Apprenticeships are gaining more popularity than ever. They provide a different route to getting your dream career, instead of university. There are so many different types of apprenticeships now too, as businesses realise how valuable they really are. They allow individuals to develop the skills they need in order to become useful employees, whilst being paid at the same time! No wonder they are gaining so much popularity.
Now you know that apprenticeships are popular, you are probably wondering which types of apprenticeships are the most sought-after. If you want to discover the most popular apprenticeships, carry on reading!
Top 10 apprenticeships in the UK
An apprenticeship is basically a form of work experience. You will learn about a specific role and develop skills tailored to this, whilst getting paid! If you want to read in detail what an apprenticeship actually is and how they differ from internships, check out this article from Think Student.
There is such a wide range of different apprenticeships. However, some types of apprenticeships are sought after way more than others.
This could depend on a number of factors, such as amount of pay, role progression and even just genuine enjoyment of the career role. The government have compiled a list of the top ten apprenticeships.
All of the data in this article about the number of enrolments for each apprenticeship can be found on the government website, if you click here.
The graph below shows a visual representation of the most popular apprenticeships. These are ranked based off “starts” which is how many people begin the apprenticeship. You can filter these apprenticeships by age category by clicking on the coloured squares at the top of the graph.
10. Hair Professional
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 4,540 | 890 | 340 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 5,770 enrolments for this apprenticeship. As a hair professional, you can become a barber or a hairdresser.
If you become a barber apprentice, you will most likely just be serving men. You will learn how to cut and wash men’s hair, as well as learning how to trim and style facial hair. In contrast, hairdressers need to be prepared to work with men or women.
As a Hairdresser apprentice, you will learn a range of styling techniques and will even be taught how to dye and lighten hair. This is on top of gaining knowledge about the best way to wash, condition and cut hair.
You will need to have knowledge of all different hair types in order to achieve success. You will have to earn a Level 2 diploma in hairdressing and then you can move on to Level 3 Advanced training.
Most apprenticeships will last 24 months and the average funding is £7,000. You can find out more information on this fact file from Training Qualifications UK.
9. Early Years Practitioner
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 3,920 | 1,730 | 1,320 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 6,970 enrolments for this apprenticeship. The main purpose of this career is to work and interact with children on a day-to-day basis.
You will have to plan and carry out fun activities and provide educational programmes. You will also have to support the observation and assessment of each child and help with any physical needs.
This is also a job of care, as you will have to make sure that every child is safe and in no potential danger in your care, or potentially at home.
To qualify as an Early Years Practitioner, you must complete an apprenticeship at a Level 2. If you are unsure about what all of the different apprenticeship levels mean, check out this article from Think Student.
The qualification usually lasts two months and the maximum funding is £4,000. If you want to find out more, check out this article from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
Most individuals undertaking this apprenticeship are under 19 years old.
8. Installation Electrician and Maintenance Electrician
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 4,350 | 2,250 | 940 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 7,550 enrolments for this apprenticeship. The primary purpose of this job role is to install, maintain and repair electrical systems.
This job role is carried out in both industrial and domestic environments. As an electrician, you would need to be able to understand how to use electrical equipment, such as switchboards, fuses, air conditioning and heating.
To be a successful electrician, you need to be reliable, be able to apply theoretical understanding to practical concepts and have good organisational skills. If you apply for this apprenticeship without any relevant work experience, it will take at least 42 months to complete.
However, it takes most apprentices 48 months! Once you finish this apprenticeship, you should receive a Level 3 qualification.
The maximum funding for this apprenticeship is £18,000. This apprenticeship can be quite dangerous, as you are handling electrical equipment!
Therefore, you need to make sure that you are adhering to safety procedures and making sure that you are acting responsibly. If you want to discover more about this apprenticeship, check out this article from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
The majority of individuals who undertake this apprenticeship are actually under 19 years old.
7. Accountancy or Taxation Professional
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts for 2021 and 2022 | 280 | 6,460 | 2,720 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 9,470 enrolments for this apprenticeship. This career is recognised as being a leader in accountancy, taxation, finance and business.
It is a diverse and challenging career, where you will have a range of roles. For example, you will have to provide strategic business advice to clients and utilise technical knowledge and skills to help make suitable financial decisions.
