Apprenticeship Programs Overview

Unemployed for 2 years under Thatcher. Zero careers advice. Here's how I found my path: Fresh out of school in the 1980s with no direction and no guidance. The journey: - Enrolled in a 2-year minerals surveying course for mining work - Pit closures made that career path obsolete before I started - Switched to City & Guilds in Estimating and Quantity Surveying at Liverpool Tech - Got the qualification but no jobs existed in northwest England - Finally landed assistant QS role in the south with day release study The key difference? Earning while learning through a 5-year part-time degree instead of 3 years full-time study. This approach kept me: → Grounded in real-world application → Motivated by immediate relevance → Financially stable while studying → Connected to industry from day one What I learned about education and careers: Traditional university isn't the only path: - Getting a degree guarantees nothing in today's job market - Practical experience often trumps theoretical knowledge - Discovering your chosen profession isn't for you halfway through creates debt that takes years to repay The apprenticeship model works: - Learning a trade while earning wages - Building real skills that employers value - No student debt burden - Clear career progression Most importantly: No one should look down on tradies because they don't have a degree. Some of the smartest, most capable people I know learned their skills on the job, not in lecture halls. In the industry, I've seen graduates struggle while experienced tradies become successful business owners. The lesson? There are many routes to a fulfilling career. The key is finding what works for you and not being afraid to pivot when circumstances change. What's your career journey story? Did you take the traditional path or find your own way? 👇

Not every strong career in electronics starts with a four-year degree. Some of the best ones I've seen started with an apprenticeship. During National Apprenticeship Week, it feels like a good moment to say that out loud.   Across the industry, the conversation around talent pipelines keeps coming back to the same challenge: we need people with real, hands-on skills, and we need them sooner rather than later. Apprenticeships are among the most practical solutions we have.   At the Global Electronics Association, we run the first electronics apprenticeship programs in the country to receive official recognition from the U.S. Department of Labor. That recognition matters. It brings federal legitimacy, access to funding, and a framework employers can actually build on. Our programs cover Electronics Assemblers, PCB Designers, and PCB Fabricators, with pathways for California-based companies and workers 55 and older who are ready to step into the field.   What I hear most from employers is that they want to do this but aren't sure where to start. Our Workforce Partnerships team works directly with companies on that, including the funding side, so no one has to figure it out alone.   If this is something you've been thinking about, this week is a good time to reach out. https://lnkd.in/etzGVt5q   What's been your experience with apprenticeship programs, either as an employer or through someone you've mentored?

During my time at Siemens, I learned a ton about global workforce challenges and solutions. Here in the United States, more than 20,000 students every single year are placed on waiting lists for imaging programs. Twenty thousand individuals who have raised their hands and said, “I want to serve in healthcare.” Yet, we tell them to wait. Meanwhile, health systems are struggling to staff CT, MRI, X ray, and interventional suites. Patients are waiting. Teams are stretched. The need is urgent. The problem is not passion. It is capacity. That is why I believe so deeply in apprenticeship degrees and true earn and learn models. When we align employers and academic institutions, we expand seats. We create paid pathways. We reduce debt. We build loyalty. We connect education directly to workforce demand. And we open doors for individuals who cannot afford to sit on a waiting list for two years without income. Apprenticeships are not just a workforce strategy. They are a dignity strategy. They say to a future imaging technologist, “You belong here. We will invest in you. You can learn and earn at the same time.” If we are serious about solving workforce shortages across imaging and allied health, we must rethink how we structure access. What would happen if every large health system committed to scaling apprenticeship degree pathways in imaging? How many waiting lists could disappear? #Heartleader #Healthcare #Imaging #Radiology #Education #Apprenticeships

Business leaders are grappling with skills shortages and a lack of candidates with relevant experience for in-demand roles. The problem is clear - but fortunately so is the solution: applied learning (or on-the-job training) through reskilling, upskilling, and early career talent programs. The current misalignment between the supply of skilled talent and the demand of employers is at the heart of my latest piece in Fast Company. Co-authored with Opportunity@Work founder & CEO Byron Auguste, we explore the critical opportunity to provide, "huge boosts to business productivity and to the wider economy through pathways that are built for all workers at all stages in their career and educational journey." In this piece, you can learn more about: - The 30 million STARs (workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes, rather than bachelor’s degrees) in the US who already have the skills for roles with at least 50% higher salaries than their current jobs, if employers #TearThePaperCeiling.  - How, according to Multiverse research with The Burning Glass Institute, apprenticeships could move 830,000 people in the US into higher-wage roles, resulting in $28.5 billion more in annual earnings.  - The emerging in-demand roles, including cybersecurity and data analysis, that are increasingly being filled through apprenticeship pathways. This piece underscores the need for the private and public sectors to collaborate and scale these programs - and with skills-based hiring increasingly prominent and various states offering tax credits for workforce training, we are already making strides. As the US economy looks for innovative ways to build new industries, let’s ensure we also build effective pathways to success for workers of all backgrounds, all ages, and all career stages. #FutureOfWork #SkillsGap #TalentDevelopment

