New insight reveals record number of university students dropped out of their course at Christmas to change route to a tech apprenticeship
During the Christmas period QA Apprenticeships saw a 25% increase in applications, compared to last year. Over 10,000 young people throughout the UK wanted to change direction, to take an apprenticeship rather than going back to University, after the Christmas break. Insight published in Nov 2016 proved tech apprenticeships can be worth more than a university degree – and uni students are taking note.
20 January 2017
Whether it is daunting student loans putting students off going back to university or that tech apprenticeships are being seen to pay off – a trend shows there was a growth in young adults changing their career path over Christmas, and applying for tech apprenticeships.
QA Apprenticeships, the UK’s leading tech apprenticeships company, trains and places apprentices into organisations such as Royal Mail, Barclays Bank, CGI, Cisco, CSL (Civil Service Learning), Microsoft, British Gas, BT Group, Accenture, and saw a huge uplift in applicants for apprenticeships over the Christmas period. There was a 25% increase in applicants of tech apprenticeships in December 2016 compared to December 2015; they received over 10,000 applications in December 2016. This news was not surprising given the insight that was published at the back-end of last year, which shows how financially rewarding an apprenticeship can be, particularly for IT apprentices.
Amrit Mann, 19, who changed her mind about her University course to pursue an apprenticeship with QA, in 2015, said, “When I discovered digital apprenticeships I changed my mind about continuing with university. The apprenticeship at QA has allowed me to earn money, learn more from experts, and get real experience. It has definitely fast-tracked my career. The thought of being in tens of thousands of pounds worth of debt in my early twenties was far too scary for me, especially coming out of University with no actual experience. Having one year of experience in a digital role means that I am in many ways in a better position than those who will be finishing university in two years-time. It was definitely the best choice for me. ”
Apprenticeships have long been associated with manual jobs, but research has shown that they are helping young adult’s secure long-term careers in tech too. The latest research* shows an astonishing 91% of QA’s apprentice-graduates are in full-time employment or have progressed onto a higher apprenticeship, 6 months after completing an apprenticeship. The employment opportunities for a tech apprentice vs a Computer Science University graduate, are vastly different. In the recent government report, named The Digital Skills Crisis, it states that 13% of Computer Science graduates are remaining unemployed for 6 months, following completion of their degree, and a huge debt on top of that.
With growing job competition amongst graduates and increasing university tuition fees, apprenticeships offer an exciting alternative for young adults to get into the world of technology at the same time as gaining relevant skills, experience, and becoming financially independent. In a recent survey undertaken by young adults who have completed an apprenticeship – 60% confirmed that their starting salary was up to £25,000 and over, and the highest salaries were those who had completed an IT apprenticeship.
Looking back at apprentices who completed their apprenticeship over 6 years ago, there are some fantastic trends, which reinforce the longer-term value of an apprenticeship for a young person. Jacob Polden, was placed onto a tech apprenticeship by QA Apprenticeships, 6 years ago when he was 17, and told us that over a year ago he was able to buy his own house, having saved up money through the salary he was given during the apprenticeship. He did a Software Development Apprenticeship with QA, started as a junior developer, and is now a Lead Developer and works in London, for the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Starting a tech or IT apprenticeship can lead to a multitude of different roles. It is not just technical roles that IT apprentices can get into after completing their IT apprenticeship. Matthew Young, who did an IT apprenticeship 6 years ago, with Twin Systems is now an IT Sales Manager, and travels around the world with his job. He also states that he will be in a position to, and intends to buy his own house, within the next year.
Young says “By going down the apprenticeship route when I was in my teens, now I’m in my early 20s, I have 6, nearly 7 years’ experience working in a corporate environment. I have friends who are just completing university courses now in the IT space and coming out into junior roles without any working experience”
Our director Ben Pike commented “We are pleased to see that our tech apprenticeships actually work, and are giving the next generation of technology enthusiasts the opportunity to build their skills and experience to be great at their jobs, not just to know the theory and pass a test. This 3rd party research shows that our apprenticeships are improving long term career prospects for young people across the UK.”