Apprenticeships vs university: which option is best for you?

What are apprenticeships?

In a nutshell, an apprenticeship is a full-time job combining practical training alongside study, where apprentices are employed by a company from day one. Apprentices work alongside experienced staff, gaining skills that are specific to their role and earning a wage throughout like any other employee.

Each week, apprentices tend to work 30 hours or more. 80% of that is spent at work, learning on-the-job, with the other 20% being spent doing off-the-job training, such as classes, mentoring and skills workshops. Upon completion of your apprenticeship, you’ll receive a qualification for your CV (as well as years of work experience).

Schemes are divided into four types. These below are applicable as alternatives to university:

What happens at university?

University is a form of higher education where students study a subject in-depth, usually over three to four years. You’ll choose a specific course like English Literature, Engineering, or Psychology and attend lectures, seminars, and practical sessions to build deep academic knowledge in that area.

Students usually study full-time, with a focus on independent learning, research, and critical thinking. You'll be assessed through a mix of essays, exams, presentations and coursework. Unlike an apprenticeship, university doesn’t include paid work, but it can open doors to a wider range of careers, especially those that require a degree. When you graduate, you’ll leave with a recognised qualification (a degree) and a set of transferable skills for your CV.

Whilst at university, you will also have the chance to do an internship or placement year to gain work experience.

Do you need a degree for your dream career?

With apprenticeships now seen as a viable and popular alternative to university, you don’t necessarily have to go to university to pursue your dream career.

That said, certain careers do require degree-level qualifications that aren’t covered through Degree Apprenticeships. If you want to become a dentist or psychiatrist, you should go to university.

However, if you’re considering a career in finance, accounting or engineering, you might find that your chances of succeeding in these areas increase by doing an apprenticeship.

If you have a clear idea of what career you’re going to pursue after school or college, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Does your preferred career require a university degree?

2. Are there apprenticeships available in the sector I’m interested in?

If there are, you have two routes post A-Levels.

Your task is to decide whether an apprenticeship or a university degree will give you the best preparation for a chance at kick-starting a career.

Apprenticeships vs University: A Summary

UNIVERSITY

• Undergraduate degrees last between 3-4 years

• Tend to focus on individual, academic study

• Over 130 universities in the UK and thousands of courses on offer

• Courses vary from the vocational, such as Nursing or Architecture, to more general subjects like English and Geography

• Opportunity to do a placement (or year in industry), internships or insight schemes to get professional experience

• Campus life: living in halls, student unions, societies, career fairs and fresher's week

• Typical tuition fees are over £9,000 per annum in England - however, there are government grants you can apply for to help cover this during your studies.

APPRENTICESHIPS

• Duration depends on the level of the scheme, lasting anywhere between 1-5 years

• Schemes available in thousands of job roles and industries

• Work for a specific company

• Specific focus on on-the-job training

• Apprentices develop practical skills, alongside qualifications

• No tuition fees. Costs are covered by the employer (through government funding)

• Salary paid for the duration of the programme

Pick what’s right for you

After you leave school, any decisions you make will define how you spend the next three to five years and will seriously influence your future career.

Apprentices and university graduates are highly employable in a wide range of sectors. There are two separate, distinctive and rewarding paths for career-conscious young people to take after leaving school. Both paths sound inviting. So how to choose between them?

Our main advice is that if you have a specific future career path you're interested in, and an apprenticeship exists for it, definitely consider this to be strong option.

It’s also important to note that you can apply for both apprenticeships and university at the same time. See what offers you get and go from there!

When the time for career planning arrives, it’s essential that you do your research:

• Research the courses on offer, the entry requirements for those courses and the employer who runs them. Do they value experience or qualifications? Are there any reviews of the programme?

• Visit a wide range of universities and attend their open days. This is an excellent opportunity to meet students and learn more about university life.

• Read thousands of apprenticeship job reviews from real-life apprentices

• Seek out the advice of teachers, careers advisers, industry insiders, or former university students and apprentices.

Put yourself in a position to make a confident and informed decision about your future that works for you.