBM, Gap Year

There is more than one way to get a degree...a Sponsored Degree Programme offers a university degree as a part of an employer’s training scheme. Although these schemes vary, often the tuition costs are funded or part-funded by the employer. These schemes are often based around a specific course at a particular university. Imagine telling your friends you’re being paid to go to university!

Sponsored Degree Programmes

“My two weeks on the BDO Summer School Programme were full-on however a really fun, learning experience that helped to confirm my choice of career path. I now have

an offer for the school leaver programme and cannot wait to return to BDO” - Victoria Marshall, BDO Summer School

Traineeships are for young people who want to go straight into work but need to build up experience or skills. They take place the stage before Apprenticeships, helping to improve skills in Maths and English and develop personal and vocational skills.

Work experience is any vocational experience that a person takes part in within a specific occupation. It can last any period from a day to a few weeks. These opportunities can be paid or unpaid and are looked upon favourably when applying for a job.

University is a popular option amongst school leavers. The qualification is usually a degree that can be continued to masters or PHDs. Students can also obtain work experience through placement years and internships –visit our friends at RateMyPlacement.co.uk to find out more.

“Starting university I knew I loved business but I didn’t know which sector I wanted to work in. University was great at teaching me various aspects of the business world whilst giving me the opportunity to meet new people. However, my work-placement has given me experience in a work place context, something uni can’t do.” - James Deag, Plymouth University

Traineeship

Work Experience

University

MONEY University is expensive, very expensive although the government will loan you the money – you will end up having to pay it back. The average wage is £170 a week although some companies pay their apprentices up to £25,000 a year. It’s your choice whether you take the debt or you try and avoid it.

Choosing to go straight into a career is a very clever way of working your way up the career ladder earlier and in a lot of cases quicker. Here’s a summary of what to consider; for more details visit our advice section at RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk.

What to consider?

EXPERIENCE

It is now almost impossible to

get a job without experience in

the workplace, even if you have

a degree. Taking a learn-while-

you-earn route means you get

both the qualification and some

great practical experience that

employers will love. However

university does offer the infamous

‘student experience’, it’s not all

about the degree – you meet loads

of new people and have lots of fun!

QUALIFICATIONS

Apprenticeships and School

Leaver Programmes both offer

professional qualifications which

are funded by the company you

are employed by and directly

related to the career path you are

interested in. At university you

will work towards a respected

academic qualification like a

bachelor’s degree, a master’s

degree or perhaps even a PHD.

CAREER ASPIRATIONS

There are many jobs you need

a degree for, but there are also

lots that you don’t. For instance,

you can only become a qualified

doctor by going to university;

however chartered accountants

can train straight from school and

often faster than a graduate would.

Therefore have a good think about

what you want to do because it

could save you £50,000.

Naomi Jennens-Bull joined Jaguar Land Rover as an Advanced Apprentice having just completed her GCSEs.

Whilst Naomi knew she wanted to pursue a career in engineering, she wasn’t sure which specialism she’d like to follow. This made it difficult to choose a university course and the appropriate A Levels. When she discovered she could combine academic and vocational studies with an apprenticeship at Jaguar Land Rover, the decision became easy. She now would have the perfect balance between the two, whilst gaining a unique insight into the automotive industry.

Naomi - Jaguar Land Rover, Advanced Apprentice

“The last three years at Jaguar Land Rover have been amazing. They’ve really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities and opportunities that are available within the automotive industry, and Jaguar Land Rover is at the very heart of it.”

“To be able to earn while learning from some of the most skilled and experienced engineers in the country has been incredible, and even though it was initially hard to adjust from a school environment to a working environment, I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone – in fact I have friends applying this year.”

Liz Bingham was on the EY School Leaver Programme 25 years ago. She’s now a Managing Partner at EY.

Success Story – Liz Bingham, EY , Senior Partner

“I’m from a working class background; one of my grandfathers was a greengrocer, the other an illiterate plumber. I went through the UK state school system, I’m not a graduate and yet here I am, a senior partner on the firm’s leadership team”

“EY offers the opportunity for school leavers to join one of the biggest financial services organisations in the world, the fastest growing of those in the UK, to experience firsthand what serving clients is all about and have that diversity of opportunity to train for a qualification that arguably is more valuable than many degrees. And then, when the rest of your peer-group are leaving university, you have three years work experience under your belt and a professional qualification as a chartered or certified accountant. That feels like quite a good alternative.”

So you’re doing your GCSE’s or Standard Grades and are starting to wonder whether or not to stay in full-time education or consider whether a more vocational path may suit you better?

Traineeships.Intermediate Apprenticeships look for two or more GCSEs or equivalent.Advanced Apprenticeships look for around five GCSE’s or equivalent.

Whether you decide to stay on for A-Levels or apply for an Apprenticeship or Traineeship you need to start thinking about work experience...think you don’t need to worry about that yet? I’m afraid you do! The earlier you start building up your CV the more appealing you become both to employers and to universities.

The sooner you start thinking about your future career options, the better prepared you’ll be when people start asking you: “So, what do you want to do when you leave school?” In Year 9 you can start looking into work experience options and insight days.

So now is the time to really think about your options and whether or not to apply to university through UCAS. The questions you need to ask yourself are:

Are you interested in taking the first step onto the career ladder? If so, start applying for Apprenticeships and School Leaver Programmes. Don’t forget to read our top tips for the application process on RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk.Have you looked into cost effective ways to gain a degree? Sponsored Degree Programmes are a great way to avoid the £9,000 a year fees and gain work experience alongside a degree.Do you need another year to decide your next steps? If you’re after some fantastic work experience and money for potential adventures you should consider a Gap Year Programme.

Have you started thinking about the next phase of your life yet? You might not know that there are plenty of options as well as university available including:

Apprenticeships – Learn while you earn under a government training framework! Receive a vocational qualification and experience within a great organisation.School Leaver Programmes – Work for a huge organisation, get paid a salary AND earn a professional qualification.Sponsored Degrees – More and more firms are creating schemes that pay for you to go to university, get a degree and give you paid work placements too. You even apply through UCAS.

For some more information on any of these programmes check them out on RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk.

Has this made you think?

Visit

for more information on your school leaver opportunities