The most common question I get is: “What is a GTO?”
And no it’s not a new type of group fitness class. 💪 In our world, it stands for Group Training Organisation and it could be the simplest way for businesses to bring apprentices on board without any of the headaches. Many businesses know apprenticeships are a smart way to build a future workforce. But when it comes to actually running an apprenticeship program, the barriers pile up fast. Where do you find the right candidates?
Who manages payroll, super, and workers’ comp?
How do you stay on top of compliance and training contracts? For way too many employers, it feels too hard so the thought gets parked. That’s where a GTO steps in. GTOs like MIGAS Apprentices & Trainees act as the legal employer of the apprentice. You simply become the host, giving them day to day work experience while the team at MIGAS handles the heavy lifting. Here’s what that means for you as an employer:
Recruitment done for you – candidates are advertised, screened, and matched to your trade needs. 
Payroll, entitlements & compliance covered – no headaches with contracts, Awards, or paperwork. 
Regular mentoring & support – helping apprentices succeed (and reducing dropouts). 
Flexibility when workloads change – apprentices can be rotated to another host if things slow down. 
Predictable costs – you pay one agreed hourly rate that covers wages, super, insurance, and admin. What’s the result?
You get the benefits of apprentices with fresh talent, energy, and future tradespeople without the admin burden or risk. When it comes to growing your own skilled talent, partnering with MIGAS makes the path simpler, smarter, and more sustainable. Pictured: Harry Steptoe (Carpentry Apprentice) 2024 MIGAS Apprentices & Trainees Apprentice of the Year. #apprentice #apprenticeship #gto #career #employer #trainee #future

I've always been a firm believer that apprenticeships are one of the most effective training models that will help our workforce become future-ready without requiring a four-year degree. (Even back in high school, I proudly used a 50th Anniversary of the National Apprenticeship Act tote bag that my dad brought home from a conference - my workforce wonkiness runs deep!)   The latest Executive Order from the The White House on providing additional career pathways to “secure well-paying, and high-need American jobs” places a welcome emphasis on registered apprenticeship and comes with a clear call to action: federal agencies have 120 days develop a comprehensive workforce development strategy that includes a plan to surpass 1 million new and active apprentices.     While the EO emphasizes skilled trades, it should also create an opportunity to focus more broadly on good jobs for all U.S. workers. In addition to skilled trades, non-degree pathways like apprenticeships can accelerate job creation in high-demand sectors like health care, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and beyond — all of which can benefit from clearer and stronger connections between learning and work.    And, the work to spur job growth and workforce pipelining doesn’t stop at the training program. Many people face barriers that prevent them from completing programs like apprenticeships—whether it’s the cost of tools or equipment, transportation, childcare, housing, or other essentials. Which is why JFF and its partners work to remove those barriers to successful apprenticeship completion – including the recently announced National Apprentice Fund, with support from Google.org, to help people get a leg up in growing sectors of the economy that need these skilled workers and offer opportunities for upward career mobility.     At Jobs for the Future (JFF), our North Star goal is that 75 million people facing barriers will work in quality jobs by 2033. Achieving that goal will depend on expanded access to apprenticeships, transforming underlying workforce and education systems to ensure they are future-focused, and robust federal and state investment in proven strategies that provide training and supportive services.    That’s the most direct way to deliver what American workers have told us they need the most– new pathways to a promising future.    #Apprenticeship #WorkforceDevelopment #FutureOfWork #AI #Jobs #EO #SkilledTrades #MiddleSkillJobs #InclusiveGrowth #NationalApprenticeshipDay https://lnkd.in/eW3kRtwe

It was the end of 1983, a little over 42 years ago, as I was finishing my A-levels, my Head of Sixth Form called me into his office to ask about my university plans. When I told him that the 1980s student lifestyle wasn't for me, and that I had instead decided to get a job in IT and study on day release, his reaction was immediate: he completely lost interest. Mr. R never spoke to me again before I left school. I had stepped off the traditional UCAS conveyor belt, so I no longer counted toward his success metrics. Fast forward to last week. We held our Degree Apprenticeship Assessment Centre, you may have seen my earlier post, and if you’ve seen me speak at the Make UK Defence National Summit or #JOSCARLive, you know how passionate I am about this pathway. It was a fantastic day, but one conversation truly shocked me. One of our strongest candidates—a high achiever at a Grammar School—shared that the moment he announced his chosen pathway didn't include full-time university, his school completely switched off to him. It is 2026, and schools are still using the exact same playbook from four decades ago. This is a profound institutional failure. Schools are actively marginalising brilliant students for making incredibly smart, forward-thinking career choices, simply because those choices don't boost the school's traditional university league table rankings. Let’s look at the reality of the Degree Apprenticeship this student is applying for: 🔶 An Honours Degree at a university ranked 12th in the UK for Engineering. 🔶 A track record where almost all our apprentices graduate with a First-Class Degree. 🔶 Four years of invaluable, hands-on industry experience. 🔶 Over £100,000 in earnings during their studies. 🔶 Absolutely ZERO student debt. To ignore a student for choosing this over £50,000+ of debt and zero industry experience is beyond short-sighted. It is time to call this out. Schools must urgently realign their definition of "success." We need an education system that prioritizes what industry actually needs and what is practically best for the students—not just what looks good on a prospectus. It was the right choice for me 40 years ago, and it is the right choice for the brilliant talent I met this week. Let's stop penalising students for being ahead of the curve. #DegreeApprenticeships #EarlyCareers #Engineering #MakeUK #JOSCAR #FutureTalent #EducationReform #Apprenticeships #STEM

