Apprenticeships have something of an odd reputation. While everyone knows they are a great way to get a permanent job, people have an outdated view that they are only for people entering labour-intensive careers like bricklaying and construction.
This is completely untrue and there are a wide range of sectors where school leavers can get paid work experience that will help them go on to have a fruitful career. In this article we’ll list a few of the industries where 16 to 18-year-olds can get paid to learn.
Estate agency
The estate agency sector is currently booming and is profiting from an increase in rental prices and an improved UK economy.
But firms in the industry are struggling to find well trained staff to fill their vacancies and the fact that a very specific set of social skills are required for the job means more and more companies are turning to apprenticeships.
School leavers who are thinking about going to college might wish to reconsider and take the opportunity to work on an estate agents apprenticeship (find out more here) as it could give them a great chance to make a name for themselves in a rapidly growing sector.
Retail
Anyone who has worked in retail will be able to tell you just how tricky of a job it can be. Demanding customers, rushes during sales periods, stock management and shoplifters are all part of a normal day’s work.
But contrary to popular belief, retail can be a fulfilling career option to take and has great opportunities for promotions and pay improvements. However, the increasing demands placed upon staff members means retailers are looking for more qualified workers.
To accommodate for this, a number of big chains are looking for retail apprentices, as they can be taught the specifics of stock management, customer relations and visual merchandising while being paid to learn. It certainly isn’t a bad way to earn a living and is perfect for fashionistas looking to make their way into the world of garment design.
Administration
Administration might not sound like the most amazing job in the world, but the fact remains that all offices need staff members to look after the bread and butter of databases, files and servers.
While many people will be turned off by the boring sounding nature of this role, it can actually be really fulfilling and everyone in the office will see you as a vital component to their success.
What’s more, simply getting on the corporate ladder and working in an administration apprenticeship will give you a great chance to apply for promotions to other departments – something that could lead to a big pay day!
IT
IT is easily one of the fastest growing consumer sectors in the UK and handsome rewards await candidates who take the plunge into this hard to enter industry.
While many college leavers have found it difficult to get IT jobs due to purported weaknesses in the school curriculum’s computing lessons, those who enter into IT apprenticeships have fared much better.
Learning on the job is a great way to get your foot in the door of this fast-moving industry and great skills like programming and project management can all be picked up by someone who was previously a layman.