Specific job roles which you could venture into after this apprenticeship include becoming a financial accountant, tax specialist or management consultant. The maximum funding is £21,000.
This apprenticeship usually lasts around 36 months. It’s a long one! This is because it is actually a Level 7 apprenticeship standard.
A Level 7 apprenticeship is usually known as a degree apprenticeship. If you want to discover what the definition of this is, check out this article from Think Student.
Therefore, it will require a lot of hard work and determination to be completed. If you want to find out more about this apprenticeship, check out this article from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
6. Operations or Departmental Manager
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 10 | 440 | 9,180 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 9,640 enrolments for this apprenticeship. If you decide to do this apprenticeship, you will be responsible for managing teams and projects and achieving operational and departmental goals.
Your responsibilities will include creating and delivering operational plans, managing projects and leading teams. Your job role has many names, so you could be called a Department manager or a Divisional manager.
The level of apprenticeship you will complete is Level 5. Therefore, this apprenticeship will generally last around 30 months.
The maximum funding is £7,000. You will learn skills such as learning how to manage and lead people and how to deal with managing projects.
If you want to find out more, check out this article from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Most people who do this apprenticeship are generally older, at least over 25 years old.
5. Adult Care Worker
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 750 | 2,240 | 6,810 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 9,800 enrolments for this apprenticeship. The main purpose of this job is to help adults with care and support needs.
Your job will be to help adults live as safely as independently as possible. As an Adult Care Worker, you will be expected to work in a variety of settings.
These settings include residential or nursing homes, day care centres or even a person’s own home. To become an Adult Care Worker, you need to have certain personal attributes.
For example, you need to be compassionate, have good communication and courage. Apprenticeships to become an Adult Care Worker usually last 12-18 months.
You will earn a Level 2 apprenticeship qualification if you successfully finish this course. The maximum funding is £3,000.
As with all apprenticeships, you are required to spend 20% of your time working. This can be difficult, as being a care worker can be quite distressing.
Therefore, if you apply for this role, you need to make sure that you will be up for the challenges you will face. You can find out more information on this article from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website.
4. Lead Adult Care Worker
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 180 | 2,240 | 9,660 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 12,080 enrolments for this apprenticeship. This career involves the same duties as a regular Adult Care Worker.
However, you will have other responsibilities on top of this. This is because you will need to be able to lead and supervise other Adult Care Workers, whilst providing guidance and making sure that they are working well.
You will be responsible for improving the health and wellbeing for those that you care for by directing other workers in suitable ways. Similarly to regular Adult Care Workers, you need to be compassionate and caring.
There are other characteristics you will also need for this role, such as having excellent leadership skills and teamwork. This apprenticeship will usually last around 18 months.
It is slightly longer than just becoming a typical Adult Care Worker because if you complete this apprenticeship successfully, you will receive a Level 3 qualification.
The maximum funding for this apprenticeship is £3000. If you want to find out more about this role and what it entails, check out this article from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
Due to this apprenticeship providing students with a leadership role, most individuals who undertake it are over 25 years old.
3. Early Years Educator
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 3,440 | 4,930 | 4,870 |
There seems to be quite an even age split for this apprenticeship. Becoming an Early Years Educator is popular for under 19-year-olds, 19–24-year-olds and even over 25-year-olds. In 2021 and 2011, there were 13,240 enrolments for this apprenticeship. As an early years educator, you will be responsible for ensuring that young children learn and develop well in a safe and supportive environment.
You will have to plan and supervise activities for the children in your care and be able to work well with colleagues. To be right for this job role, you need to have certain characteristics.
For example, you need to be caring and compassionate, whilst being committed to helping the children reach their full potential. This job role differs to an Early Years Practitioner, as you will earn a Level 3 qualification after completing the apprenticeship, instead of a Level 2.
To gain this qualification, the apprenticeship usually lasts around 18 months. The maximum funding for this apprenticeship is £6,000.
If you find that you really enjoy this job and as a result, gain lots of work experience in this role, you could become a manager of an early years setting. You can find out more about becoming an Early Years Educator on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website, if you click here.
2. Business Administrator
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 5,040 | 5,440 | 3,800 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 14,280 enrolments for this apprenticeship. Business administrators work in a range of different sectors, these can be both big and small businesses.
