Going to school, college or university five days a week is not your only option if you want to earn a qualification.

Tens of thousands of young people start apprenticeships every year – getting a wage and on-the-job experience, as well as time to train and study.

But, with dropout rates at about 50% and concern about low pay, there is a lot to consider when weighing up whether or not it is for you.

Being an apprentice means you usually spend four days a week working, and one day studying for a qualification at work, college, university, or online.

You get paid a wage and the qualification you will get is free – it is paid for by the government and your employer.

Any employer can hire apprentices, and they usually tell you what qualification they will give you when they list the vacancy.

They are responsible for making sure you work with experienced staff and receive time off for studying.

Since April, the government has paid small companies the full cost of apprenticeships for people aged 21 or under to help small businesses create more apprenticeships.

There are different levels of apprenticeship.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, they are:

• Intermediate (Level 2 – GCSE standard)
• Advanced (Level 3 – A-level standard)
• Higher (Levels 4, 5, 6 and 7 – foundation degree or above)
• Degree (Levels 6 and 7 – bachelor’s or master’s degree)

In Scotland, they are:

• Foundation (mostly SCQF Level 6 – Highers standard)
• Modern (mostly SCQF Levels 6 and 7 – Highers or Advanced Highers standard)
• Graduate (SCQF Levels 9, 10 and 11 – undergraduate or master’s degree standard)

People often do apprenticeships if they know the career they want, or if they are already working in their chosen career but want more skills.

The most popular apprenticeships for new starters between last August and this April were in health, public services and care – followed by business, administration and law.

Some of the biggest employers of new apprentices in England in the last financial year were the British military, the civil service, and the pub and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers.

There are no UK-wide figures for the number of apprentices, but there were 752,150 in England last year – that is higher than years with a lot of Covid disruption, but lower than it was in the mid-2010s.

Advanced apprenticeships – A-level standard – are the most popular.

The new government has promised to shake up the way apprenticeships are funded amid concerns that the current system “has not delivered for young people”.

Last year, 23% of new apprentices were under 19, while almost half were 25 or older.

If you know where you want to work, you can head straight to the employer’s website and apply.

You can search for apprenticeship opportunities through different official websites in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. If you are in England, you can make an account and apply to several apprenticeships in one place.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) allows you to search for vacancies and plans to allow you to apply for them.

You will interview for the apprenticeship before you start, and you will need to pass an assessment showing what you have learned before you can finish.

If you are under 19, or if you are 19 or older but in the first year of your apprenticeship, you are entitled to the apprentice rate, £6.40 per hour.

Otherwise, you will earn at least minimum wage:

• £8.60 for 19- and 20-year-olds
• £11.44 for those aged 21 or above

Apprentices in England earned £9.98 per hour on average in 2021, according to a government report, and worked 37 hours a week – which includes time spent learning or training.

Average pay ranged from £8.23 per hour for Level 2 apprentices, to £15.11 per hour for non-degree apprentices at Level 6 and above.

The National Union of Students is campaigning for all apprentices to be paid at least the National Living Wage – the £10.42 per hour rate.

Often apprenticeships are advertised with an annual wage.

On average, people in England who completed Advanced apprenticeships in 2014-15 earned £17,560 one year later, and £22,880 five years on.

In England, 54.6% of apprentices completed and passed a final assessment in 2022-23 – well below the government’s 67% target by the end of 2024-25.

A Department for Education report in March 2022 suggested that four in 10 people who did not complete their apprenticeship cited personal reasons, including career changes, mental health issues, and caring responsibilities.

However, about four in 10 also said they were not given enough time for training, that the training did not meet their expectations, or that the apprenticeship was badly run.

Ucas has warned that young people are being put off by a range of barriers, including:

• low pay
• lack of availability
• having to apply for apprenticeships individually, rather than sending off one application to several employers

According to Ucas, 430,000 students said they were interested in apprenticeship opportunities in 2023 .

However, only 189,430 apprenticeships were published on the official site in England in the last academic year.

The last government said that was “nowhere near enough” and launched an online apprentice support centre.

Think hard about what the apprenticeship offers – will the qualification help you progress in the career you want? Can you picture yourself in a job in the industry? What opportunities are there to progress at the organisation itself?

You will want to consider where the apprenticeship is, how much you will get paid, and how long it lasts. If you have any questions, ask the employer.

It is important to do your research, and ask employers for details about training in your interview. You can also read reviews of apprenticeships on sites like RateMyApprenticeship.co.uk.