Nescot College in Epsom offers a huge range of apprenticeships in construction and plumbing, to hairdressing and IT.

The apprenticeships, open to people of all ages and backgrounds, offer a practical balance between learning a trade and earning a living, and are a great way to get into full time employment.

Lindsey Biggs, director of employer engagement at the college says apprenticeships are becoming more and more popular.

She said: “There has definitely been a big increase in the number of people signing up for apprenticeships this year, particularly the number of 16-year-olds. However, more and more mature students are starting to enrol on apprenticeship schemes too.”

She says the most popular apprenticeships are in construction and plumbing, as well as hairdressing and teaching and learning.

She said: “Most people tend to think of apprenticeships in the construction industries, but we offer apprenticeships in a range of different sectors, from IT and business administration, to childcare and painting and decorating. We want to try and broaden the options that are available to students, as jobs are opening up in a wide variety of sectors.”

The college works with a number of companies, which help to find employment for the apprentices. These include Balfour Beatty and Laing O’Rourke Group Plc.

Most apprenticeships last between one to three years and are fully funded for those aged 16 to 18-years-old. Pay can vary, but all employed apprentices must receive a minimum of £95 per week.

Mrs Biggs said: “During the course the apprentices are more or less in full time employment, but they will need to spend one to days a week at college completing their theory work.

“There are different levels of apprenticeships, ranging from Level 2 up to Level 4. In order to get on any of the courses you need to have good GCSE’s, we like Cs in Maths and English, but we also take students with Ds too. The entry level varies depending on what type of apprenticeship you want to do.”

Mrs Biggs says Nescot has a long standing reputation for the provision of apprenticeships and in fact many of its employers were once apprentices with Nescot themselves.

She said: “It’s important for us to help get students on the right path and into full time employment, doing a job they’d actually like to do. We have a vacancy matching service, which we use to help get students on the right apprenticeships, depending on what they want to do and what their skills are. We also offer support and advice to students considering doing an apprenticeship, as well as workshops, teaching them important employment skills such as CV writing.”

“Many of the students sitting exams in the summer won’t necessarily want to take the traditional route and do A Levels or go to university, and therefore an apprenticeship would be perfect for them.”

The college is also organising a Youth Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse on September 27, where more advice and information about apprenticeships will be available. To find out more about the apprenticeships offered by Nescot visit www.nescot.ac.uk.