Apprenticeships and Internships

Category: Tips and Advice Publish date: 04/10/2018

This article will set out the difference between Apprenticeships and Internships and some of the feature and benefits of doing either.

The main difference between the two can be summarised as follows:

Apprenticeships

• Apprenticeships are traditionally associated with blue-collar industries such as construction or manual labour. This has changed in recent years and apprenticeships in professional services are on the rise.
• Apprenticeships last for an extended period of time. This could be a year or two.
• Applicants generally wish to pursue a career in their chosen apprenticeship sector.
• Apprenticeships are a type of formal training, monitored by the government.
• Apprentices gain a qualification at the end of it (NVQ, GNVQ or Foundation Degree)
• Apprenticeships are paid at The National Minimum Wage for apprentices as a minimum and some will pay more.
• Apprenticeships give people a chance to learn and earn on the job.
• Apprenticeships provide a route to a career, as lot of people stay with their employer after completion of the training.

Internships

• Internships last for a shorter period of time. This could be just a few weeks.
• The intern doesn’t gain any formal qualifications at the end of the internship, but there is sometimes a chance of being offered a job.
• Sometimes internships are offered as a ‘work trial’ or ‘working interview’ for a full time position.
• Internships are best suited to people who are not sure of which profession they want to go into.
• Internships give people a chance to explore different career options, to gain experience and improve their CV.
• Internships are less formal as they have nothing to do with the government.
• Internships are traditionally office based, white-collar work.
• Internships are not often paid, but can be. Some offer a basic wage, or cover travel and lunch expenses.
• There is no guarantee of a job at the end of the internship.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships allow you to combine work and study by mixing on-the-job training with classroom learning. You'll be employed to do a real job while studying for a formal qualification, usually for one day a week either at a college or a training centre. By the end of your apprenticeship, you'll hopefully have gained the skills and knowledge needed to either succeed in your chosen career or progress onto the next apprenticeship level.

When leaving Service you may wish to change trades or career completely or you may have left after a shorter Service and wish to learn a trade and gain qualifications so in either situation an Apprenticeship may be something to consider.

What you'll learn depends on the role that you're training for. However, apprentices in every role follow an approved study programme, which means you'll gain a nationally-recognised qualification at the end of your apprenticeship.

There are four types or levels of apprenticeship to suit a range of backgrounds and initial skill levels, they are:

Name	Level	Equivalent educational level
Intermediate	2	5 GCSE passes at grade A* - C or 9 - 4
Advanced	3	2 A level passes/ Level 3 Diploma/ International Baccalaureate
Higher	4, 5, 6 and 7	Foundation degree and above
Degree	6 and 7	Bachelor's or master's degree

The national minimum wage (NMW) for apprentices is £3.70 per hour as from April 2018. The apprentice NMW applies to apprentices aged under 19 or aged 19 or over and in the first year of their apprenticeship. Apprentices aged 25 and over, and not in the first year of their apprenticeship, will be entitled to the National Minimum Wage.

Year	25 and over	21 to 24	18 to 20	Under 18
April 2018	£7.83	£7.38	£5.90	£4.20

This is the legal minimum pay per hour, most receive more. Higher Apprenticeships and Degree Apprenticeships often pay higher than the National Minimum Wage and National Apprenticeship Minimum Wage; a £16,000 starting salary, for example, with regular pay reviews just like a standard employee would receive. Some Higher Apprenticeship employers pay as high as £23,000 per year.

Employers will usually be offering Apprenticeships to civilians along with those leaving Service so there may be little negotiation in terms of salary and this can lessen the appeal if the wages are less than your current role in the Military. As Apprenticeships are an opportunity for you to raise your level of education at no cost whilst you are earning a salary, it is important to factor this into the overall decision if you able to undertake one upon leaving the Military and if they offer good value in the long term compared to a ‘normal’ job. Apprentices enjoy marked salary increases when they complete their training, and those completing a higher apprenticeship could see increased earnings of an estimated £150,000 over their lifetime.

Apprenticeships will be advertised alongside normal jobs and those employers particularly keen to employ Service leavers may use CTP RightJob, their own website and other forms of advertising media to promote them. All Apprentice opportunities should be advertised on the Governments Apprentice website which can be found here.

The perception that Apprenticeships are just for younger people only is definitely changing, partly due to the introduction of the Apprenticeship levy. The levy is effectively a tax for all employers with a paybill of £3 million or more whereby they must pay 0.5% of their paybill to the Apprenticeship Service, which they can then draw down to train their own staff. This has had the effect of encouraging them to create more Apprenticeship opportunities so they can claim the maximum back and therefore open them up to wider age groups and also use them to train their existing workforce.

