APPRENTICESHIPS & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS. A guide for learners

Transcription

1 APPRENTICESHIPS & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS A guide for learners

2 There are many options when thinking about the next step on your career journey. Going to university is no longer the only or best option for those leaving school. Apprenticeships are seen as a great alternative and give you the chance to earn a wage while you learn the skills of your chosen career. If you ve already got a foot on the career ladder then gaining a professional qualification can help boost your chances of promotion.

3 Campbell Christie CBE Principal & CEO Thank you for considering Bracknell & Wokingham College as the next step on your career journey. We are proud to have helped start thousands of young people s careers over the years. Our full-time courses are only one part of this success, the other being our high quality Apprenticeships provision. Many people may still think of Apprenticeships as only being relevant to hands-on trades but that is no longer the case. We have Apprenticeships in accounting, business administration, human resources management and team leading as well as the more traditional careers. If, like me, you started on the career ladder a while ago, then gaining a professional qualification could give your career the boost or change of direction it needs. With some of our subjects going all the way up to degree level there s something for every stage of your career journey. However you decide to study with us, we look forward to helping you succeed in your career.

4 Apprenticeships Apprenticeships are available in all sectors and industries throughout England. There are more than 200 different types of Apprenticeships available offering over 1,200 job roles. As with any other training path there is clear progression from intermediate (Level 2) and advanced (Level 3) apprenticeships to higher and degree level equivalent qualifications. Apprenticeships include: knowledge and competency based elements, transferable and functional skills, and learning about employment rights and responsibilities. As well as gaining a nationally recognised qualification through an apprenticeship you will be paid a wage and have employement rights like any other employee. Intermediate Apprenticeships Generally take months to complete Give a QCF Diploma Level 2, equivalent to five GCSEs at grade 4-9/A*-C Advanced Apprenticeships Generally take months to complete Give an QCF Diploma Level 3, equivalent to A Levels or a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma Higher Apprenticeships Give an QCF Diploma Level 4 or 5, equivalent to a Higher National Certificate (HNC), Higher National Diploma (HND) or a Foundation Degree. Degree Apprenticeships Degree - Level 6 qualification which would give you a full University Honours Degree.

5 Why become an apprentice? Earn a wage and learn at the same time, with at least 20% of your time set aside for learning normally at a college, university or other training provider Gain official certification of your skills, equivalent to a qualification ranging from level 2 (GCSE equivalent) up to degree (Level 6) They make you 15% more employable according to employers On average apprentices could earn over 100,000 more in their lifetime than others You can collect UCAS points (on some Apprenticeships), go on to higher education at college or university, or work towards a further apprenticeship Apprenticeships show an ability to learn and a desire to develop professionally How much can you earn? All apprenticeships help forge a long term career path and the possibility for higher earnings. Pay is dependent on the industry, location and type of apprenticeship - for example, some higher apprenticeships can pay as much as 500 per week Many employers choose to pay substantially more than the apprenticeship minimum wage, which is 3.50 per hour for those aged 16 to 18 (rising to 3.70 per hour from April 2018). The same applies if you re 19 and over and in the first year of your apprenticeship - after that you are entitled to the National Minimum Wage Remember, if you complete a higher or degree apprenticeship, you ll have no university debts: you ll have been earning for the length of your apprenticeship with no tuition fees Becoming an apprentice We work with a large number of employers and often they will come to us with vacancies for an Apprentice. You can view them at Alternatively you can find an enthusiastic employer that will guide and nurture you in your new career and we can work with them on your Apprenticeship. You can also search on the National Apprenticeships website for vacancies at

6 Professional courses Whether you re looking to take the next step on the career ladder, changing profession, returning to work or just want to master a new skill, we have a course to help you at Bracknell & Wokingham College. Professional qualifications are becoming increasingly popular in a wide range of industry sectors because they not only help to provide you with industryspecific skills but can also demonstrate a commitment to training and career development. What s more, in today s super competitive employment arena, professional qualifications can help you to stand out from the competition and give you an edge when applying for that new job or internal promotion. Research for the CIPD, the professional body for HR practitioners, shows that once you ve gained a professional qualification it can have a really beneficial impact on your entire career as they can potentially add tens of thousands of pounds to your lifetime earnings.

