Why choose an apprenticeship over university?

As students prepare to leave school, they face one of the most important decisions of their lives: what to do next. For some, the decision is easy but for many school leavers, the decision can be daunting, and weighing up the pros and cons of the different options is a tricky task.

Apprenticeships are becoming more and more popular for school leavers, but why is this? Is it the fact they are government funded and you earn money while gaining a qualification? Or is the invaluable work experience whilst learning new skills?

There is a general consensus from the majority of people, that you MUST go on to university to be successful in life, but is university the right choice for everyone?
For those of us who don’t necessarily know what it is we want to do with our careers at such a young age, the prospect of University along with its debt, and the possibility of choosing a degree which might not necessarily be right for us, is too much to handle.

Now of course, you wouldn’t choose an apprenticeship if you were looking to become a doctor or a Lawyer. However for those of us who have decided not to go to University, there are a lot of options for us these days, and a wide variety of courses to choose from which can lead to great careers in the future.

I have first-hand experience in this area, as I started my Business Administration apprenticeship at Absolute in November 2014. I am learning new life skills everyday which I couldn’t possibly learned in a classroom. I now understand the working environment, office dynamics and dealing with clients and projects, which is knowledge that will last me a lifetime.

Working for a creative agency has opened my eyes and made me think so much more about the brands I purchase from, the websites I use, and the adverts I see on television. I now understand the work that goes into these media channels, and it’s something that previously I knew nothing about. However, it now excites and engages me.

I know that had it not been for my apprenticeship, I would never have gotten into such an exciting industry.