A good example of this is EDF Energy’s Apprenticeship programme where they say:

Apprenticeships are growing in popularity and are increasingly being utilised by more experienced candidates as an option to re-train, change career path and learn valuable new skills. We believe that experience and variety makes for a better workforce and have seen service leavers successfully join our apprenticeships. We’re looking for candidates who are good team players, independent and that have good time management – as well as a passion for developing a career in the nuclear industry.

You can read more about it here.

Internships

There is no formal structure to an Internship and how you might access one can vary. Some employers may choose to offer and advertise them on an ad hoc basis where there is a desire to do so or there is an identifiable business need; some may create one on a bespoke basis when approached by an individual or when they are seeking someone to fill a permanent role, so could be seen as a ‘working interview’.

Since the January 2017 report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Mobility there has been lots of discussion in the media around internships and their legal standing in relation to ‘workers’ and the national minimum wage, which has mostly been driven by concerns over graduate recruitment. Although leaving the Military is very different to graduating, the rights and responsibilities of all parties during an Internship compared to work experience may change as a result, to get an understanding of the current definitions please refer the Governments website here.

Internships are commonly unpaid, however some may offer to cover expenses incurred and as already mentioned some may even offer a wage or a salary. It is important to remember internships are to give you experience and an insight into and industry so that is what their value should be judged on, not necessarily the remuneration whilst completing one.

Here are two examples of established Internships that are offered to Service leavers via CTP:

Barclays Military Internship
The Internship runs for 9 – 12 weeks (exact duration will be confirmed on a case by case basis) and is open to any Service leaver able to complete the placement whilst in the period of their Resettlement. As the placements are for those still in Service, they are unpaid and all costs are to be incurred as part of the individual’s Resettlement process.

• Internships are available across all Barclays business areas and number of geographical locations across the UK
• Depending on past experience, transferable skills and the applicant’s interests, an appropriate placement will be allocated. This will be discussed and agreed during the application stage and subsequent interviews
• We invest in the development of our colleagues to make sure we have the most dedicated and driven people in the market. This opportunity could be a stepping stone to a future career. The 2017 Military Internship saw a successful conversion rate in excess of 90% into full-time positions.

“I was very keen to work for Barclays as I knew about their unique support to veterans through the AFTER programme. I did not know where I would be best suited or where I could add most value, but luckily was able to take part in the three month Internship. This time let me gain an understanding of the bank but also a good idea of where I could be successful. As part of the internship I was given tailored teaching on banking but also on CV and interview techniques. I was also given the chance to network across the bank and have informal mentoring from a wide range of personalities across all areas of the business”
Rafe Roylance, Assistant Vice President, Barclays International Structural Reform Programme (Military Intern 2016, now FTE)


JP Morgan Military Insight Programme
Pursue your post-military career with a company that aligns with your values – determination, dedication and service. You’ll have opportunities to put your skills to work and immediately make a difference in one of our many areas of operations. We’ll help you build your product and industry knowledge, make connections across the firm and gain real-world experience that will help you take your career in any direction.

Your day-to-day varies with the job. You’ll work with your manager and mentor to outline clear goals, accomplish projects and acquire new skills that you can showcase as you look for a full-time role. You’ll network with leaders across the organization and determine where your skills will be best applied.

You’ll also work to help us uphold our core values of integrity, determination and leadership across the organization. We’re looking for those who can help us maintain our commitment to diversity, innovation and service.
You can read Service leavers journey with JP Morgan and their Military Insight Programme here and here.

Difference between Civilian Work Attachment and Internship

A Civilian Work Attachment tor CWA is typically an unpaid work experience undertaken in your resettlement period to give you some experience of civilian work. This term is usually unfamiliar to civilian employers and they will usually refer to such activities work experience, placements or Internships. So there would be nothing stopping you doing an Internship with an employer and getting approval for it as a CWA from your Chain of Command.

However do bear in mind an Internship will be on the employers terms so may last longer than you have Graduated Resettlement Time to do a CWA, so you will need to ensure you are able to complete it. Also if there are any wages or remuneration from the Internship, you will need to be aware of any Tax implications.


Sources
http://www.apprenticeeye.co.uk/2013/04/02/apprenticeship-or-internship/
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/apprenticeships/what-is-an-apprenticeship
https://www.gov.uk/topic/further-education-skills/apprenticeships
https://www.allaboutschoolleavers.co.uk/articles/article/65/higher-apprenticeships
https://www.aat.org.uk/apprenticeships/employers/apprenticeship-levy