Should I take an apprenticeship after A Levels or not

I want to take English, Business, and Geography at A Level as I want something in the Business sector (Geography as a backup) but I cannot take ICT even though I want a career with business and IT. Would it be a good idea to take 3 a levels and then take an apprenticeship for IT? And what would I get after this as it's different from A Levels at the end? And would I be able to go to Uni or would I have to accept the job offer at the apprenticeship. thanks

Hi there,

Hoping I can offer some support here.

If you want to do an IT based career/apprenticeship but cannot do A-level IT at your sixth form there are a few things I would advise:

- Look into different sixth forms in the area that do offer IT at A-level.
- Think about taking A-level subjects that are linked/useful for a career in IT such as Physics and Mathematics
- If neither of the above are options you can consider, it may help to look into courses you can do from home such as coding courses or consider doing an apprenticeship after GCSEs instead of after A-levels.

A-levels are a level 3 qualification, if you complete your A-levels you may have difficulty doing a level 3 apprenticeship as you are already qualified to this level, it can be possible but it will depend on the employer and the college/training provider. After A-level many students go on to do level 4, 5 or 6 apprenticeships as this is the natural progression route.

If you do go on to do a level 3 IT apprenticeship after A-levels, you will work towards either an NVQ or possibly a BTEC style of qualification. You could potentially then progress onto university but you could also get your degree as part of an apprenticeship at level 6 which may include attending university for one or two days a week so it can be worthwhile asking the employer you are doing your apprenticeship with if this is possible. It's important to keep in mind that NVQ's do not accumulate UCAS points which are needed for entry onto a degree course, BTECs at level 3 do.

As well as this, you may be able to find I.T and business degree courses which don't require A-level IT but just a certain number of UCAS points from your A-levels, this would mean you wouldn't need to do an apprenticeship at all. If you haven't done so already I would start researching degree courses through UCAS and the entry requirements to see what options are out there for you.

It's also important to point out that not all apprenticeships end with a job offer although many do. Some will progress you onto the next level of apprenticeship others may not offer you anything at all. Combining your A-levels with an I.T apprenticeship may increase your chances of getting into university without A-level IT but that would be down to each individual university.

I hope this helps and happy to support further if you have more questions.

Thanks - Sophie.

Thanks so much for the help. I'm looking now for University's which have ICT with ucas points which don't require a level IT. In your opinion, do you think a job would prefer an apprenticeship level or degree? Thanks alot

Hi there,

You're more than welcome.

There's no straight forward answer to this but I can outline what employers look for.

As a graduate you will have a degree that will be vital for your career but if you do chose to go down the university path you must make sure that you have work experience to go alongside whether that is paid or voluntary. If you don't do work experience, when you start applying for jobs you may be up against apprentices who have the same level of qualification but also have years of experience as well because they did an apprenticeship.

Employers don't have a preference as to which way you chose to learn, what they look at is your skills and experience.

I hope this helps.

Sophie.

Thanks for the help. So to make it clear, I could do Apprenticeship after GCSEs for a level 3, or either A Levels, or do the Apprenticeship after A Levels to work for a degree instead of University degree, which may require UCAS points instead of the A Level subject requirement of IT. I think I'm going to talk to the careers advisor and have a think I just need advantages of going to Uni and Apprenticeships and negatives. Thanks!

Thanks for the help. So to make it clear, I could do Apprenticeship after GCSEs for a level 3, or either A Levels, or do the Apprenticeship after A Levels to work for a degree instead of University degree, which may require UCAS points instead of the A Level subject requirement of IT. I think I'm going to talk to the careers advisor and have a think I just need advantages of going to Uni and Apprenticeships and negatives. Thanks!