With more than 28,000 vacancies across more than 1,500 roles, higher and degree apprenticeships are giving the traditional university route a serious run for its money. There are no tuition fees to pay, and future prospects look increasingly rosy.
Employers including Deloitte, BMW, and the BBC take on apprentices and opportunities span across sectors, from engineering to law. You might be surprised by what’s on offer.
Check out our subject-specific apprenticeship guides to learn more about apprenticeship opportunities in the field or industry you want to get into:
- Explore future prospects for apprentices across the sector, with tips on what employers are looking for.
- Find out how much an apprentice in these fields can earn in various roles during and after an apprenticeship.
- Learn how to get an apprenticeship: see listings for some of the employers and institutions offering them.
Banking and finance apprenticeships
As the UK has one of the largest banking systems in the world, you’ll find plenty of choices on where you could do a banking apprenticeship: retail banks on your high street to commercial banks focusing on finance for business, or investment banks in the City of London to the Bank of England.
The financial services professional apprenticeship should take around three and a half years to complete and enable you to explain complex information, provide specialist advice to business customers, provide investment advice and manage processes and transactions.
Find out more about degree apprenticeships in banking.
Still considering the university route? Read about studying finance at university with our finance subject guide.
Creative and media apprenticeships
As an apprentice in the creative industry you may find yourself learning a variety of skills, from how to engage users on social media to learning about stage lighting to developing new project management expertise on cross-company projects.
Our guide covers three of the most popular creative apprenticeship sectors you might be aware of: digital media and marketing, journalism, and theatre and live events.
Find out more about degree apprenticeships in creative and media.
Still considering the university route? Read about studying journalism and media studies at university with our subject guides.
Digital, tech, and IT apprenticeships
On a digital technology solutions degree apprenticeship you can expect a programme to last at least three years, with most employers offering four-year or four-and-a-half-year schemes. Your apprenticeship might include aspects of understanding business, programming and web development.
A higher apprenticeship in digital marketing will take at least two years to complete and could link into roles in digital marketing management, digital analysis or web product management.
Find out more about degree apprenticeships in digital, tech, and IT.
Still considering the university route? Read about studying computer science at university, or find another course with our subject guides.
Engineering apprenticeships
As an engineer apprentice you will not only solve real-world problems, but also earn an above-average salary in an industry where your skills will be in demand. Engineering UK suggests a need for 186,000 new engineers each year until 2024 to address the skills shortage, so it’s a career very much in demand.
The opportunities in engineering are many and varied. Take a look at the industries that require engineers and consider which would interest you: food, cosmetics, automotive, aeronautical, rail, water and energy supply, construction, health, sport, music, and more.
Find out more about degree apprenticeships in engineering.
Still considering the university route? Read about studying general engineering at university with our engineering subject guides.
Law apprenticeships
Traditionally, the only way to become a solicitor or work in law would be to gain a university degree. But with the cost of university fees making many school leavers think twice about university, and apprenticeships giving the added bonus of learning on the job from experienced lawyers, it’s never been a better time to explore your options.
Find out if an apprenticeship could be the right route for you, with prospects ranging from being a solicitor to a paralegal or legal executive.
Find out more about degree apprenticeships in law.
Still considering the university route? Read about studying law at university with our law subject guide.
Sign up to Career Finder
If you think an apprenticeship could be right for you, head over to Career Finder and create an account.
You'll be able to:
- search for all apprenticeship roles
- filter by subject area, role type, location, and level of apprenticeship
- shortlist jobs
- sign up for alerts
- keep tabs on applications you've made