Is a Management Apprenticeship a Good Fit?

Written by Calvin Bowers

When deciding on whether to take up a management apprenticeship, there are some important factors to consider in order to be sure that it is the right course of action for you at your current stage of life and progress. 

With specific reference to a management apprenticeship, here are some factors to consider in order to figure out whether this is something you should pursue:

Is an Apprenticeship Right for You?

Earn as You Learn

Apprenticeships can be brilliant opportunities for career advancement and there are many reasons to start an apprenticeship. One of the best reasons to start an apprenticeship is the possibility that they offer to earn while you learn. This is something that many people who undertake apprenticeships really value and find useful. 

There is a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job training, with 80% of the apprenticeship being done in-post and the other 20% being off-the-job study. You will be paid for the entirety of the time that you are engaged in the apprenticeship whether you are doing on-the-job or off-the-job training, so you are actually paid while you are studying as well as while you are working.

Educational Qualification

Another benefit of apprenticeships is that they offer an educational qualification at the end of them that can help to kickstart your career. The level of educational qualification on offer varies depending on the level of the apprenticeship and they can go all of the way up to Degree and Masters Degree level. 

This means that it is a much less expensive way to earn a degree qualification than by going down the traditional University route. The cost of tuition when undertaking degree courses at university can be prohibitive for people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and degree apprenticeships can increase the accessibility of a degree level education for people from less privileged backgrounds.

Experience

Another of the ways that an apprenticeship can benefit you is that you are getting valuable experience in your area of interest while you learn on and off the job. Experience is often valued by employers and there is no substitute for it. Graduates leaving University can struggle to find jobs in their chosen field as they don’t have experience working in their field yet but apprenticeships furnish you with that relevant experience so you have an in-built advantage.

 That is before you even take into consideration that 64% of apprentices are kept on by their employer at the successful conclusion of their apprenticeship. 85% of apprentices remain in employment even if it isn’t with the employer they were with during their apprenticeship, which is a remarkably high number. 

Have You Researched What a Management Apprenticeship Involves?

This should be one of the first things you do when you are looking for your ideal opportunity to shine. Thanks to the wonders of the internet age, there is an incredible amount of information out there that is easy to access on all manner of different qualifications and apprenticeships.

Each apprenticeship is underpinned by an apprenticeship standard, which ensures that everyone who undertakes that apprenticeship has learned the same things, to the same standard, no matter where in the country they did it. This uniformity of outcome means that employers can be confident that anyone who has completed a certain apprenticeship will have the skills that they are expected to in order to successfully do their job. 

A good place to start when finding out more about management apprenticeships is to explore the relevant apprenticeship standards as they relate to management. Management comes under the heading of Business and Administration and all of the apprenticeship standards outline the skills that will be developed and the educational outcomes that will be expected at the end of it. 

This will give you a better idea which of the apprenticeship standards would be best for you and which of the academic outcomes will be best suited for someone with your current level of achievement.

What Skills Does a Management Apprenticeship Teach

A management apprenticeship is a rewarding route to a successful career and also teaches many useful skills that you will be able to use in your work. Management, at its heart, is about how to get the best out of people and as such requires a lot of empathy for how others are doing. It will help you to hone your interpersonal skills when dealing with others and trying to see things from their perspective. 

Being able to run team meetings and give pep talks where needed, as well as knowing when to build someone up and when to ask more from them is an invaluable set of skills that will stand you in good stead as you progress through your career.  

Assess Your Own Personal Qualities

Before taking on a management apprenticeship, it is important to take some time to consider whether you are ready to enter the workplace in this subject area. Management entails responsibility and hard work, and if you are not someone who has a sufficient level of commitment and maturity to embrace the role, now is the time to acknowledge this. 

It is much more difficult to decide that this is the case once you have started the apprenticeship and you risk wasting everyone’s time if you walk away. That isn’t to say that you can’t leave an apprenticeship if absolutely necessary but please be aware that you should have a better reason than going into it with a lack of self-knowledge. 

If you do decide to leave an apprenticeship, it is very similar to leaving a normal job, except that you will also lose any progress toward a qualification that you may have made during the course of the apprenticeship. 

Find a Management Apprenticeship Today

If you have looked into the possibilities that a management apprenticeship offers and you would like to find one in your area, you can look at our dedicated apprenticeship jobs board

It would seem like a good idea to ensure your CV is up to scratch and that you are following the latest advice on how to write a cover letter.  

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Last Updated: Wednesday November 16 2022
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