Are apprenticeships hard to come by?

Hi,
I wouldn't say they are hard to find as there are now so many websites and resources purely dedicated to listing them. However I would say they are competitive. The best tip I would offer you is knowing when to apply for them to improve your chances* as well as practicing virtual interview techniques and online assessments.

*if you apply late it’s becomes harder to get in by the virtue of increased competition for the position, than if you were to have your application done early.

P.S: some companies have already put up vacancies for 2024.

Thanks how old is too old to apply? Do you think they favour younger people? I’m 21. Also, do they require very high grades because from what I have seen with other people on apprenticeships, they were required to have AAA + ?

I have seen people say they are really hard to find or get onto and that they are really competitive? Is this true?

No, they're not hard to come by at all, there are thousands of positions across the country. Of course the more demanding you are, the less positions that meet your criteria. For example, it's easier to find an apprenticeship in engineering than it is to find an apprenticeship in civil engineering specifically. Then there is the fact that different cities have more apprenticeships of a particular kind. E.g. Birmingham has a lot of industrial stuff so engineering, automotive etc. London has more law and finance etc. If you live in the middle of nowhere, don't drive and refuse to relocate your chances are very poor.

Now, they are quite competitive. The better the apprenticeship and company, the more competitive it gets. Different companies offer different number of roles as well. E.g. my company usually does an intake of between 1-3 apprentices per year, whereas companies like BMW can take on 5-10 per site (and there are multiple across the UK). The higher level apprenticeships are also more competitive and demanding than lower level - it's harder to get a degree apprenticeship than it is to get a level 3 apprenticeship.