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Apprenticeships: combine a paying role with on-the-job training
Don’t want to sacrifice education to get paid? Don’t want to lose experience by going to college? The answer is an apprenticeship
An apprenticeship can set you off on a career path of your choice in hospitality, combining the best of both worlds: a formal education and a paying job, so you don’t have to sacrifice one to have the other.
You can choose an apprenticeship in any job role, from nightclub events to butchery to cheffing, in a location that is nearby, all through a simple online search. Here is our guide to how to choose the right apprenticeship for you.
What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a real job that allows you to earn a salary while you learn. This can be a great way to gain practical, hands-on experience while also being paid for your time.
Apprenticeships can take between one and five years to complete and allow you to gain qualifications from NVQ up to degree levels but, unlike other forms of further education, you won’t have to pay student loans or tuition fees. You might start out on a standard apprenticeship salary, but as you develop your skills, you increase the possibility to earn more.
Who is eligible?
To start an apprenticeship in England, Scotland or Wales, you must be over 16 years of age and not in full-time education. In Northern Ireland, you must be aged over 16 and be employed or about to start paid work of a minimum of 21 hours per week on a permanent contract. There is no upper age limit for apprenticeships – they are open to anyone looking to gain new skills and qualifications.
What other benefits will I receive?
You’ll be eligible for holiday pay, statutory sick pay and the same maternity and parental leave rights as other employees.
Your employer will give you time for training and study related to your role. This may be at your workplace, a college, a training provider or online. Asking questions, taking on more responsibility and putting what you’ve learned into practice will help you develop in your job.
What kind of apprenticeships are there?
There are many different types of apprenticeships to suit different skillsets, across restaurants, pubs, bars, cafés, and hotels. You could train in a high-end kitchen or learn how to cook for large-scale institutions such as the NHS, help run front of house operations and greet guests in a hotel, or work in an events department to organise venues, design and the logistics of catering and staff.
Employers offering apprenticeships include chef Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred restaurant group, Rick Stein’s restaurant group in Cornwall, international hotel giant Marriott International, and national pub chain Greene King.
Who pays for the training?
The government has replaced the old Apprenticeship Levy, a fee that companies would pay for apprenticeship, with a Growth and Skills Levy. Under the rules, employers with a payroll of more than £3m must pay 0.5% of their wage bill into a levy pot for apprentice training. The new rules add greater flexibility, where 50% of these funds can be spent on training outside the apprenticeship route, which can include shorter or modular courses that are tailored to sectors, for those who find the apprenticeship route to long.
The government has also launched Skills England, an organisation that is part of the Department for Education, which has been tasked with identifying skills gaps within industries and creating training to fill them. Its website offers an apprenticeship finder that can be filtered by hospitality jobs, with a wealth of information on what a specific apprenticeship involves and which training companies are offering which apprenticeships.
Find out more
Springboard FutureChef
Springboard’s FutureChef is a schools-based programme that helps teach young people aged 12-16 across the UK how to cook. It aims to give students a foundation of culinary skills and offers resources on entry routes into careers or apprenticeships. The Springboard FutureChef competition is the biggest school culinary contest in the UK and has been supported by chefs including Michel Roux and Adam Handling.
futurechef.uk.net
HIT Training
HIT Training is a specialist training and apprenticeship provider for the UK hospitality and catering industry. It offers support to both employers and apprenticeships and has helped more than 100,000 learners since 2006. HIT Training’s website offers a wide range of resources for all apprenticeship queries as well as professional courses.
Umbrella Training
Umbrella Training is a nationwide training and apprenticeship provider working across the hospitality and corporate sectors. It offers courses across a range of roles, including culinary, front of house, management, and events and sales. It works with hospitality groups including Claridge’s hotel and the Ritz London.
Skills England
Use the apprenticeship finder to discover routes to education in a multitude of hospitality jobs and careers that can be refined by postcode. The site offers information on which companies provide each apprenticeship scheme, along with the length of training, the skills you will learn and the salary.
skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/
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