Every year in February, apprentices and apprenticeships are celebrated as part of National Apprenticeship Week. This year it will be marked the week beginning 10 February.

At Mental Health Matters, we have many employees who have completed apprenticeships and have become fully qualified professionals, upskilled in their current roles, or moved into new positions following the completion of their apprenticeships. Apprenticeships can be a key tool in helping people develop in their careers and with a wide range of apprenticeships available, there is ample opportunity for people to thrive.

It is a common misconception that apprenticeships are just for young people. Apprenticeships are backed and supported by the government, through the Apprenticeship Levy, to help develop and continuously improve the workforce. One of the benefits of apprenticeships is that you can gain qualifications while learning on the job and demonstrate your new skills. In 2015, the government announced that apprenticeships would be reformed and in 2017 the Apprenticeship Levy was introduced.

Apprenticeships are highly structured programmes with the aim of helping apprentices meet the requirements and criteria of not only the qualifications they are studying, but also objectives in their roles. With the Apprenticeship Levy, training and qualifications are fully funded and allow people to access a highly supported learning pathway.

Generally, apprenticeships can last anywhere between one year to five years. However, this depends on the role, the apprenticeship and qualification attached to it. The role of apprenticeships has changed drastically in recent years and has been opened to anyone over the age of 16.

In Mental Health Matters, we have seen a range of apprenticeships take place across the organisation, from Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners to Operational Management and Business Administration.

Apprenticeships are not for everybody; we all have different ways of learning. What apprenticeships do offer, however, is an alternative way of learning and upskilling.

Article written by Daniel Kendal, MHM Learning and Funding Coordinator