7 Subjects and levels Our Apprenticeships and Professional Courses cover a wide range of career paths and are available at different levels, depending on where you are on your career journey. Additional to the programmed courses and Apprenticeships below we are able to tailor courses for employers, whether that s to fit around shift work or to include certain areas specific to your business. For more information please contact us to discuss your individual needs. Subject Intermediate Advanced Higher Degree Accountancy Beauty Business Administration Childcare, Learning & Development Customer Service Electrical Installation Electrical Maintenance Hairdressing & Barbering Health & Social Care Hospitality & Catering Human Resources Management Law Management Marketing Motor Vehicle Supported Teaching & Learning in Schools Teacher Training Team Leading/Supervising Apprenticeships Professional courses Please note information correct at time of printing, we may cancel or add courses where required.

8 About the roles Accountancy Carrying out routine financial activities and support for businesses and organisations of all types and sizes. Potential job roles: Accounts Assistants, Credit Control Clerks, Accounts Clerks, or Finance Assistants Beauty Working in a Beauty Salon, Spa or similar, providing one to one treatments on clients in a private environment providing facials, hair removal and waxing services, and body, hand and foot treatments. Potential job roles: Beauty Therapist, Nail Technician, Spa Technician, Massage Therapist Business Administration Business administrators have a highly transferable set of knowledge, skills and behaviours that can be applied in all sectors. The responsibilities of the role are to support and engage with different parts of the organisation and interact with internal or external customers. With a focus on adding value, the role of business administrator contributes to the efficiency of an organisation, through support of functional areas, working across teams and resolving issues as requested. Potential job roles: Administrator, Business Support Officer, Receptionist, Secretary, Personal Assistant Childcare, Learning & Development You will work with children or young people from 0 to 19 and their families, putting childcare theory into practice. You ll make sure children in your care are looked after, kept active, happy and nourished, whilst gaining an understanding of the hows and whys, of their development. An Apprenticeship working with children or young people offers you a fulfilling opportunity to help them to develop their social and practical skills. Potential job roles: Early Years Worker, Care Worker, Assistant Youth Support & Community Worker, Nursery Assistant, Residential Childcare

9 Customer Service Good customer service is key to the success of any business or organisation. The highly transferable skills can be applied to hundreds of job roles across many different sectors including retail, financial services, hospitality and sport and recreation. Potential job roles: Customer Service Representative, Front of House Worker, Customer Relationship Manager, Team Leader Electrical Installation You will develop a variety of practical and theory skills relevant to the electrical engineering industry including testing & inspection, installation and maintenance. Industrial electricians can be employed by many different organisations and can cover projects such as wiring new shopping centres or sports stadiums, to installing CCTV systems. Potential job roles: Installation Electrician Electrical Maintenance You will be trained to be fully qualified as an electrician, with the emphasis being on testing and replacing of existing equipment rather than installation. Potential job roles: Maintenance Electrician Hairdressing You will work as a salon junior learning the front line service of the hairdressing industry. You will learn both the practical skills and theory behind cutting, styling and colouring, as well as customer service and teamwork skills. Potential job roles: Stylist, Hairdresser Health & Social Care You will work in a health care or an adult social care role, within the NHS, the private sector, local authorities, or in the voluntary sectors. You will develop the skills needed to help people with a particular need, such as people with dementia, the elderly or people with learning disabilities, to support them in their everyday lives. Potential job roles: Home care support worker, Healthcare assistant, Substance misuse worker, social work assistant, social services officer.

10 Hospitality & Catering You will learn the skills and knowledge to work across a wide range of settings in the Hospitality industry including hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs, hotels, clubs and more. You will need good communication skills, a friendly manner and a strong work ethic to ensure that you deliver excellent customer service. Potential job roles: Hospitality Services Assistant, Waiter/Silver Service Waiter, Bar/Cellar Person, Housekeeper/Room Attendant, Receptionist Human Resources Management The Level 5 Higher Apprenticeship in HR Management is aimed at those working in HR Officer or Assistant HR Manager roles. It will help employers to attract bright individuals who may not want to go to university but want to develop a career in a business-related profession. The Apprenticeship will also support the development of higher-level skills among existing HR staff, thus enabling HR functions to concentrate more on transformational HR activities that add greater value and support the needs of their organisation. Potential job roles: HR Executive, HR Officer, Assistant HR Manager, Assistant HR Advisor Law Whether you currently work within a solicitors office and want to learn more about the law, or you ve already completed your CILEx Level 3 and are looking to move on to the next step, we can help. Potential job roles: Lawyer, Barrister, Legal Officer, Paralegal, Case Support Officer Management Good managers are essential to the success of any business, so the skills gained on this apprenticeship are transferable and valuable across a range of sectors and job roles. Potential job roles: Team Leader, Floor Manager, Trainee Supervisor, Section Leader, Helpdesk Manager Marketing Effective marketing is key in every business so if you re interested in discovering ways to understand customers, how they think and arrive at decisions and at the same time the most effective ways to communicate with them then this is the course for you. Potential job roles: Marketing Assistant, Market Research, Advertising Executive

