Young Apprenticeships

What are they?
Launched with 1,000 participants in September 2004, the Young Apprenticeship programme enables pupils at Key Stage 4 to take vocational qualifications in industry sectors from engineering to health and social care. A further 2,000 14 year olds will begin training under the scheme in September 2005.

Young Apprenticeships are provided through partnerships between schools, colleges, training providers and employers. The LSC funds the provision by up to £6,000 for each student for the duration of their Apprenticeship.

What do they mean for me and my school?
Pupils undertaking Young Apprenticeships benefit from spending up to two days a week in the workplace with an employer, training provider or college. This is on top of subjects in the core national curriculum, which are protected so that pupils still have access to a balanced curriculum and a broad set of options.

The Young Apprenticeship programme will see pupils gaining industry-specific qualifications (such as NVQs) at Level 2. This gives them a platform from which they can progress to post–16 Apprenticeships, if they wish. Post–16 Apprenticeships are increasingly popular with school-leavers, with the number of participants standing at a record 255,000.

Find out more about Apprenticeships