Milton Keynes is a "new town" located approximately 50 miles from London and is home to around 250,000 people. Famous for it's roundabouts Milton Keynes offers plenty of opportunities for apprenticeships with some of the UK's leading business and industries prevalent in the area, not to mention Milton Keynes is also home to the largest university in the UK which offers a wide number of higher and degree apprenticeships.
Apprenticeships are offered by many companies in Milton Keynes from international banking organisations such as Santander who's HQ is in MK to Milton Keynes Council or telecoms companies such as CityFiber offer Telecom Apprenticeships. Milton Keynes is one of fastest growing towns outside of London where many recognised household names are putting down their roots.
By starting as an apprentice job in Milton Keynes you will gain valuable experience whilst learning on the job from seasoned professionals looking to transfer their knowledge and skills, plus you will receive a wage and a nationally recognised qualification.
If you have any questions about how to become an apprentice in Milton Keynes please feel free to drop us a line: Contact Us
Kickstart your career with an apprenticeship in Milton keynes.
Milton Keynes is conveniently located on the West Coast Mainline making it accessible from many locations and it's no surprise that Network Rail has their head office located in Milton Keynes, and they offer a variety of apprenticeships across their engineering and construction divisions to their IT and finance hubs.
There is a vast range of apprenticeships on offer in Milton Keynes but more importantly many companies offer apprenticeships where no previous experience is required. You can start an apprenticeship post 16 either at Level 2 or Level 3 depending on your GCSE results and the great thing about the Intermediate and Advanced level apprenticeships is the majority require no previous experience.
Over the years Milton Keynes has grown with many large organisations setting up shop in the town making Milton Keynes a great place to kickstart your career with an apprenticeship.
We're categorised a number of industries offing apprenticeships and high lighted companies looking to recruit apprentices in Milton Keynes:
Banking & Finance Apprenticeships
Milton Keynes is home to one of the most well known banking giants along with many other financial services companies offering banking and financial advise to consultancy services such as Tax and Accounting.
Companies offering banking apprenticeships:
• Santander
• PWC
• Mazars Group
• Deloitte
• VW Financial Services
Construction Apprenticeships
As an ever growing town Milton Keynes has many different construction projects live at anyone time from house building to new infrastructure such as roads and pathways. Although many of the leading construction firm may not have a permanent office in the area they do have satellite offices which offers you the opportunity to do an apprenticeship.
Companies offering construction apprenticeships:
• Sutton Construction
• Kier
• Barratt Homes
• Taylor Wimpey
Rail Apprenticeships
Milton Keynes is ideally situated on the West Coast mainline and is home to the UK's only rail infrastructure company who are responsible for the overall maintenance and control of the tracks running up and down the country. Milton Keynes, more specifically Wolverton, is also home to the UK's leading rolling stock company who provide maintenance and repair services and new build to our carriages.
Companies offering rail apprenticeships:
• Gemini Rail Group
• Network Rail
Retail Apprenticeships
Milton Keynes is famous for a numbering of things including round about and concrete cows, but did you know they have the longest shopping centre in Europe? With that in mind you wouldn't be surprised to hear they have some of the UK's leading retailers with shop fronts in the town, opening up opportunity for you to start an apprenticeship in retail.
Companies offering retail apprenticeships:
• Marks and Spencers
• NEXT
• FOSSIL
• Argos
• Sainsburys
• Dominos Pizza
• John Lewis Partnership
By starting an apprenticeship in Milton Keynes you are opening the doors to a vast amount of benefits such as earning a wage and gaining valuable on the job training. However the biggest benefit is the nationally recognised qualifications you can gain from apprenticeship training.
Each Apprenticeship Level has it's own qualifications plus a knowledge based BTEC diploma relating to the job industry and subject area of your apprenticeship. You can gain a qualification starting from an NVQ level 2 all the way up to a Masters degree which can take up to 6 years to complete.
