Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is for young people, parents and employers in England. Apprenticeships in Scotland and Wales are slightly different.

This is the site if you live in Scotland and are looking for an apprenticeship vacancy:

apprenticeships.scot

And this is the site for Wales:

Find an apprenticeship (Wales)

1. What is an apprenticeship?

It’s a job with training. Apprentices are employed and are guaranteed the equivalent of 1 day a week training. That doesn’t necessarily mean 4 days work and 1 day of training every week - employers are allowed some flexibility and can schedule training in larger blocks.

2. How much are apprentices paid?

There are different minimum wages for different ages. These are the current apprenticeship wages (from April 2023):

There is an important point to remember - these are minimums. Many employers will pay more than the minimum, particularly when they are confident that the young person is committed to the organisation and the apprenticeship.

3. How long does an apprenticeship take?

1 to 5 years depending on the apprenticeship level.

4. Who delivers the training?

What you should learn is set out in an apprenticeship standard. There are different standards for different job roles and employers select the standards that are the best fit for the apprenticeship roles they are trying to fill.

The actual training is usually delivered by a registered training organisation. That might be a big college like Sheffield College or a smaller, private training provider with particular expertise and experience.

Training could be onsite at your employer, at a college or training provider venue or it could be online.

5. What do the different apprenticeship levels mean?

6. What's the difference between an apprenticeship and a traineeship?

An apprenticeship is a job with training. A traineeship is a skills development programme that includes a work placement and they usually last for less than 6 months. Traineeships are more focused on general employability skills and tend to be offered to young people who don't already have a job.

7. What happens if I decide to switch jobs before the end of my apprenticeship?

That depends. If you're switching to a completely different job then you probably won't be able to continue the apprenticeship. If on the other hand you’re doing the same (or very similar) job at a different employer, then you may be able to continue the apprenticeship and complete your training.

8. How do I find an apprenticeship?

You've come to the right place if you live in Sheffield (or within 8 miles of Sheffield City Centre) - you can browse the vacancies on this site. All the vacancies you see come from the gov.uk national apprenticeship database, so they should be live, up-to-date vacancies.

If you don't live in Sheffield, but you do live in England, then you should use the gov.uk apprenticeship finder service:

9. What other help is available for young people looking for work in Sheffield?

Sheffield Futures is one charity supporting young people in Sheffield to get into the training, education or work that's right for them. It can can offer employement guidance that includes an employment coach, help with your CV and job application and preparation for interviews.