One of the biggest selling points about apprenticeships is that they cover so many different career paths. Gone are the days when an apprenticeship was just for trades and crafts–though of course they do still cover these as well. But now there are also many different apprenticeships that cover newer sectors such as the IT world, as well as public services and office-based positions. Take a look at some of the sectors that you could build a career in if you apply for an apprenticeship.
Administration and business management
Every organization needs a team of people to take charge of its operations, even the ones whose activities seem to be based mainly around shops and centres that are open to the public. Think that your local supermarket is enormous? It’s probably nothing compared to the central office complex that the company uses to coordinate its supermarkets up and down the country.
Administration and management might sound like vague categories, but they are in fact hugely important, and without them companies would grind to a halt as a result of them not ordering stock, failing to pay their employees and not ensuring that their activities comply with legal regulations.
Many people think that roles in management and administration normally go to graduates, but nowadays it’s possible to rise to the very top of a company having started out as an apprentice.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Warehouse management
Merchandising management
Call centre management
Payroll administration
Customer service operations
Business development
Office management
Secretary
Market research
Agriculture and the environment
Many people’s idea of farmers are hopelessly out of day. Rather than the agricultural and environmental sector being the preserve of people who are set in their ways and work using centuries-old methods, today’s farmers and agricultural companies are among the most forward-looking and innovative businesses in the country, combining technology with advanced scientific know-how to produce food that is of a higher quality and produced more effectively and efficiently than ever before
And apprenticeships aren’t just confined to farming roles. There are all sorts of positions based around tending to and preserving Britain’s plant and animal life that you can experience through an apprenticeship.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Floristry
Shepherding
Forestry
Woodland management
Farm management
Conservation and environmental management
Recycling management
Zoo keeping
Gardening and landscaping
Construction
The construction sector has long been one of the biggest provider of apprenticeships. And it’s not hard to see why, given the sheer range of skills and professions that are required to plan, design and construct buildings and the fact that there will always be a demand for new building projects and renovations of existing projects.
If you’re interested in working in the building trade, an apprenticeship within the construction sector is quite possibly your best starting point as it will offer you the industry-required qualifications and experience to be work in the sector.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Bricklaying
Carpentry
Plastering
Masonry
Electrician
Plumbing
Roofing
Energy management
Building surveying
Quantity surveying
Engineering and Industry
All too often it’s easy to overlook the sheer levels of expertise that go into making the products we use in our everyday lives. Whether you’re driving a car, washing your clothes or listening to a digital radio, you’re using a piece of equipment that required a very large team of people to design and produce.
If the idea of contributing to making or designing the products that people use day in and day out, a career within this sector is perfect for you, whether you’re looking for an entry-level apprenticeship or an advanced one that will test your technical skills to the limit.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Engineering technicians
Machine maintenance
Railway infrastructure technician
Heating systems installation
Chemist
Quality control management
Gas pipe installation and maintenance
Finance
The financial sector is one of the UK’s biggest industries. It provides services not just for large corporations, but also smaller, local businesses and ordinary people. The term ‘financial services’ covers a wide range of fields, from insurance to mortgages and loans. Some of the roles that you can do through an apprenticeship within the financial sector are seriously complex, bringing with them a serious pay packet into the bargain.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Insurance underwriting and claims management
Investment advice services
Loans administration
Mortgage advice services
Accounts management
Credit and risk management
Healthcare and Emergency Services
If you make the choice of working in the healthcare or emergency services sectors, whether on the frontline of caregiving or in a behind-the-scenes role, you’re committing yourself to following a career in which you’ll be making an enormously positive contribution to your community and to individuals’ lives. You could literally be the difference between life and death for someone. With this level of responsibility a career in healthcare can be a daunting challenge, but also an incredibly rewarding one.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Firefighting
Dental nursing
Therapy assistant
Clinical support worker
Operating theatre worker
Pharmacy technician
Non-commissioned police officer
IT
Although its revolutionary effects started to be felt in the twentieth century, computers and IT are having an even greater impact on the twenty-first century. It’s not just the fact that computers are used in virtually every workplace in some form or another, not to mention in every home; it’s also the fact that other forms of technology, whether they be your house’s central heating system of your washing machine, are more closely integrated with computers than ever before. And, perhaps most significantly of all, the overlap between communications technology and IT becomes stronger with every year that passes.
Whether your passion lies with computer hardware, software or communications technologies, the chances are that there will be an apprenticeship that suits your career ambitions and interests.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Website management
IT technical support
Data management
IT Project Management
IT Security Management
IT systems installation
Software development
Network engineering
Media
The media industry is undergoing many different exciting changes right now. Although traditional print publications are in decline, the digital revolution has created all sorts of exciting new forms of entertaining and informing people. And producing these new media forms requires considerable technical skills that are increasingly being taught through apprenticeships.
Whether your passion is music, film, TV or the printed word, there’s bound to be a media-based apprenticeship opportunity out there that is right up your street.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Marketing and promotions
Media, publishing and arts administration
Make-up, costumes or sets creation and management
Graphic design
Product design
Copywriting
Photography
Retail and Commercial
Take a close look at your local town or city centre and you’ll find all sorts of exciting things going on. In addition to the many different types of shops there that sell all sorts of different goods, you’ll also find businesses offering many different kinds of services to the public. Post offices, hairdressers, beauty parlours, lettings agents, cinemas, bowling alleys, restaurants, bars, pubs… the list could go on and on. But in spite of the sheer range of things happening on high streets and in shopping centres, all of these businesses have one thing in common: they all need well-trained, skilled and knowledgeable employees who can give customers what they want.
And the operations of these businesses aren’t just restricted to the work they do with customers. They also need people to perform vital behind-the-scenes tasks such as handling supplies and deliveries and managing their premises.
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Beauty therapy
Hairdressing
Bar management
Supplies management
Import and export administration
Estate agency
Lettings management
Customer sales
Facilities management
Tourism and Leisure
Even in the difficult economic times that we are currently living through, by and large people are still finding that they have income available to spend on services that make their lives more enjoyable, whether this takes the form of exercise classes, taking up new sports and hobbies or visiting new and exciting places. Yes, even in the bad times demand for leisure and tourism services is still holding steady, and as a result there are a wide range of apprenticeships available in this sector.
An apprenticeship in the tourism and leisure sector is particularly worth bearing in mind if you’d like to combine your career with an activity that you love to do in your own spare time. And that’s not something that many people are lucky enough to be able to do!
Some of the careers you could follow through an apprenticeship in this sector include:
Fitness instruction
Gym and leisure centre management
Personal training
Sports coaching and instruction
Airline crew
Travel consultancy
Tourism customer services