How to nail your apprenticeship search

We’ve debunked the myths, now it’s time to find the perfect role. Apprenticeships are a great way to gain hands-on experience while also earning a wage, but with so many things to consider – entry level or degree, stay local or relocate? – knowing which one is right for you can be daunting without the right help. Cue our top five tips for an efficient and, more importantly, productive search.

Look in the right place

Long dreamed of working for a particular company? The first thing you should do is check out the careers area of their website to find out more about their apprenticeship offer. If they don’t have any vacancies at the time of your search, make sure you’re following them on social media – some businesses even have separate accounts dedicated to careers – to be the first to know about any future opportunities.

For a more general search, there are loads of free, easy and safe websites that you can use to browse apprenticeships across thousands of businesses, including Find an Apprenticeship (gov.co.uk), UCAS, Amazing Apprenticeships, Springpod and NGTU. You should also follow these sites on social media and set up email alerts to be notified when something closer to what you’re looking for becomes available.

Think widely about the sector

A ‘sector’ is used to describe a group of organisations that share the same or similar business activity, but the trick to a thorough apprenticeship search is understanding that some organisations fit more neatly into a sector than others. For example, when you think of the education sector, schools and colleges probably come to mind, but there’s also exam boards, Ofsted and the companies that create text books.

Interested in sport? You don’t have to be an athlete to work in the sector as it also requires HR, IT, marketing and other business functions. Therefore, as well as looking outside the box when it comes to organisations within a sector, don’t forget to consider the less obvious roles on offer.

Use broad terminology

Don’t make the mistake of limiting your search results by being too specific. Job titles can vary from organisation to organisation, so it’s important to use broad terminology to increase your chances of finding the perfect opportunity. For example, search for ‘Engineer’ instead of ‘Mechanical Engineer Level 6’. You may even discover a role you’ve never thought of before.

Be open to all levels

The world of work operates differently to the school system you’re used to, so whilst completing a Level 3 apprenticeship after GCSEs or embarking on a degree apprenticeship following A-Levels might seem like the obvious next step, it’s not always the case. Lots of apprenticeships are only offered at certain levels, but this doesn’t lessen the value of the opportunity.

Equally, when you start an apprenticeship, you’ll likely be entering a completely new sector that you’ve never worked in before and, therefore, need to carefully assess the stage you enter. In other words, don’t hold yourself back by only searching for a particular level.

Get a feel for the role

Your research doesn’t have to end at the job description. Once you’ve found an apprenticeship that piques your interest, try finding a case study or ‘day in the life of’ film that provides more of a personal insight into the realities of the role and, therefore, whether it’s right for you. You can find these sorts of resources on Amazing Apprenticeships, BBC Bitesize, Apprentices in Action or employer websites and social media.