Thousands More Apprenticeships Planned in Law, Business and Accountancy
Thinking about a career in law, accountancy, business or technology?
Thousands more apprenticeship opportunities for young people are planned over the next five years.
A new Professional and Business Services Jobs Plan has set out a commitment for businesses in the sector to recruit 22,400 new apprentices aged under 25 every year.
The opportunities are expected to cover careers including accountancy, business, law, artificial intelligence, cyber security and data analytics.
For students considering what to do after school or college, it is another sign that some traditionally professional careers do not have to begin with the traditional university route.
What are professional and business services?
The name covers a much wider range of careers than you might expect.
Professional and business services can include:
Law
Solicitors, legal professionals and people working across different areas of the legal sector.
Accountancy and finance
People helping organisations manage finances, accounts, tax and business decisions.
Business and consulting
Professionals who help companies solve problems, improve performance or plan for the future.
Technology
Roles involving areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber security and data.
There are also careers in areas including management, marketing and other specialist business services.
That means the new apprenticeship commitment could create opportunities for young people with very different interests and skills.
How many apprenticeships are planned?
Businesses across the professional and business services sector have committed to recruiting 22,400 new apprentices under the age of 25 each year for the next five years.
That means well over 100,000 apprenticeship starts could be supported across the five-year period if the commitment is delivered.
There are also plans to increase work experience opportunities for young people by 20%.
For students, this matters because work experience can provide an opportunity to understand an industry before deciding whether you want to apply for an apprenticeship within it.
Do you need to go to university for a professional career?
Not always.
A growing number of professional careers can now be entered through an apprenticeship.
For example, apprenticeships can provide routes into areas such as:
Solicitor careers.
Accounting.
Data and technology.
Cyber security.
Management.
Business administration.
Project management.
Some higher and degree apprenticeships can also allow you to work towards qualifications at the same level as those gained through university.
The biggest difference is that you are employed at the same time.
You earn a salary, gain practical experience and complete structured training alongside your job.
Why are more businesses looking at apprenticeships?
Industries are changing quickly.
New technology, particularly AI, is changing the skills businesses need.
At the same time, organisations still need people with strong communication, problem-solving, financial, legal and business skills.
Apprenticeships allow businesses to develop people for these careers while they are actually working.
For young people, that can mean the chance to build professional experience much earlier in their career.
Instead of finishing your education and then looking for your first opportunity to use your skills, an apprenticeship allows much of that learning and experience to happen together.
What could this mean for you?
If you are currently in school or college, you may want to broaden the careers you consider.
For example, you might enjoy maths but have never considered accountancy.
You might be interested in technology but assume every tech career involves becoming a programmer.
Perhaps you enjoy debating, researching and writing but have never looked at legal apprenticeships.
Or you might know that you want a business career but have no idea which role would suit you.
Researching the different apprenticeship routes available can help you understand your options before it is time to apply.
Start researching before applications open
One important thing to remember is that apprenticeship applications do not all open at the same time.
Some large employers recruit almost a year before their apprentices are due to start.
Other businesses advertise opportunities much later.
There is no single apprenticeship application deadline.
That means you should start looking early.
Research the careers that interest you.
Look at the qualifications employers ask for.
Build your CV.
Gain work experience where possible.
Practise talking about your skills.
And explore more than one employer.
The more you understand about the sector before applications open, the easier it becomes to decide which opportunities are right for you.
Professional careers are becoming more accessible
For years, students may have assumed that careers in areas such as law, accountancy or consulting automatically meant going to university full time.
That picture is changing.
There are now apprenticeship routes into a growing range of professional careers, allowing young people to combine qualifications with real workplace experience.
The commitment to recruit 22,400 young apprentices every year could make those routes even more visible.
So, if you are interested in a professional career, don’t assume there is only one way to get there.
An apprenticeship could be another route worth exploring.