Getting an Apprenticeship

[paultgreen]

A friend of mine is struggling at the moment and I'm wondering if one of the accountancy gurus on here can offer some advice. He has just been turned down by Bolton college on an apprenticeship because firms are looking at his GCSEs and aren't prepared to give him a shot.. he's got a strong Maths GCSE, but weaker science and english, and has a flair for numbers that can't be demonstrated on a CV.

Is there another way in? he's tried calling around companies, but is being told they're a closed shop, or too small to need an apprentice.. any advice would be appreciated, as he's close to believing the careers adviser that's told him he should be a builders labourer..

Cheers

[Maxine]

That's such a shame. Nothing like boosting his confidence is there?! This makes me cross really as surely attitude and enthusiasm should count for a bit more than some differences in GCSE grades.

Could he get some support perhaps from Connexions or Train2Gain?

I have just been contacting my local college for an apprentice to work in the office doing a bit of bookkeeping, telemarketing, customer service etc and they have taken 3 weeks so far just to acknowlege my call and haven't passed anyone onto me.

A couple of things from an employers perspective that I have learned recently that some people may not be aware of

* Apprenticeships don't have to be full time - they can be from a minimum of 16 hrs per week. The cost is then pro-rata of say £95 per week = so only £40 a week approx for 16 hrs and then one day at college. So how can a business be too small for an apprentice? There is always the option to offer "additional hours" keeping the cost variable.

* The Apprentice has the option of paying for their own study themselves if they wanted to out of their pay which means this is very cost effective / attractive if an employer is not sure about committing financially to support apprentice studies. This then works out at below National Minimum Wage and the employer can give bonuses on a discretionary basis if they wanted to.

Maybe it would be a good idea to email companies with CV and skills and get someone from connexions to help with what the apprenticeship schemes really involve as it's hard for a youngster to try an educate a potential employer.

Sympathies with your friend. Chin up and good luck
Max

[NikkiPilkington]

It always amazes me how much teachers and careers advisers do to put kids down in the UK. I do realise that they have to manage expectations, but a little encouragement can go a long way.

I don't have any real advice for your friend, unfortunately - has he tired emailing/phoning/writing to firms that maybe don't understand the apprenticeship arena and explaining the benefit and associated costs to them?

[Ray Stewart]

Getting a start in any workplace has always been hard. The old chestnut of "we need someone with experience" but how do young people get experience if no-one gives them a chance.

It is obviously even harder in the current climate but there are always ways to get a foot in the door. Your friend has to find a way to make himself stand out from everyone else - something that shows he is a unique and desirable individual to have around - not just another "hoodie" who can scrape through an exam.

There are many ways to do this and one young lady a while ago spent ages writing up a fictional set of books and touted around the local firms for work as a trainee bookkeeper. Her "qualifications" were totally non-existant but she had a clear aptitude with figures. I was the only business that went through her work with her, found out what made her tick, and took her on. She sailed through the Certified Bookkeepers exams and has recently gone on to bigger and better things - unfortunately for me.

So the moral is, tell him what Winston Churchill told the Oxford Students - Never, Never, Never, Never, Never give up!

[fundingportal]

We have taken on apprentices in the past using connexions or their refered advisors.

From the quality of many applications I have seen, I struggle to see lack of GCSEs as a real barrier. Just keep wth it...

[AboveParr]

Tell him to keep at it - my careers advisor told me to become either a quantity surveyor or an electrician!

Look at the smaller practices and contact them direct - one of them will need someone...

[paultgreen]

Thanks for all the advice - particularly Ray's idea... I've passed it on to him, and told him to keep his chin up.....