Will you be an apprentice after results day?

Hundreds of students across the Liverpool City Region collected their grades on Results Day and began to make career choices. This year GCSE exams were cancelled and your results determined by your teachers. These were based on your performance throughout the year in each subject. Coursework, mock exams and class tests will have helped them decide on your final grades. Whether or not this new arrangement gave you the exam results you were expecting, take a moment to consider an apprenticeship route to gaining your next qualifications.

The apprenticeship route to a great career after leaving school should be an option you consider, particularly if your grades are good. It’s also a route for those of you who may have just missed out on the results you expected if you had taken an exam. Many students will decide to head to University, an increasing number are looking at apprenticeships as an alternative. The Apprenticeship Support by Be More Team are taking calls from school leavers with good grades who have heard about degree Apprenticeships. This may also be worth considering as an alternative to resitting a subject.

“We are helping students with good grades who have decided that they would like to explore an apprenticeship as a way to get a degree, valuable work experience and a wage. In today’s economic climate they are keen not to emerge from university with a debt, but get the same qualification and experience to improve their prospects of getting a job,” reveals Mel Dodd, Apprenticeship Support Skills Strategy Manager.

The Apprenticeship Support by Be More team are also highlighting how apprenticeships may provide an alternative to students who just missed out on the grades they thought they might achieve in exams. While retakes normally take place the following Summer, the exam regulator Ofqual has said there will be a full series of autumn exams. “You need to have at least a grade 4 or 5 in English and Maths to consider an apprenticeship, but for students who have just missed the grade at other subjects the apprenticeship route should be on your radar. Apprenticeships, unlike university entrance begin all year round. They are driven by businesses who determine the start date. They are also looking for future employees, so they don’t only consider academic grades, they are looking for enthusiastic people who are motivated and have the right character to fit their company ethos. While you may be planning to study for a resit in autumn, you should also think about applying for apprenticeships,” advises Mel.

If you would like further information on apprenticeships and how to apply for them, talk to

the Apprenticeship Support by Be More Team They provide impartial information and advice on apprenticeships across the Liverpool City Region.