An Apprenticeship is a job with training, which leads to the achievement of the skills and qualifications demanded by employers. Apprenticeships enable you to work while you train and train while you work. There are over 180 Apprenticeships in 80 different career areas varying from accountancy and museum work to football and consturction.

There are three levels of Apprenticeship: 1) Apprenticeship - equivalent to five GCSEs grades A*-C. 2) Advanced Apprenticeship - equivalent to two A Levels. 3) Higher Apprenticeship - equivalent to Foundation Degree.

Apprenticeships generally take anywhere from 1-4 years depending on the level and framework. The level of an Apprenticeship is how it compares with other types of qualification, the framework is the work involved in doing it. An Advanced Apprenticeship with a detailed framework will take longer than an Apprenticeship where you will be doing the equivalent of five GCSE subjects at A*-C level.

Apprentices are usually employed so they have a job. However, in exceptional circumstances they can be on placement with an employer for a trial period of six months or less. This gives both employer and Apprentice a chance to see if the Apprenticeship will work out.

Currently an Apprentice earns a minimum of £2.50 per hour; an employer cannot pay you less than this. However, the average wage is currently £170 per week.

Different Apprenticeships have different entry requirements and you must check out the guidelines for the one you are pursuing. However, the most important requirements are that the young person must a) be living in England and not taking part in full time education b) be aged 16 or over by 31 August c) take a literacy and numeracy test if they don't have (or are predicted to have) good GCSE grades in Maths and English.

The main benefits for a young person taking an Apprenticeship are that you learn job-specific skills, you earn a weekly salary, you receive training, you gain qualifications and you have paid holidays. Sometimes the career you want has an Apprenticeship as one of its main entry routes, sometimes a young person just wants to do a degree but doesn't want to follow the traditional path to achieve it. The University of Sheffield in 2007 calculated that someone with an Apprenticeship could earn on average £100,000 more than someone without.

An Apprenticeship will usually take anything from 12 to 24 months. Because each apprenticeship is different, some might take less time to complete and some a lot more. Apprenticeships can take up to five years. How long it takes will depend on the type of apprenticeship and the ability of the apprentice as well as the employer's requirements.

A system called Apprenticeship Vacancies Online (AVO) is used by employers and learning providers to advertise their vacancies. A young person looking for an Apprenticeship can search, apply for and manage their applications for Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships anywhere in England using AVO. Use the Apprenticeship links throughout this website to access AVO, which is managed by the National Apprenticeship Service.