1. Good Morning,
Today I am here to talk to you about apprenticeships as a Post 16 option, as well as who Apprenticeships Suffolk are and what they do.
I would like to get an idea of your progression routes so if everyone could stand up...I would like to you sit down when I have said your chosen progression route…..
Who is thinking about going to 6th form? Who is going to College? Who is doing an apprenticeship? Who hasn’t got any idea of what they would like to do?
My aim is that hopefully by the end of this assembly you will have increased your knowledge about apprenticeships and will have gained more of an interest, of which Apprenticeships Suffolk can support you through the application process, nurture your interest and turn that into an action.

2. True or False game False False TRUE False
Apprenticeships are for less academic people who don’t want to go to 6th form, college or university…
False
Apprenticeships are poorly paid……
False
You can go to university after you have completed an apprenticeship…
TRUE
I’d like to get an idea of how much you know about apprenticeships… by playing a quick true or false game… I am going to read out 4 statements about apprenticeships and I would like you to tell me if they are true or false, if you think they are false please sit down if you think they are true remain standing…..
The only area you can do an apprenticeship in is a trade, E.G., Hairdressing, bricklaying or motor vehicle…
False

3. Apprenticeships Suffolk
Part of Children & Young people’s Service for Suffolk County Council
Offer support to every young person, school and employer in Suffolk.
Offer to young people:
Offer impartial information about apprenticeships
Weekly updates with the latest vacancies
Newsletters
1:1 support with searching and applying for apprenticeships
Apprenticeships Suffolk is a part of the Children & Young Peoples Service within Suffolk County Council.
They have an offer to every school, employer and Young Person in Suffolk. Their aim is to raise awareness of Apprenticeships in Suffolk, encourage more students to complete an apprenticeship and to encourage a lot more employers to take on Apprentices.
Their offer to young people is to support you with registering with Apprenticeships Suffolk; Sending you weekly updates with the latest vacancies; Sending you newsletters about the latest events or apprenticeship information in your area; as well as providing 1:1 support with searching and applying for apprenticeship vacancies.

4. What are apprenticeships?
Full time “REAL” job
Earn a wage whilst you learn a qualification
Eligibility- 16 years old and live in England
Relevant and practical experience
3 components
Qualification, E.G., NVQ
Work Experience
Functional Skills Maths & English (Unless GCSE C+/ 4+ is achieved)
So what are apprenticeships?
A full time “real job” – you normally work over 30 hours a week with an apprenticeship
Earn a Wage whilst you learn a qualification – you complete your qualification and learning whilst on the job which means sometimes normally 1 day a week you may have to go to a college, learning centre and sometimes the assessor comes to your workplace which obviously would then mean you stay in the work place and they access you on the job. It can also be done via e-learning.
Eligibility – This is simple you have to be 16 years old and live in England..
Relevant and Practical experience – You will be learning the relevant skills for that job whilst also learning lots of transferable skills so you can take them to any job you get.
3 Components – so there are 3 components to an Apprenticeship, first one qualification – so you are getting your qualification whatever that may be could be an NVQ, Degree or a Higher Diploma. Second one is work experience, you gain work experience which is very attractive to employers and you have a better chance getting a job if you already have experience. You then have your functional skills Math and English so if you do not achieve GCSE’S C+ / 4+ you can do your functional math and English at the workplace.

5. Careers via Apprenticeships
Construction Management
Advertising & Marketing Communications
Sports Development
Veterinary Nursing
Human Resource Management
Aviation Pilot Practice
Hospitality Management
Children & Young People’s Workforce
Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools
IT Software, Web & Telecoms Professionals
Life Sciences & Chemical Science Professionals
Music Business
Examples of careers you can go into via the apprenticeship route… (go into detail explaining that construction management could mean they start off learning the general trades such as carpentry/plumbing etc. then go onto be a manager of a construction site.

6. Apprenticeship levels
Apprenticeship Type
Level
Equivalent educational level
Intermediate 2
5 GCSE’s A*-C (grades 9-4)
Advanced 3
2 A-Level Passes
Higher
4, 5
Higher education certificate/ Diploma or a foundation degree
Degree 6 7
Bachelor’s degree
Master’s degree
4 levels of apprenticeships – Read out this slide explaining the equivalent educational levels

7. Higher and Degree Apprenticeships
On the job training studying at the same time
Foundation, Bachelors or Masters degree depending on type of Apprenticeship and employer you choose
The cost of your training is often covered by employer
No student debt= £9,000 saving per year + salary
Higher apprentices are 25% more employable than those who went to university
Visit and for vacancies
A higher or degree apprenticeship is where you get on the job training but you study for a foundation higher or degree level apprenticeship at the same time.
You can either do your Foundation, Bachelors or Masters degree depending on which apprenticeship you choose.
The cost of your training is often covered by your employer*
No student loan or debt= saving of up to £9,000 per year plus the yearly salary you will be earning
Employers think that qualified higher apprentices are 25% more employable than those that took another route into work
*aged 16 to 18 - you can get all of their course costs up to advanced level apprenticeship qualifications, eg higher diplomas or A-levels
aged 19 to 23 - you can get half of their course costs, the rest to be covered by employer
24 years and older - you may only get a contribution, the rest to be covered by employer and/ or apprenticeship via a student loan or deduction in wages

8. Progression Routes Number of options available:
Advanced apprenticeship (A-Level)
Full time employment
Higher apprenticeship (Degree or Masters)
University
Starting your own business
When you have completed your apprenticeship there are a number of options available to you such as: an advanced apprenticeship equivalent to 2 A-Levels, full time employment, a degree or Masters apprenticeship, university or starting your own business.

