Learners | Kaplan UK

What is an Apprenticeship*?

With an Apprenticeship, you can earn a salary while learning the key skills and behaviours you need to advance in your career. You’ll develop practical experience on the job, while simultaneously studying for a professional qualification.

Apprenticeships aren’t just for school leavers anymore, if you’re aged 16 or over, you can progress your career with an Apprenticeship in a variety of industries. You can start with an Intermediate Apprenticeship (Levels 2-3), and progress all the way up to a Degree-Level Apprenticeship (Level 6) and a Masters-Level Degree (Level 7)**.

*Please be aware that this information is for England only.
**You will not receive a masters degree upon completion of a Level 7 Apprenticeship.

learners-video — Watch our video of Tom talking about his Apprenticeship (1:59)

Benefits of becoming an apprentice

You can now achieve an Apprenticeship equivalent to a master’s degree, and you can choose from any business sector that you find interesting.

Kaplan focuses on Apprenticeships in the accountancy and finance sector, but that can be incredibly broad. You could end up working in the finance department of a football club, or a museum, or a multinational business - the possibilities are endless. No matter where you do your Apprenticeship, they all provide extensive training, giving you relevant business skills all while you’re earning a salary.

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Earn a salary while you train for a professional qualification

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Choose from a wide range of industries

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Avoid university fees
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Become a valuable asset to an employer

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Achieve your career goals

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Keep your current contract and role at your employment but use the Apprenticeship to develop your skills and career
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Take advantage of Apprenticeship travel and retail discounts

How long does an Apprenticeship take to complete?

Each Apprenticeship is different so they vary in length. An Apprenticeship can take between one and four years to complete, depending on the level of the programme.

12 - 48 months

For example, a Level 3 Apprenticeship can take around 18 months, whilst a Level 7 Apprenticeship can take over 3 years to complete.

As an apprentice, 20% of the time you are paid to work (equivalent to around one day a week), is spent on off-the-job training, meaning you get time to learn during your working hours. Your training can consist of lectures, online learning, assignments, shadowing, coaching sessions, 1-2-1s, and projects.

Can I do an Apprenticeship?

There are very few limiting factors now in being eligible for an Apprenticeship.

There are no age limitations and you can also be a graduate. The only limiting factor is that you have not already studied what is in your Apprenticeship*.

If you already have a job and would like to do an Apprenticeship, you also need to make sure that you work in a relevant job role. For example, if you wish to do the Insurance Practitioner Standard, you could not work in IT, you must work in an insurance role in order to be able to gain and show your competence. If you worked in IT, however, and wanted to do an IT related Apprenticeship, that could be a suitable pathway for you.

You may be a school leaver or a recent graduate and there are various schemes across multiple industries to help you find your first role and Apprenticeship.

*Please note you are not able to complete an Apprenticeship if you have already obtained a qualification in the same subject area, at the same level. So for example if you have a Degree in Accountancy (equivalent to a Level 6), you can’t complete an Accountancy Apprenticeship at Levels 2-6, but you could be eligible to do a Level 7 if you were in a relevant job role).

School leavers › Career changers ›

What’s involved in an Apprenticeship?

Every Apprenticeship, regardless of sector or level, is now designed around a specific job role. For that job role, employers have determined what are the key Knowledge areas employees need to know and the key Skills and Behaviours employees need to demonstrate to prove they are competent in that role. These Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours are then listed and described in what’s called an Apprenticeship ‘standard’.

Essentially, whilst you are on the Apprenticeship you are working to learn the knowledge (usually through completion of a professional qualification) and develop and demonstrate the skills and behaviours (through interactive workshops, 1-2-1s, e-learning and be shown new skills in the workplace).

At the end of the Apprenticeship, you must then demonstrate everything you’ve learned in an End Point Assessment, which will be independently assessed. The End Point Assessment is specifically designed to test your career-ready skills, and may consist of a reflective statement, interview, professional discussion, or a portfolio. Your EPA gives you and your employer the confidence that you have met the standard required for that particular job role and help to progress your career.

