Today is A-level results day and it has raised the question of whether you should do an Apprenticeship or University as your next step.

The Independent has released an interesting article ‘Students should turn to apprenticeships to ease soaring demand for degrees, Ucas boss warns’. The article centres around an interview with Clare Marchant, the chief executive of UCAS. Clare states that More students should be steered towards apprenticeships than traditional degrees to bring down soaring demand for higher education places, the head of the university admissions service has warned. We don’t completely agree with this statement, we agree that more students should consider an apprenticeship while looking at their next steps but you shouldn’t be ‘steered’ into doing something that isn’t right for you. Apprenticeships and University degrees are very different and both offer different advantages and disadvantages. Do your research and make an informed decision on your future.

Clare Marchant goes on to mention that we should stop funneling students into traditional 3-year University degrees which would help rocketing demands. This is an important problem we find as an Apprenticeship provider that our students who have come from traditional degrees, we have found that they weren’t told about apprenticeships when deciding their next steps after college/sixth form. This funneling of students look like it is changing and heading in the right direction but is still a problem. Ms. Macrchant discusses this funneling could be due to college staff not fully understanding the apprenticeship process and find it a difficult subject to tackle with students.

A good percentage of our learners do an Apprenticeship after completing a degree, this is down to many factors such as wanting to carry on their education, wanting to move into a new industry and etc. But a lot wished they had done an Apprenticeship instead of going to university or at least been told about it. So we strongly recommend you do your research into your next steps as there are many options out there, not just Apprenticeships and 3-year University degrees. Find what’s best for you!

We believe an Apprenticeship is a great route into a career as you will get crucial industry experience and get paid while getting your education. At Creative Alliance, our apprenticeships are designed for creative thinkers, by creative thinkers which means we will work with you to find the right employer to develop your talent and, ultimately, secure your future career.

If you are looking for more information about apprenticeship check out some recourses below:

• https://creativealliance.org.uk/apprentices/
• https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/
• https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships