Cirencester College Apprenticeships

Helping young people to find apprenticeships with local employers.


What are apprenticeships?

An apprenticeship is a job with training. A blend of ‘on’ and ‘off’ the job training that provides individuals with the skills they need for their chosen career, while earning a wage.

Apprenticeships are available across all industry sectors and are an excellent way of gaining nationally recognised qualifications whilst working and gaining real workplace experience.
Anyone living in England can do an apprenticeship. There is no upper age limit on being an apprentice, although the minimum age is 16 years.

Funding for the training element of the apprenticeship is available from the Skills Funding Agency, a Government agency. The size of the contribution varies depending on the size of the organisation, the sector in which the apprentice is employed and their age at the start of the apprenticeship. The funding is paid directly to the College helping to make apprenticeship training a highly cost-effective route for employers.

Apprenticeship Vacancies will be advertised on the National Apprenticeship Service vacancies website and our own college website.

Who can do an apprenticeship?
There is no upper age limit for being an apprentice, although the minimum age is 16 years.

Any business can employ an apprentice however the funding available from the government for the apprenticeship training is dependent on the age, previous qualifications and EU residency of the apprentice.

You need to be employed in a suitable role to do an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is a job with training.

What levels of apprenticeships are there?
There are 3 levels of apprenticeship:
• Intermediate Level Apprenticeship: working towards level 2 qualifications.
• Advanced Level Apprenticeship: working towards level 3 qualifications
• Higher Level Apprenticeships: working towards level 4 and above qualifications

What qualifications are in an apprenticeship?
Each apprenticeship framework has sector specific qualifications. This may be one large combined qualification that includes learning taking place in the workplace (competency) and learning taking place in the classroom (knowledge) or these two areas may be split across two smaller qualifications; an NVQ competency qualification (workplace) and a short BTEC qualification (knowledge, classroom based).

In addition to the sector specific vocational qualification(s) each framework includes English and Maths Functional Skills and most have ICT functional skills. Exemptions from one or more of the functional skills may be available. Further information can be found on the functional skills pages.

Each framework will also include Employee Rights and Responsibilities. These are not separate qualifications but are embedded within the existing qualifications and may also be covered by a separate workbook.

Each framework will also include the six Personal Learning and Thinking Skills. These are ‘soft skills’ that have been identified as being required by an apprentice or, in fact, any employee, in order to be effective in the workplace.

What apprenticeships do Cirencester College currently offer?

Accountancy
Intermediate | Advanced

Business Administration
Intermediate | Advanced | Higher

Creative & Digital Media
Advanced

Advertising & Marketing Communications
Higher

Interactive Design & Development

Higher

Customer Service
Intermediate | Advanced

IT Application Specialist
Intermediate | Advanced

Team Leader
Intermediate

Management
Advanced | Higher

Marketing
Intermediate | Advanced

If you would like more information about apprenticeships, please contact our apprenticeship team on 01285 626143 or email on apprenticeships@cirencester.ac.uk

You can also get a lot of information from the national Apprenticeship Service website http://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk

Download our Apprenticeship brochure here

Employers – download our step-by-step guide on how to recruit an apprentice.

Thinking about applying for an apprenticeship? Download our application guide. If you would like to come in and talk to someone, contact Annabelle on apprenticeships@cirencester.ac.uk and we will organise an appointment.

To see current vacancies that are available with local employers with Cirencester College providing the training, click here Link to vacancies page


Frequently Asked Questions


How many hours do I need to work?
The minimum hours required to become an apprentice is 30 hours per week.

How much should I be paid?
There is a minimum rate per hour for apprenticeships, that is lower than the National Minimum Wage, but some employers pay more that this. All vacancies on the Apprenticeship website will display the rate of pay. To see the Minimum rate per hour, click here link to min rate per hour

Do I need to attend college?
Yes. Part of the apprenticeship programme is for you to come into college and to learn a more generic set of skills and the underpinning sector specific knowledge. This is a great opportunity for you to share experiences and knowledge with other apprentices. You will also need to study for any functional skills that you do not have exemptions for.

Will I need to pay for this training?
No. If you are aged 16 - 18 years old, your training will be free. If you are older than this, your employer will be asked to provide a contribution towards your training.

What is the difference between an Intermediate Apprenticeship, an Advanced Apprenticeship and a Higher Apprenticeship?
The Intermediate apprenticeship is at a level 2 standard, the Advanced apprenticeship is at a level 3 standard and the Higher Apprenticeship will be at level 4 or above. It is the job role that will dictate the level of apprenticeship. An Intermediate role will tend to be a role with minimum responsibility and quite process driven. An Advanced role will have responsibility for functions and/or staff and you would be required to take initiative, sort out problems and create processes. A Higher role would include strategic planning and would have management responsibilities.

How can I find out more before I contact college?
Go to the National Apprenticeship Service website. There is lots of useful information on there including information for the learners, parents and employers.