You may work independently or as part of a team. Therefore, you need to make sure that you have a range of skills and be prepared to be flexible. The main purpose of this role is to support and engage with different parts of organisations and interact with both internal and external customers.
You will need to help increase the efficiency of an organisation and help resolve a range of different issues. If you are thinking about doing an apprenticeship as a Business Administrator, you need to be aware of the specific skills you will be required to develop.
You will need to have competent IT knowledge and be good at making decisions. This apprenticeship will typically take between 12 and 18 months to complete.
It is also a Level 3 apprenticeship, so in order to be considered for this apprenticeship, you would need to have achieved at least a Level 2 in English and Maths.
The maximum funding for this apprenticeship is £5,000. If you want to find out more information about becoming a Business Administrator, check out this article from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education website.
1. Team Leader or Supervisor
| Under 19 years | 19-24 years | 25+ years | |
| Number of starts in 2021 and 2022 | 110 | 1,920 | 13,710 |
In 2021 and 2022, there were 15,750 enrolments for this apprenticeship. This career is a first line management role.
Your main job would be to provide directions and instructions to a team you would manage in order to achieve certain goals. You would need to be prepared to support, manage and develop team members.
Some other key responsibilities include delivering operational plans, monitoring workloads and resources and managing projects. You may have heard of other names for this job role.
These names include: Supervisor, Team Leader, Project Officer and Shift manager. This apprenticeship usually takes 12 to 18 months to complete.
It is also a Level 3 apprenticeship. The maximum funding for this apprenticeship is £4,500. If you want to find out more about an apprenticeship in this profession, check out this article from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.
Not many individuals under 19 years old take on this apprenticeship. This could be because it is a very tough apprenticeship, as you are given a number of responsibilities. Therefore, most apprentices are over 25 years old.
Most popular apprenticeships for under 19 year olds
Many apprenticeships are targeted at school leavers. Therefore, you will probably find that most apprentices are around 16, 17 or 18 years old.
Doing an apprenticeship straight after school can be extremely useful because it allows you to gain much needed work experience in your chosen industry. You can then decide to stay on as an employee of the company.
If you don’t want to do this, then at least you will have some solid work experience, which will impress other prospective employers. You can discover the top ten apprenticeships based on number of starts, for under 19 year olds in 2021 and 2022 in this list:
- Business Administrator
- Hair Professional
- Installation Electrician and Maintenance Electrician
- Early Years Practitioner
- Carpentry and Joinery
- Early Years Educator
- Engineering Technician
- Customer Service Practitioner
- Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician
- Bricklayer
Most popular apprenticeships for 19–24 year olds
The top 10 apprenticeships for 19-24 year olds is slightly different to this. They may have gained some higher education and then chosen to do an apprenticeship afterwards.
The top ten apprenticeships based on number of starts for 19-24 year olds for the years 2021 and 2022 can be found in this list:
- Accountancy or Taxation Professional
- Business Administrator
- Early Years Educator
- Engineering Technician
- Police Constable (Integrated Degree)
- Installation Electrician and Maintenance Electrician
- Adult Care Worker
- Lead Adult Care Worker
- Information Communications Technician
- HM Forces Serviceperson
Most popular apprenticeships for 25+ year olds
Most people think that apprenticeships are for younger people, just coming out of compulsory education. However, this is not true!
Some people may decide to have a career change after the age of 25 and apply for an apprenticeship to do this. You can actually do an apprenticeship at any age, as long as you are over 16.
To find out the top 10 apprenticeships for over 25 year olds based on number of starts from 2021 and 2022, check out this list:
- Team Leader or Supervisor
- Lead Adult Care Worker
- Operations or Departmental Manager
- Adult Care Worker
- Early Years Educator
- Senior Leader
- Business Administrator
- Leader in Adult Care
- Data Analyst
- Children, Young People and Families Practitioner
Just because certain apprenticeships may be popular for certain age groups, it doesn’t mean that you can’t apply for them if you are not part of this particular age group.
If you really believe that you will flourish if you do a certain apprenticeship, just go for it!
After reading about all of the most popular apprenticeships, you are probably raring to go and wanting to apply for one! If this is the case, check out this article from Think Student to learn how to apply.
Alternatively, if you are on the fence in deciding whether you should apply for an apprenticeship or not, check out this article from Think Student to read about a student’s own opinion on this topic.