The amount you can earn as an apprentice in Milton Keynes depends on the level of apprenticeship and industry you are training in, the minimum an employer is required to pay by law if £4.30 per hour for your first year of your apprenticeship or if you are under the age of 19yrs. However due to the competition to attract apprentices many companies are paying much higher than this to get people applying for their apprenticeships.
Across the UK salaries for apprentices range from:
• Intermediate Apprenticeships - 12,000 - £18,000
• Advanced Apprenticeships - £15,000 - £25,000
• Higher & Degree Apprenticeships - £20,000 - £35,000
Intermediate Apprenticeships are your entry level into the world of apprenticeships more commonly known as a Level 2 Apprenticeship. Level 2 apprenticeships offer an excellent route into further education post 16, as an alternative to staying on at school, whilst receiving on the job training and studying towards a nationally recognised qualification.
During your intermediate apprenticeship you will study part-time with a college or a training provider, 20% of your training, towards an NVQ Level 2 and knowledge based qualification such as a BTEC, together these qualifications are the equivalent to 5 GCSE's grades 9 - 4 (A* - C on the old grading system). You will also receive a Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English if you don't already have them.
An Intermediate Apprenticeship is great for learning work related skills as apposed to being given more responsibility. This level of training will make you work ready and train you in the hands on skills required to undertake the responsibility of the task and give you the employability skills you need to be successful.
Qualifying Criteria
There is no formal qualifying criteria for a Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship however some employers may ask for a minimum of 2 GCSE's to be able to join their apprenticeship programme.
Advanced Apprenticeships or commonly known as Level 3 Apprenticeships are the equivalent to doing 2 A-Levels and are the next level from an intermediate apprenticeship. Level 3 apprenticeships are great for you to start once you have completed your GCSE's and have attained the correct grades to be able to start at this level.
Starting at the advanced level even if you already have A-levels enables you to gain on the training, of which some employers prefer you to have before starting a Higher or Degree apprenticeship.
Just like an intermediate apprenticeship you will be required to spend at least 20% of your time studying with a college or training provider to be able to achieve the qualifications. On completion of you r apprenticeship you will achieve the equivalent of 2 A-Levels in the form of an NVQ Level 3 and a knowledge based qualifications such as a BTEC diploma.
Qualifying Criteria
To qualifying for a Level 3 advanced apprenticeship many employers ask for a minimum of 5 GCSE's which must include Maths and English, this is why an intermediate apprenticeships gives you these qualifications on completion. Although an advanced apprenticeships is the equivalent of 2 A-Levels some employers may add A-Levels as their requirement at this level also.
Find companies advertising advanced apprenticeship jobs on our website.
Higher Apprenticeships are your Levels 4 and 5 qualifications and enable you to study towards a HNC or HND respectively whilst at Level 5 you can also attain a foundation degree which is great if you want to continue in your studies towards a bachelors degree.
During your higher apprenticeship training you will be required to studying part-time with a training provider, college or university which along with your on the job training will enable you to train towards a Level 4 or 5 NVQ and BTEC diploma along with their respective HNC or HND qualification. Higher apprenticeships can take up to four years to complete.
As a higher apprentice you will be given a lot more responsibility which may include managing people or teams or even responsible for managing projects. You will be supported by your employer along side your mentors and tutors making sure to advise and guide you along the way during your apprenticeship programme.
Qualifying Criteria
To qualifying for a higher apprenticeship you will need to have achieved and completed at least a Level 3 Apprenticeship or have 5 GCSE's grades 9-4 which must include Maths and English and 2 A-Levels.
Find companies advertising higher apprenticeship jobs on our website.
Degree apprenticeships were introduced in September 2015 and have been receive with open arms both by employers and apprentices alike. Also known as Level 6 or 7 apprenticeships the degree level apprenticeship enables you to study towards a Bachelors or Masters degree.
You can start a degree apprenticeships straight after your advanced apprenticeship level or alternatively if you want to gain more on the job training before the Level 6 programme you can overlap from a higher apprenticeship programme. Many employers are now partnering with leading universities across the country to offer degree level apprenticeships to help advance your learning opportunities.
