18-year-olds more likely to apply for apprenticeships than university

Posted 15 Feb 2011

School-leavers, aged 18, are just as likely to apply for an apprenticeship as a place at university, it has been found.

The Guardian reports that there has been a three per cent decline in 18-year-olds that have applied for university this year, compared to the same period last year.

That is compared to a 5.1 per cent increase in university applications in January 2011 from January 2010, with some experts suggesting that school-leavers are starting to realise the benefit of apprenticeships.

Jane Scott Paul, the head of the Association of Accounting Technicians, is quoted by the newspaper as saying at a careers event: "More and more of our employers are changing their recruitment policies, switching from graduates to training up their own school-leavers."

As companies appear to be changing their recruitment policies it may no longer be as important to obtain a degree.

Youngsters worried about the cost of university could therefore consider an apprenticeship or internship.

One internship that may appeal to 18-year-olds is one that trains people to teach English abroad through the completion of a TEFL course, which is taken at the same time that the person is working as a teacher in Thailand for five months.

In this way the person can gain a qualification while learning on the job and earning money.

By Abigail Parris
 

Category: Teaching and Learning