Apprenticeships are a great alternative to university and help you gain practical experience while gaining a recognised qualification. 

What is an apprenticeship? 

Useful information
Apprenticeships are work-based training that allow you to gain a qualification while you work and get paid. 

There are different levels of qualification, explained in the table below. 

​More and more employers recognise the benefits of taking on students after their sixth form studies and helping them gain university level qualifications. At Aquinas we have an ever increasing number of students who go on to gain exciting and progressive apprenticeships in their chosen field, many taking degree apprenticeships.  
It is useful for you to start exploring the different sectors and levels of apprenticeship early to help give you an idea of what is available that may interest you. Below are some useful websites (with links at the bottom of the page) to start looking at current vacancies. 
  • National Apprenticeships Website - Search or apply for apprenticeships and create an account to get alerts when vacancies arise.
  • Unifrog - A website to search for apprenticeships with a useful tool to sort by level, salary, start date and more. Also a section here on employer sponsored programmes (mostly degree)
  • UCAS - The university website has a section you can look for vacancies
  • Notgoingtouni - This has a range of options including apprenticeships, employee programmes, gap years and more.