11 Motor Vehicle Vehicle repair is challenging hands-on work, every vehicle will present a new problem to solve. You need good communication skills, ability to work methodically and pay attention to detail in order to become a competent technician. Potential job roles: Light vehicle service technician, Heavy vehicle service technician, Motorcycle service technician Supported Teaching and Learning in Schools You will provide support in the classroom. Learning support staff, such as teaching assistants, play a vital role in today s classrooms by making sure students get the most out of their lessons. You will work with teachers, on lesson preparation, working with small groups or individuals, allowing the teacher to concentrate on teaching the class. Potential job roles: Teaching/Classroom/Learning support Assistant, Behaviour Support Assistant/ Coordinator, Pastoral/Welfare Support Assistant Teacher Training You could be teaching students from local schools, the community, large industries or local businesses. There is no upper age limit for an FE student you could teach anyone from the age of 14 to over 90! Potential job roles: School Teacher, College Lecturer, University Lecturer, Trainer Team Leading/Supervising You will work in a team leading or supervisor position learning to manage your own workload, to lead and to motivate others. This Apprenticeship is for aspiring team leaders who would like to boost their skills and knowledge of team leading to progress in their career. Potential job roles: Team Leader, Shift Leader Supervisor, Section Leader, Team Manager

12 The qualifications Our professional qualifications are from prestigious awarding bodies and are nationally recognised. AAT is the world s leading professional body for accounting technicians. CILEX represents more than 20,000 trainee and practising Chartered Legal Executives. CIM is the world s leading professional marketing body with over 28,000 members worldwide. CMI creates leaders through management and leadership development training, qualifications, membership and research. The professional body for HR and people development. Courses are also run in conjunction with: Pearsons City & Guilds University of Reading University of Greenwich University of Chichester

13 Languages and maths We can help with English for Speakers of Foreign Languages, modern foreign languages and everyday English and Maths: Writing letters, notes, messages, s, CVs Improving spelling, punctuation and grammar Learning a foreign language to help in a global workplace Improving English for speakers of other langauges Everyday numbers for real-life situations Jobseekers We know how being out of employment for a while can knock your confidence and self-esteem; but we also know that learning a new skill and gaining a qualification not only looks good on your CV but also helps to combat those negative feelings by: Getting you up and out - a purpose Keeping your mind active Giving you reachable goals Meeting new people in new situations Giving you back your self-confidence as you realise you can do it! Workplace Learning We offer workplace qualifications for people working in a wide variety of environments, such as health & social care, early years, teaching & learning, business administration, management, team leading, customer service. Many of these essential qualifications are part-funded by the government so get in contact today to find out how we can help you make the most of your skills and experience. University Level We have worked with employers and universities like Reading, Greenwich and Chichester to give you the skills they know the local population and employers need. We also know that these need to be valuable, recognised qualifications but offered at a reasonable price. Studying university level courses locally could save you large amounts of money in tuition fees and the cost of living away from home.

14 Proud to be working with... We currently have apprentices placed in SMEs and large multi-national businesses. Here are just a few of the 250+ businesses we work with.

15 What our learners say I wasn t sure at first about the set-up of the Apprenticeship where it finished and the job started but I ve come to realise that they are one and the same, I m learning and working at the same time. Since finishing my Apprenticeship I ve gained permanent employment. Kye Penn Former Apprentice I began my apprenticeship at the age of 16, with very little confidence and knowledge around employment and the workplace. A year and a half later, I have completed my Intermediate Level 2 Business Administration apprenticeship, and have just started my Advanced Level 3. Whilst working full time, I am learning every day, which is expanding my knowledge and work skills along with improving my confidence. Zoe Purnell Business Administration Apprentice I never liked the idea of going to university, so after finishing sixth form I decided to do an apprenticeship. I started on a Level 2 Business Administration apprenticeship and throughout the apprenticeship I was always learning new skills, gaining vital experience and getting more confident both in and out of the workplace. I have now progressed onto the Level 3 in which I am still learning new skills and gaining valuable experience. Dan Emmott Business Administration Apprentice

16 Apprenticeships and Professional Qualifications Helping you achieve your potential in the workplace and your career We use Smart Assessor to help monitor your progress, a fresh and innovative e-portfolio tracking software used to track every detail of your apprenticeship journey at the click of a button. Contact Us apprenticeships@bracknell.ac.uk , option 4