A full list of Apprenticeship standards can be found on the government website launch.

Kaplan provides training for Technical skilled Apprenticeships across the Legal, finance and accounting, Business and administration and Digital standards, with many more qualification routes within them. View the standards we offer.

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How much will I get paid?

Apprentices are entitled to get paid at least the National Minimum Wage. Currently the National Minimum Wage for apprentices is £4.15 an hour. Many employers pay more than this, but you should not get any less.

At least £4.15 per hour

If you are already in work and are looking to become an apprentice, it is likely you would study whilst on your current salary but you should seek advice from your employer before applying.

Future potential earnings

Accountancy and tax

Banking and finance

Digital

Your earning potential will vary depending on the Apprenticeship you do. Here’s a quick overview to give you an indication, based on different sectors.

What qualifications will I gain?

The qualification depends on the Apprenticeship you undertake, but you could gain an AAT, CIMA, ACA or ACCA qualification. You could also get a banking and finance qualification such as Chartered Banker, LIBF, ICA or CISI - but this list isn’t exhaustive. There are so many ways to progress your career and get a new qualification in a relevant field.

Have a look at all of the qualifications linked to the Apprenticeships standards that are provided by Kaplan.

But doing an Apprenticeship is not just about the qualification. It’s about developing skills that you will need to advance your career. Towards the end of your Apprenticeship you will need to demonstrate that you are ready - for example part of your End Point Assessment may be to write a reflective statement, which is similar to writing a cover letter when applying for a job. Or you may have to do an interview, which you will have to do if successful when applying for a role either in your current company or in a new one.

An Apprenticeship is all about getting you set up to move ahead in a career, not just gaining a qualification.

Getting you the right Apprenticeship

We want to make sure that an Apprenticeship is right for you and your future career. To help you get started, we’d recommend that you conduct your own research into the sector, job role and Apprenticeship and it’s progression opportunities. This will help you narrow things down and put you in a good position when it comes to discussing job opportunities with potential employers about why you want the job.

Try this helpful list of activities to get you started:

Find out which sector you wish to work in. Check out the National Careers Service website. Complete their helpful self-assessment tool launch to help you decide on the career path that best suits your skills and interests.
Conduct wider research into your sector of interest.
Research which Apprenticeship and job role is of interest to you.
Prepare your CV

Once you know which sector and job role you are interested in you can begin to apply for roles that are of interest to you. You will be more confident knowing that you have done your research before applying! We have some useful blogs you might want to read: How to format your CV and Common CV mistakes to avoid.

You can search for Apprenticeship vacancies on the National Apprenticeship Service website launch and you can view our jobs board to see the live vacancies from the employers that Kaplan are helping with recruitment.

View our guide for parents and career advisors ›

Why Kaplan?

We offer a large choice of Apprenticeships in Accountancy and Tax and Financial Services, which includes Investment Banking, Pensions, Insurance and Mortgages.

Here are some of the reasons you should choose us as your training provider for your Apprenticeship:

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15+ years

We’ve delivered Apprenticeship programmes for over 15 years.

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200 qualified experts. 10,000 apprentices

Our top team of 200 qualified and expert tutors are currently training over 10,000 apprentices each year.

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Talent coaches

You’ll have access to a Talent Coach to support you throughout your programme, making sure you’re progressing as you should be..

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Top rated by apprentices

Rated 10th out of 300 Apprenticeship providers on Rate My Apprenticeship

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Award winning online learning

Learning Technologies 2019 Gold Winner for best online programme.

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75 FTSE 100 companies

75 of the FTSE top 100 companies have used us to train their staff.

You can choose between our flexible learning options to study for your Apprenticeship, which depending on the programme chosen include Classroom, OnDemand and Live Online.

Where available, you can even mix and match the study methods across different units to suit your lifestyle.or learning

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Learning through an Apprenticeship

What is an Apprenticeship*?

Benefits of becoming an apprentice

How long does an Apprenticeship take to complete?

Can I do an Apprenticeship?

What’s involved in an Apprenticeship?