Developing Your Career

Author: Emma Jones

When you start out on an apprenticeship you may not be thinking too far in the future about where your career may go. However, as you progress and gain more experience you are likely to start considering your career development.

An apprenticeship is a great place to start as it gives you wealth of skills and experience as well as qualifications. The next stage is considering what to do when it comes to an end and how to take control of your career.

Building Your CV

As an apprentice, the best thing that you can do for your career development is to build up your skillset. All your training and qualifications will make an impressive CV and will give you more options when you come to the end of your apprenticeship.

Don’t miss any opportunities to gain a further qualification or expand your skills and experience. If you have the chance to be entered for an award then make the most of it as this could make you stand out from the crowd.

Apprenticeship Eligibility Checker

Tell us about your situation and find out which UK apprenticeships you qualify for and how to apply.

Try our Apprenticeship Eligibility Checker free, here on this site →

Career Advice

If you have no idea what you want to do or could just do with a bit of help about what is available, then seek some career advice. There are lots of career advisors available to help you. Your local jobcentre is a good place to start, or at your college but there are many specialist services out there as well.

The best way to make a decision is to gather as much information as possible about your options so you can make an informed choice about how you want your career to develop.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

Career Development

Your career development is an ongoing process and won’t just happen overnight. You need to think of your career development as a work in progress and break it down into stages. You may have a goal in mind of the job or position that you want to aspire to.

Then think about what you need to do to get there. It may be that there are a number or job roles in between you and your goal which you will have to work through to finally achieve it.

Make a Plan

Once you have gathered all the career information that you can and are boosting your CV along the way, you need start planning your career development. Consider how much time you have left on your apprenticeship and what else you need to achieve before you finish.

Decide what your next move will be so that you can start working towards it. Then give yourself a time line laying out the position you would like to be in and a realistic timeframe for achieving it.

Your career development is in your hands and is something that you can actively try and guide. Make the most of your apprenticeship so you have strong CV to help you on your journey. Get some career advice and work out what steps you will need to take to reach your goal. Then set yourself a realistic time frame for climbing the career ladder.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Apprenticeship Eligibility Checker lets you tell us about your situation and find out which UK apprenticeships you qualify for and how to apply. Try it now →

8 questions

Ask An Apprenticeship a Question

Roseanna 21/07/2017 at 10:30 am

Hello, please can somebody help me? I have passed all my assignments and everything else that goes with the Apprenticeship course, my Apprenticeship finishes on the 31st July 2017. I haven't been able to pass my level 1 in Maths and have been told that until I pass this I will not get my Level 2 qualification in Childcare. Where do I stand? I'm really upset and stressed, I've worked so hard. :(
Thank you.

mogli 05/05/2017 at 4:30 am

After complete the one year apprenticeship TRG. (Electrician) to get opportunity in my build in Carrier in next day . plz. Suggested me

is 09/01/2017 at 12:30 pm

Hi , I have done 13 months of work placement for my one year apprenticeship. College have given 3 more months just in case. I can finish my coursework out of hours as well, and my assessor has agreed with that. I have been offered a job in the same place (Building ). My manager has said I need to give 4 weeks notice in before leaving this apprenticeship. I think I don't need to give 4 weeks notice in before leaving, as I am getting paid by the college and I am not an employee and the place I work at plus they aren't paying me. I've completed my 12 months of placement. So do I need to give 4 weeks notice in? Could have feedback today if possible please!! Thank you

AnApprenticeship Editor 31/08/2016 at 10:46 am

I am sorry to hear your son is not being kept on. Essentially, an apprenticeship is a training programme and an employer has no obligation to keep an apprentice on once their training ends. An employer has the choice to either find a job for the apprentice or let the apprentice go off into the world and develop upon their training. A lot also may be about the level of training ie, if the training is very skilled/specialised and an employer has spent a lot of time and energy training the apprentice, then the company may feel a greater loss losing that person than if the training was at a call centre for instance, where training is pretty straightforward and where the company is accustomed to a high turnover of staff. I hope your son manages to find a replacement job quickly.

Sk 30/08/2016 at 9:51 am

My son's apprenticeship will end next February. His boss is very happy with him and has told him that he is the best apprentice they have ever had and has earned more money for the company than any other apprentice ever has. Despite this he has been told to have a back up plan as they will not be able to offer him a permanent job at the end of the apprenticeship. Despite this they are still looking to take on several new apprentices. Is this fair/legal? It seems that the company are just playing the game at using cheap labour.

AnApprenticeship Editor 29/06/2016 at 12:04 pm

He can stop studying and keep working with his employer if they agree. Please note his employer will have to pay him at least the minimum wage for non-apprentices. Likewise, also be aware that he might be asked to repay some of his training costs for his apprentice provider, so he will need to double check there will be no financial repercussions on him if he leaves.

Buzz 28/06/2016 at 11:49 am

My son is one year into his apprenticeship, he is not enjoying the one day a week college, it is not really suited to what he is doing. He has 12 months to go. His employer wants to employee him permanant and look at day courses that would suit my son better. Can he finish the apprenticeship. He is 17.

Teresa 20/11/2015 at 4:42 pm

I had a two year apprenticeship which ended 30 May. I was taken on as a permanent employee 31 May. They have dated my new contact 31 May, with no continuous employment, and no sick pay for the first six months.Is this correct?

Thank you

Ask An Apprenticeship a question

Ask our editorial team a question and we will reply with our advice. Tell us as much about your situation as you can: the more detail you give, the more useful our answer can be.

You do not need to use your real name. Please do not include your full address, phone number, email address, or the names of other people. We may edit or remove identifying details for privacy and legal reasons.

Comments are moderated before publication.

Apprenticeship Eligibility Checker Tool

Apprentice Wage Calculator Tool

Asking for a Performance Review

Working Up the Employment Ladder

Offering Employment When an Apprenticeship Ends

What to Do When Your Apprenticeship Ends