9. Benefits Earn while you learn
Research shows that apprentices can earn up to £100,000 more in their lifetime than other employees
Relevant and practical experience
Gain a degree or equivalent qualification with a higher apprenticeship
No university debt
Recognition and status
The are lots of benefits of completing apprenticeships, such as:
Earn whilst you learn – You are earning a wage alongside learning so this gives you the option of not having to go and get a part time weekend and evenings job like you may do if you are at college or sixth form.
So here is a little statistic for you …. ( read it out) as you can see that is a lot of money.
Relevant and practical experience – Employers say that people who do a Higher or degree apprenticeship are 25% more employable as they already have the skills required for the job.
Gain a degree or equivalent qualification with a higher apprenticeship – you can go onto do a higher apprenticeship once you have completed an advanced one, your employer will normally pay for you to complete this which means you save lots of money which leads me on to the next benefit of …..
No university debt – on average you will save around £9,000 a year on student debt
Recognition and Status – You gain great recognition and status for the qualifications you have earnt.

10. Our service www.apprenticeshipssuffolk.org
Okay so this is how you apply to the Apprenticeship Suffolk service, when visiting their website to register to become an apprentice you click on the middle box which says become and apprentice……

11. You will then see their page on The Source which is their area on the SCC website where you can register with them online by selecting ‘Register with Apprenticeships Suffolk’ where you can fill out your details and begin to receive impartial advice and guidance about apprenticeships as well as receive weekly apprenticeship opportunities

12. Alternative registration…
Or you can register with Apprenticeships Suffolk by filling out one of our postcards and returning it to them FREEPOST so you can be added to our registrant database

13. Support Resources Register with Apprenticeships Suffolk
Impartial advice and guidance
1:1 support
Weekly apprenticeship vacancies
Information about ‘what’s on’ in your area
Monthly newsletters
Apprenticeships Suffolk can provide resources on how to complete a brilliant application; support with your CVs and interview techniques.
By registering with Apprenticeships Suffolk will give you access to their offer where you will receive impartial advice and guidance; 1:1 support with researching and applying for vacancies; information on the latest vacancies; information about events and news of ‘what’s on’ in your area

14. Apply for live apprenticeships www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk
You can apply for live apprenticeship vacancies by signing up to this website… ….. You put your and password into the system to make an account…..

15. Easy to search vacancies…
Then to search for vacancies its as easy as this, you type in what sort of job or sector you are looking for and then the location, then the level of apprenticeship you are after…..

16. Current vacancies ADD COMPANY APPRENTICESHIP TITLE
LEVEL OF APPRENTICESHIP
WEEKLY WAGE
ADD COMPANY
APPRENTICESHIP TITLE
LEVEL OF APPRENTICESHIP
WEEKLY WAGE
ADD COMPANY
APPRENTICESHIP TITLE
LEVEL OF APPRENTICESHIP
WEEKLY WAGE
ADD COMPANY
APPRENTICESHIP TITLE
LEVEL OF APPRENTICESHIP
WEEKLY WAGE
ADD COMPANY
APPRENTICESHIP TITLE
LEVEL OF APPRENTICESHIP
WEEKLY WAGE
Here are some examples of current apprenticeship vacancies in Ipswich at the moment.

17. Don’t know what career suits you? icanbea… can help…
I’d just like to draw your attention to icanbea… especially for those of you who are unsure about what career path to choose.
Icanbea… is a social media platform for employers from various different sectors within Suffolk and Norfolk. There are about 18 different sectors on there at the moment, from Engineering, Sports & Leisure, IT, Construction, Health & Social Care, as well as HM Forces, Marine, Creative Industries such as Art and Design and Travel and Tourism.

18. Get started today…
Signup and Register to start liking industries and following companies and create your own personal feed!
Within these sectors/industries there are a number of organisations who have signed up to icanbea… which gives you the chance to create an account and like industries and follow various companies to create your own personal feed like a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. Icanbea… is a platform for them to publish various apprenticeship opportunities, volunteer opportunities as well as work experience, Saturday jobs and any open events or information they may have about the industries which can help you to explore different employment opportunities to help you decide your career for the future.

19. Timeline September- December January- April May- July
Register on “Find an Apprenticeship”
Research
Set up ‘saved searches’
Visit #apprenticeships and follow companies that interest you
Set up an account on
January- April
Prepare your application
Apprenticeships Week March 2017
Attend open days; work experience
Start applying for apprenticeships
A useful timeline to consider when you are thinking of applying for an apprenticeship is shown here:
Sept-Dec: Register on find an apprenticeship; research different types of jobs available paying attention to closing dates; research different employers that interest you; keep an eye on their careers section on their website; set up saved searches so you receive alerts; Spring clean your social media following #apprenticeships on Facebook and Twitter. Set up an account on icanbea… to see what sector areas and companies may be of interest to you and follow them for future opportunities. They may advertise events or open days for you to find out more information about what the companies have to offer.
Jan- April: Prepare your application; Look out for local events as part of National Apprenticeships Week in March 2017; Attend open days and evenings with employers; Contact employers and ask about potential work experience to build your CV; Look out for employers launching vacancies for Apprenticeships Week in March 2017; Start applying for apprenticeships- make sure you ask a parent/ teacher to check your application before you submit it
May- July: Ask your teachers/ parents to help prepare for interviews; Update your saved searches; Keep searching for different vacancies as more are constantly added; Find out more about the employers and their products before an interview; Retweet Tweets you are interested; Keep your social media accounts active and up to date with latest activities such as work experience
May- July
Start to prepare for interviews
Keep searching and applying for different vacancies
Find out more about the employers
Retweet tweets you are interested in

20. Useful links www.apprenticeshipssuffolk.org www.thesource.me.uk
Follow Apprenticeships Suffolk
Follow Apprenticeships Suffolk on Twitter, LinkedIn and icanbea……