- Myth: Apprentices are paid bad salaries
Fact: Employers recognise the value of apprentices, meaning they do offer competitive salaries to attract the best talent. You’ll be guaranteed at least the minimum wage (depending on your age and year of study this may be the apprentice minimum wage). Apprenticeships offer other financial benefits, allowing you to earn while you study, without paying tuition fees.
- Myth: Apprenticeships are only for people who do badly at school
Fact: Apprenticeships offer a huge range of opportunities; degree apprenticeships in particular offer the opportunity to gain a degree whilst earning a wage and without paying tuition fees. This means apprenticeships are highly sought after and employers often look for good grades at A-Level (or equivalent) and GCSE, as well as commitment, passion and other experience which might make you well-suited to the role.
- Myth: You won’t be given any real work to do
Fact: Employers will put together a training plan to ensure apprentices have all the skills, knowledge and behaviours to be successful in their role. This puts you in a great position to progress in your field. This means that the days of apprentices being around to make tea for ‘real’ employees are long gone.
- Myth: A degree apprenticeship is not a real degree
Fact: All degree apprentices gain the same Bachelor’s and Master’s awards as traditional students, whilst Kent’s higher apprentices will gain a higher education qualification such as a certificate or foundation degree. You also get to graduate in the same way as traditional students; for Kent students this is at either Rochester or Canterbury cathedral.
- Myth: Apprentices have to be new hires
Fact: As well as being an excellent opportunity to recruit new talent, apprenticeships also benefit businesses who want to upskill their staff, helping them to progress. There is not an upper age limit for these programmes, so an apprenticeship can be completed at any stage in your career. There are even MBA apprenticeships for senior leaders, such as the Kent MBA, which require different qualifications and/or more experience than other higher and degree apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships are hugely beneficial to businesses and are a great way to attract and retain the best talent. Using degree apprenticeships to train new employees or upskill existing ones is a great business move to consider, and University of Kent offer a fully managed apprenticeship service which will support both business and student throughout the degree apprenticeship.