The decision to pursue an apprenticeship is a very clever but personal professional move. Finding the ideal apprenticeship from the various alternatives can be a bit complicated. It may seem like there is a lot to cover with the variety of levels and types of apprenticeships available and the number of organisations incorporating them into their employment offerings. This is why we have put this guide together. Hopefully this will help you make an enlightened decision.
1 - Identify what your interests are.
Your hobbies and interests are the activities that you enjoy doing the most, thus they make a strong foundation for selecting a job. Since you'll be in a variety of roles for a significant chunk of your adult life, each of them should be something you're passionate about and want to advance in. Above all, you should keep in mind that you'll be working eight hours a day, giving up your weekends because you're on call, or travelling extensively because your job requires it. Your ideal apprenticeship should be in a field that you are passionate about and see yourself pursue for a long time.
A nice illustration is being outside. Do you enjoy taking walks? Do you frequently find yourself at a public park or the countryside? If you prefer being outside, you might not enjoy spending your entire workday seated at a desk performing number crunching operations on a spreadsheet.
If you enjoy being outside, the agriculture, environmental, and animal care group of apprenticeships is the best place to start. Here, you can learn about a career in environmental conservation that could involve managing the countryside for an estate, serving as a ranger to protect the area, or working as a dry stone waller to restore or build walls or landscape features.
If you are really into cars, you can look into mechanic or car related apprenticeships. You really need to look into yourself and find what YOU are all about.
2 - Identify what you are good at.
Even if you do not want to think about school anymore, you will have to revisit your past schooling to better plan your future. Your school subjects matter because they represent the most significant portion of your life thus far and the most significant portion of your life to come, respectively. You had the chance to put your interests and hobbies into effect when you were in school, especially in the topics you excelled at. You would have received an academic foundation from your professors, enabling you to grow and prosper.
Areas where you did excel are crucial to the apprenticeship you select because it shows you have the academic foundation and fundamental skills to advance. If, for instance, you enjoy being outside, especially while running, and you succeeded in PE and cross-country running, you'll notice a clear path for your personal growth that would be sensible to take. The sport and fitness set of apprenticeships would be your next step, where you could learn about the sporting excellence apprenticeship and all it entails to become a professional athlete or a professional trainer.
Naturally, not everyone has a definite path they can take. You might not have excelled in your school subjects in the manner described above because you have interests that are difficult to identify or because of a lack of academic inclination. By concentrating your education on topics that are immediately relevant to your trade or profession, apprenticeships provide vocational training that can get around these challenges. The majority of school classes and extracurricular activities offer skills that are generally applicable. Be open-minded during this step because, when you give it some thought, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how much you can accomplish.
3- Research and understand what apprenticeships are like.
After all is said and done, you must research the reality of the apprenticeship you are interested in. What exactly does the position entail? What are the benefits and drawbacks (because every job has both)? Is it something you may perhaps find passion in? Knowing what to expect and if you want to do it are prerequisites for finding and maintaining a career.
You also want to start looking at what the options are around you and organise yourself accordingly. If you are interested in a very niche subject that is not commonly offered, you will have to research where you could pursue your apprenticeship and how you will get there. For example if your dream is to make violins you will have to research luthiers around you, find which ones offer apprenticeship opportunities and how you need to organise yourself to attend to your apprenticeship.
To conclude
Choosing an apprenticeship is quite a big task. This is why you need to take enough time to understand yourself and your goals. Doing so will help you make the right decisions for your future. Make sure to read a lot and ask around for any tips or advice as they might help guide you towards the right direction. But ultimately, you are the only person who can decide for your future. And remember that a lot of people have gone through the same process as you are going through right now, and they built beautiful lives and careers for themselves. So there is no reason you cannot do the same! If you have any more questions or interrogations about apprenticeships visit our website or to find plenty of answers.