Just like studying at university a degree level apprenticeship takes between 3 to 6 years to complete you will achieve this by on the job training with your employer and training provider and then part-time study at the designated university for your apprenticeship course.
Qualifying Criteria
To qualifying for a degree apprenticeship you will need to have at least Level 3 qualifications of 2 A-Levels, NVQ and BTEC or have completely the advanced apprenticeship. Level 6 and 7 are also a natural progression from a higher apprenticeship.
Find companies advertising degree apprenticeship jobs on our website.
How do I become an apprentice in Milton Keynes?
To become an apprentice in Milton Keynes you first need to register to become an apprentice and set up your apprentice profile, you may also want to activate your apprenticeship job alerts to save time in finding an apprenticeship.
Who recruits apprentices in Milton Keynes?
Companies all across Milton Keynes are advertising apprenticeships from Network Rail, Santander and MK College
How many apprenticeships are advertised in Milton Keynes?
Each month we advertise between 100 - 200 apprenticeships in Milton Keynes.
How long does it take to complete an apprenticeship in Milton Keynes?
Depending on the level of apprenticeship and the subject area you are studying an apprenticeship can take from between 12 months and five years.
How much will I be paid as an apprentice in Milton Keynes?
There is no set salary for apprentices, however there is a minimum salary employers are legally required to pay which is £4.30 per hour.
The average salary for apprentices across the UK including Milton Keynes is between £15,000 - £25,000 per annum.
Can I do a Degree Apprenticeship in Milton Keynes?
Yes. Degree apprenticeships are offered by a number of different companies across a vast number of industries from Information Technology to construction apprenticeships or telecom apprenticeships.
What is an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship is a form of further education which offers on the job training for you to gain a nationally recognised qualification whilst studying part-time with an apprenticeship training provider, college or university through workshops or classroom training.
Apprenticeship training has to be delivered by a registered apprenticeship training provider which can also be an employer-provider, where the employer you are training through are on the register of training providers to be able to deliver their own training requirements. If an employer acts as an employer-provider they will usually employ a number of people such as Apprenticeship Assessors, Mentors and Managers to support you through your apprenticeship programme.
During your apprenticeship you will receive a salary and all the other benefits permanent employees receive. An apprenticeship job is only for a specified time as stipulated at the beginning of your apprenticeship training which can last anything from 12 months to 5 years.
To find our more about apprenticeships please refer to our What is an Apprenticeship? guide.
Why should you start an apprenticeship?
If you are considering your post 16 options you probably wouldn't have considered an apprenticeship a few years ago and would be struggling or worrying what to do when you leave school. It is a legal requirement for you to now stay in some form of further education until the age of 18 and you now have three options A-Levels, College or an Apprenticeship.
You can start an apprenticeship at the age of 16 through the Intermediate or Advanced level apprenticeship programmes across many industry sectors from Construction, Technology or even Marketing. There are no entry requirements for the intermediate apprenticeship, however you will need at least 5 GCSE's at grade 4 (previously C grade) or above to qualify for the advanced apprenticeship. On completion of the intermediate you will gain the qualifying criteria for a level 3.
The best reason for starting an apprenticeship is on completion of each level you will receive a nationally recognised qualification from an NVQ all the way up to a degree level apprenticeship such as a Bachelors or Masters.
How can you become an apprentice?
There are a number of ways to become an apprentice so we thought we would list them for you:
- Register with websites like ourselves, there are others available.
- Apprenticeship Job Fairs are great for meeting employers and training providers.
- Contact training providers in your area, a simple Google search "Training providers near me" will give you the information you need.
- Contact your local colleges or universities or visit their websites to see if they offer apprenticeship training.
- UCAS promote apprenticeship opportunities on their website on behalf of employers.
and finally......
- Do some research on apprenticeships and find a topic or industry that you would like to start an apprenticeship in and then research local companies in those sectors and visit their websites to see if they offer apprenticeship training and apply directly with them.
FAQs about Apprenticeships in Milton Keynes
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