Apprenticeships

Get the best of both worlds: the ability to earn while you learn.

Visit our Apprenticeship website

What are apprenticeships?

If you become an apprentice, you’ll work for a company (receiving wages, holiday pay, and statutory sick pay) while training or studying for a formal qualification. You might study in a training centre or one of our colleges, usually for one day a week. You may need to learn extra skills including English and maths if you don’t already have a GCSE in those areas, and IT. Or, you may learn entirely in the workplace, with our dedicated assessors visiting you on site to see how you’re getting on.

Your job will be a genuine job and you’ll be treated and respected like any other employee, working a minimum of 30 hours a week on a contract that lasts at least 12 months.

Programmes usually last for between one to two years and offer a direct route into employment. Employers are keen to hire people who can hit the ground running!

Apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers: nearly a third of our current apprentices are over the age of 19. So, whatever your age, get in touch to kickstart your career!

How do apprenticeships compare to other qualifications? 

In general, apprenticeships are for you if you are keen to enter the world of work after finishing school. However, this doesn’t mean you will forfeit the ability to enter higher education later in life. All apprentices follow an approved study programme, which means you'll gain a nationally-recognised qualification at the end of your apprenticeship. In addition, you’ll benefit from constantly developing your transferable skills, otherwise known as soft skills, which employers highly value. These include:

  • communication
  • teamwork
  • problem solving
  • IT proficiency
  • the application of numbers

We offer apprenticeships all the way up to degree level! We offer four levels to suit your current qualifications, skills, and experience:

INTERMEDIATE

Level 2: equivalent to five GCSEs, grades 9–4

ADVANCED

Level 3: equivalent to two A Levels

HIGHER

Level 4: equivalent to first year of a bachelor’s degree/foundation degree
Level 5: equivalent to second year of a bachelor’s degree/foundation degree

DEGREE

Level 6: equivalent to final year of a bachelor’s degree
Level 7: equivalent to master’s degree

Why be an Activate Learning apprentice?

  • We are the leading apprenticeship partner in the region. We have a dedicated team, Activate Apprenticeships, whose sole focus is supporting a pipeline of 16,000 apprentices and matching them with more than 1,250 potential employers.
  • We offer apprenticeships with employers of all sizes, including some of the biggest brands in the country: BMW, Decathlon, Merlin Entertainments Group, Miele, and Halfords.
  • We work in a three-way partnership with you, us, and employers to plan out the best career pathway for you. This is based on the employer’s needs, their job role and your previous qualifications and experience.
  • We also promise to adapt our teaching to match the way you learn, by applying our Learning Philosophy
  • 16k

    apprenticeships

  • 1,250

    potential employers

  • 79

    years of teaching experience

Visit our apprenticeships website