HR Apprenticeship

Thanks Fiona, yes they are, does it mean apprenticeship is studying for a qualification ?for example studying to obtain a level 7 qualification.

It would be unusual to find an apprenticeship studying towards Level 7 - at least from the outset.

Apprenticeship is, first and foremost, a form of employment. An apprentice is an employee in every conventional sense. But in order to attract the financial support companies are entitled to for official apprentices, they must also be enrolled on a recognized National Vocational Qualification course with a participating provider.

One of the most challenging aspects facing potential apprentices is that, because they are jobs, most employers offer them like jobs: i.e. when they need them, rather than in-step with the academic year, like conventional full-time education. So a student finishing school in July who wants to undertake an apprenticeship won't always be able to find the one they want, starting in September.

In addition, most employers offer apprenticeships starting at Level 3 or Level 4, because there tends to be an assumption that apprentices are starting at the bottom, in terms of skills and knowledge. This means that most apprenticeships are essentially useless for university graduates who already hold a qualification equivalent to a Level 5+. I have previously started graduates on Level 3 apprenticeships but the vast majority will not stay the course, only using the role until they can secure something more apposite to their qualifications.

HR Apprenticeships at Level 3 are relatively few and far between, because HR is so closely embedded in the management and leadership of a company - few businesses are willing to entertain what is typically a school leaver that close to the cupboards with the skeletons in. Apprenticeships at Level 5 and above tend to not exist at all, because the assumption is that an HR professional is already working in an operational role when undertaking such a course and, although a release to attend courses and time during working hours for papers might be permitted, the employee won't count as an apprentice or attract apprenticeship funding.

The exception is with large learning-oriented business (I have GE on my doorstep, and they're a good example) that welcome apprentices on, for example, Engineering or Business Management tracks starting at Level 3 and permits (indeed, encourages) apprentices to specialize as they go up the levels to post-graduate qualification levels. So an apprentice in Business Management could start doing a Level 3 in Business Administration before specializing in HR and pursuing the course up to CIPD Level 7, after which they would be offered a role in one of GE's international HR teams.

Whilst apprentices are technically for anyone of any age, most apprentices are either school leavers (16+ or 18+), bachelors degree graduates (21+), or university drop-outs (in the nicest possible way - people who found that the university style of learning didn't suit them) (19+). A candidate older than about 23 is probably going to need to have to work quite hard to persuade a selection panel that they are planning to pursue the apprenticeship without compromise.

It would be unusual to find an apprenticeship studying towards Level 7 - at least from the outset.

Apprenticeship is, first and foremost, a form of employment. An apprentice is an employee in every conventional sense. But in order to attract the financial support companies are entitled to for official apprentices, they must also be enrolled on a recognized National Vocational Qualification course with a participating provider.

One of the most challenging aspects facing potential apprentices is that, because they are jobs, most employers offer them like jobs: i.e. when they need them, rather than in-step with the academic year, like conventional full-time education. So a student finishing school in July who wants to undertake an apprenticeship won't always be able to find the one they want, starting in September.

In addition, most employers offer apprenticeships starting at Level 3 or Level 4, because there tends to be an assumption that apprentices are starting at the bottom, in terms of skills and knowledge. This means that most apprenticeships are essentially useless for university graduates who already hold a qualification equivalent to a Level 5+. I have previously started graduates on Level 3 apprenticeships but the vast majority will not stay the course, only using the role until they can secure something more apposite to their qualifications.

HR Apprenticeships at Level 3 are relatively few and far between, because HR is so closely embedded in the management and leadership of a company - few businesses are willing to entertain what is typically a school leaver that close to the cupboards with the skeletons in. Apprenticeships at Level 5 and above tend to not exist at all, because the assumption is that an HR professional is already working in an operational role when undertaking such a course and, although a release to attend courses and time during working hours for papers might be permitted, the employee won't count as an apprentice or attract apprenticeship funding.

The exception is with large learning-oriented business (I have GE on my doorstep, and they're a good example) that welcome apprentices on, for example, Engineering or Business Management tracks starting at Level 3 and permits (indeed, encourages) apprentices to specialize as they go up the levels to post-graduate qualification levels. So an apprentice in Business Management could start doing a Level 3 in Business Administration before specializing in HR and pursuing the course up to CIPD Level 7, after which they would be offered a role in one of GE's international HR teams.

Whilst apprentices are technically for anyone of any age, most apprentices are either school leavers (16+ or 18+), bachelors degree graduates (21+), or university drop-outs (in the nicest possible way - people who found that the university style of learning didn't suit them) (19+). A candidate older than about 23 is probably going to need to have to work quite hard to persuade a selection panel that they are planning to pursue the apprenticeship without compromise.