What qualifications do I need to start an Apprenticeship?

Do I need to have any qualifications to start an apprenticeship?

Believe it or not you don’t require any formal qualifications to start an apprenticeship at the intermediate level. An Intermediate apprenticeship is your entry point into the world of apprenticeships, you can start a level 2 apprenticeship straight out of school with no GCSE’s. Which is great as you are legally required to stay in further education until you are 18 years old.

So if you are considering starting an apprenticeship and you have no formal qualifications then there is an opportunity for you to start on the job training via an apprenticeship.

But don’t assume intermediate apprenticeships are’t that great either or they are low paid, because that’s not true. In-fact there are plenty of opportunities at this level across 100’s of industries and the pay is good to, to get an idea of just how much you could earn check out our guide to apprentice pay.

Not all apprenticeships allow you to start “on the job training” with no for qualifications though, you will be required to have at least 5 GCSE’s to be able to start the next level training programme. 

Here's a quick guide to qualification requirements:

Intermediate Level 2: No formal qualifying criteria 

Advanced Level 3: 5 GCSE’s which must include Maths and English

Higher and Degree Levels 4 - 7: 5 GCSE’s and at least 2 A-Levels.  

When you start your apprenticeship training at Level 2 you will gain the relevant qualifications to be able to proceed to the next level and so on and so on. It may take a few years approximately 8 to be precise, 5-6 if you go to university, but if you follow each of the apprenticeship levels through on the job training to the top you can achieve a Bachelors or Masters degree.

If you desire to gain a nationally recognised qualification such as an NVQ, HND or Degree plus attain the knowledge and skills required to succeed in your career then apprenticeships are your best route, especially if you are not a fan of classrooms and learn better in a practical environment.

In conclusion to “What qualifications do I need to start an Apprenticeship?” we guess the simple answer in none, but at least you have piece of mind that through apprenticeships you can achieve the qualifications you want!