Tuesday, 11 February 2025

National Apprenticeship Week: How have apprenticeships evolved over the last 30+ years?

To mark the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week, our Customer Services Manager, Clare Taylor, sat down with two apprentices from her team to discuss each of their experiences and explore how apprenticeships have changed over the last 30+ years.

Find out what our current Business Administration Apprentices, Caisey Dixon and Molly Jeffrey, have to stay about their journeys at CMP.

What was it that attracted you to an apprenticeship rather than an alternative route such as university or full-time employment?

Caisey: I didn’t enjoy sixth form because it felt like university was the only path encouraged, and I didn’t feel it was right for me. I decided to leave sixth form and started an apprenticeship with another company, but I didn’t feel supported. That’s what I value about my apprenticeship at CMP, I’m learning and gaining experience while getting paid, and I always feel supported.

Molly: After my GCSEs, my school pushed me to do A-levels, but I knew it wasn’t for me. I took the apprenticeship at CMP because it allowed me to continue learning whilst getting paid at the same time.

Clare: For me it was because I worked Saturday jobs since I was thirteen, so I enjoyed having the independence of my own money. My school was a lot less pushy towards university, and apprenticeships were a lot more talked about and encouraged as careers, which made the decision easier for me.

How is/was your apprenticeship structured?

Clare: I was at the North East Chamber of Commerce once a week, learning practical functional skills like touch typing, then I was at CMP for the rest of the week. My apprenticeship had to be done in my own time, on top of my 35-hour working week. The apprenticeship was very evidence based, demonstrating the practical tasks I’d done in a portfolio. There was no minimum wage for apprentices then, my pay was capped at £35 a week! My program was 2 years long and I got my first full wage when I turned 21.

Caisey: My program is more coursework based, requiring me to log all my learning and training. The program is 18 months, and I have to log 480 hours in total. The structure is varied, and I learn additional skills that I didn’t think would be relevant, but through working I can now see how they apply to my role. I particularly enjoy that I can help train Molly as part of my apprenticeship, because it helps reinforce my own skills. My tutor visits once a month, and I know I can always reach out to her if I need support. Compared to my previous apprenticeship experience, the support I receive here is significantly better.

Caisey and Molly, how does your apprenticeship help with your aspirations for the future? 

Caisey: There are great opportunities for progression at CMP, I can continue to learn and work my way up within the company.

Molly: An apprenticeship allows you to keep developing your skills and advance into higher roles, Clare is a great example of that!

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

Clare: The perception of apprenticeships in schools has changed over the years and many have started to push university as the only option. That gap needs to be closed, apprenticeships should be encouraged just as much as university.

There are so many varied apprenticeship opportunities compared to when I started. Today, you can gain experience in the specific role and department you’re interested in.

Caisey: A lot of people leave university in debt, unsure of their career path, and unprepared for the world of work. Apprenticeships give you real world work experience from day one and you can quickly discover what you like and what you don’t like.

Clare: Apprentices develop so many transferable skills, like communication for example, which are enhanced through working with all ages and backgrounds. Many university students don’t get the same exposure to diverse working environments, which can give apprentices an advantage.

Molly and Caisey have friends who followed the traditional route from sixth form to university. However, they appreciate their own choice to pursue apprenticeships, which allows them to earn while gaining invaluable industry experience and avoiding student loan debt. By the time their peers graduate, Molly and Caisey believe they will have gained significant work experience, positioning them well in their careers.

Find out more about the apprenticeships across the British Engines Group.