Apprenticeships
If you're between 16 and 24, you can take an Apprenticeship in Care. The Apprenticeship programme is designed for keen young people who want to get hands-on experience and who have the potential to gain high level skills and qualifications. Apprenticeships give you the opportunity to gain skills and nationally recognised qualifications that employers throughout industry are looking for. The qualification is available at Foundation and Advanced levels. You'll even get paid while you learn. The programme includes:
- an NVQ (Level 2 for the Foundation Apprenticeship and Level 3 for the Advanced Apprenticeship);
- Key Skills e.g. communication, number ...
- a Technical Certificate, which underpins the NVQ and is designed to help you progress further, perhaps to higher education or higher levels of working.
What's involved?
- Employment, with training in both the workplace and/or at college;
- Attendance at a college or workplace class on a regular basis.
As you work, you'll be using the knowledge and skills you learn at college or as part of your workplace training. You'll learn about personal care, equality and diversity, communication, ways to help people move and much more.
There is no set time limit to complete an Apprenticeship. Apprentices usually take anything from 15 to 24 months, depending on your skills, qualifications and how quickly you progress. But it might take longer.
What you need to think about
There are no set entry requirements for Apprenticeships. You'll start the programme as soon as you've gained employment or been accepted at a college. But, you need to think carefully about the field of work in which you want to train and you need to be:
- committed to work and study over a long period of time,
- know that you have responsibilities to both yourself and the company or health trust who would be employing you,
- prepared to study and be realistic about the amount of work involved,
- able to use your own ideas and enjoy working both as part of a team and as an individual.
What qualifications will I get?
When you've completed your Apprenticeship, you'll get a package of qualifications:
- an NVQ
- a Technical Certificate, like a BTEC National Diploma or a City & Guilds Award
- Key Skills qualifications
What will I be able to do next?
There are a number of jobs and careers within the Health and Social Care sector, and many opportunities for you to progress. An Advanced Apprenticeship qualification in Care provides a good grounding for you to go on to take up different job opportunities or further courses, if you want to. You might decide to:
- take a Degree, Foundation Degree or Diploma in subjects like Nursing, Health Studies, Counselling, Social Science or Teaching,
- apply for promotion to a more senior position in a Residential/Care Home,
- gain further experience to move into management or administration.