I have lost count of how many times I've said these seven words... ❗ No one is ever just an apprentice. ❗ Why is that important? Because apprentices, while learning, are also part of a team, which means: 🚀 Apprentices are helping the team successfully achieve its goals. 🚀 Apprentices are, therefore, helping the organisation to achieve their goals. 🚀 Apprentices are bringing fresh ideas to improve processes and increase efficiency. Maisie Goodyear is a Digitas UK Media Apprentice, and I have the honour of supporting her during her Multiverse Data Technician Apprenticeship. And this was Masie's worry before starting her apprenticeship, but now she's thriving, and so is her team: "My apprenticeship so far has not only provided me with hands-on experience that I wouldn't be able to achieve elsewhere but also helped me develop personally. I am now so much more confident as a result of feeling like I'm growing exponentially in a multitude of different ways. I was slightly worried before the apprenticeship that I should have gone to university, but in hindsight, I am so happy with my decision to be *not just* an apprentice!" This is the reality for so many apprentices. University is great for some, but it’s not the only path to success. Learning on the job, developing real skills, and making an impact from day one - That’s the power of apprenticeships. For National Apprenticeship Week, let’s challenge outdated mindsets. Apprenticeships aren’t a "second choice" - they’re a smart choice. #NAW2025 #Apprenticeships #NotJustAnApprentice #MyMultiverse #FutureofWork #NationalApprenticeshipWeek

Apprenticeships will matter more than ever. Apprenticeships, long treated as a secondary route into work, will move from a niche pathway to a necessary engine of workforce development. As the UK faces rising skills shortages and growing youth unemployment, as well as pressure to keep pace with fast-moving technologies, the case for combining structured learning with on-the-job training is becoming impossible to ignore. The government’s recent pledge to create 50,000 apprenticeships underscores this shift. “Apprenticeships have a critical role to play in shaping the future workforce,” Hays UK&I CEO Thomas Way said. “While university degrees will always have a place in the modern working world, apprenticeships offer something uniquely powerful: hands-on experience and a direct connection to the skills businesses need today and tomorrow.” Tesco’s decision to expand its 15-month Stronger Starts programme to 1,500 apprenticeship places by 2027 is an early signal of where things are heading. Successful apprentices leave with GCSE-equivalent credentials, functional skills and a guaranteed path to permanent work. Employers across the West Midlands have also pledged more than 16,000 training and work experience opportunities as part of plans to tackle youth unemployment, which sits at double the national average in parts of the region. Hospitality giants like Diageo and Mitchells & Butlers PLC are using structured programmes to create pathways for young people who have struggled to break into work. For a labour market being reshaped by automation and artificial intelligence, apprenticeships will become a strategic necessity: “As technology evolves at pace, organisations must build a sustainable pipeline of talent equipped for roles that didn’t exist a decade ago,” Way said. “Investing in apprenticeships isn’t just about filling roles – it’s about future-proofing our industries.” ✍🏾 Solange Uwimana 📷 Getty Images 💡 This is one of a several ideas LinkedIn News is highlighting in our annual list of predictions. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/BI26UnitedKingdom Join the conversation in the comments or share your own prediction in a post or video with #BigIdeas2026.

Education shouldn’t just teach you a job; it should open doors that have historically been closed. I came across an article recently asking what higher education should really be preparing young people for in 2026, and it struck a chord with me as a solicitor apprentice. In many ways, apprenticeships sit at the heart of this question. They’re not just about learning a set of skills or passing exams. They’re about stepping into responsibility early, developing judgment, resilience, and communication in ways that no classroom alone can offer. Every day, I’m challenged to apply what I learn academically in real-world situations, drafting documents, advising clients under supervision, and managing tasks with real consequences. Alongside these practical skills, I’m learning how to think critically, make ethical decisions, and navigate professional environments. It is a combination that is rarely highlighted in traditional debates about education, but it is exactly what prepares people for both their careers and their broader roles as professionals. What makes this particularly powerful is the impact on social mobility. Apprenticeships provide access to opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach. They break down barriers by combining structured learning with on-the-job experience, giving young people, regardless of their background, the tools, confidence, and networks to step into roles that were once difficult to access. In this way, education is not just about producing skilled workers; it is about creating capable, confident professionals who can thrive in society and the workplace. For me, that is the lesson for 2026. Education must do more than teach a job. It must equip people to succeed, to grow, and to access opportunities that transform lives. That is the future apprenticeships are already showing us. #Apprenticeships #SocialMobility #Education #SkillsForTheFuture #ProfessionalGrowth #LegalProfession #CareerDevelopment #FutureOfWork