Ten surprising careers you can land through an apprenticeship – with salaries up to £55k

LOTS of people become plumbers and electricians via apprenticeships, but those traditional trades are just the tip of the careers iceberg. There are now many industries, formerly seen as office-based or accessed only through university, that are open to apprentices. Get into a childcare career with an apprenticeship Credit: Getty Matthew Weedon was a yardman loading and unloading lorries when he decided to take an HGV apprenticeship with Welch Group Credit: Supplied Since 2019, the number of advertised learn-as-you-earn roles is up 58 per cent in industrial engineering, 46 per cent in both data analytics and project management, and 45 per cent in the legal profession. Look carefully where your best prospects may be, as competition is fierce. We have teamed up with jobs platform Indeed to list ten careers with exciting opportunities. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! For each, we say what percentage of all apprenticeship ads they acc­ount for and the potyential salary. 1. Childcare (6.58 per cent of ads): More than one in every 15 adverts in this line of work is for an apprenticeship. Once you have built up some experience, the average childcare provider earns £27,296 a year. 2. Pharmacy (6.47%): This will suit people who enjoy science, are committed to accuracy and like working face to face with the public. Fully qualified pharmacists have an average annual salary of £54,624. 3. IT infrastructure, operations and support (4.07%): If you are the sort of person friends and family call when the wi-fi fails, this could be the perfect job for you. IT support specialists typically earn £33,951 a year. 4. Education and instruction (3.20%): From classroom support, through to training roles, this sector offers a greater variety of career paths than many people will probably realise. The average salary of a teaching assistant is £25,420 a year. 5. Installation and maintenance (3.06%): This route is for practical problem-solvers who would rather fix, build or maintain things than sit behind a desk. Maintenance technicians are paid £33,878 a year on average. Most read in Money 6. Medical technician (2.80%): You will play an important part in both diagnosis and treatment, often working with equipment and tests behind the scenes. Average annual pay for this role is £34,728. 7. Civil engineering (2.75%): Roads, railways, buildings and flood defences all need civil engineers to build and maintain infrastructure. This vital job pays an average of £44,928 a year. 8. Logistics support (2.59%): This is the work that keeps products moving, from warehouses and factories to shops and homes. Logistics coordinators have typical earnings of £30,009 a year. Matthew Weedon was a yardman loading and unloading lorries when he decided to take an HGV apprenticeship with Welch Group. Matt, 25, from Cambridge, said: “The best thing about my apprenticeship is that it allows me to plan for the future. A full understanding of transport, from loading and unloading all the way to driving, provides a job for life.”Learn about such apprenticeships at generationlogistics.org. 9. Dental (2.19%): These placements can be a route into a clinical setting and patient-facing work. Dental nurses earn an ­average of £29,378 a year. 10. Production and manufacturing (2.16%): If you like seeing how things are made, tested and improved, manufacturing could be a good fit. Manufacturing technicians average £28,254 a year. Best tips for applicants HERE’S advice on applying for apprenticeships, from Matt Burney of jobs platform Indeed . . . Read the job description carefully: What will you do each day, what skills would you learn, what qualification will you get and where could it lead afterwards? Do the pay maths: The advertised wage will be what you receive while you train, not necessarily your salary once qualified. Check how long the programme lasts, when pay rises are reviewed and what the role normally pays at the end. Ask how training works: Find out who is providing the training, how study time fits into the week and what you will need to pass. A strong apprenticeship should give you a clear qualification as well as experience. Think about the day-to-day: A brilliant job on paper can be a bad fit if the commute is punishing, the hours do not work or you dislike the environment. Be honest about whether you would rather be in a nursery, on a building site, in a lab, a workshop or an office. Make your experience count: You do not need a long CV to show you are ready. A school project, a part-time job, volunteering, caring for a relative or sticking with a hobby can all show employers that you can turn up, learn and take responsibility. INSURANCE giant Zurich has opened applications for its graduate programme and internship schemes. For more details and to apply, see zurich.co.uk/careers. Be wise to bias in work search Sheeraz Gulsher, co-founder of non-profit People Like Us, which works with firms to help reduce bias in the workplace and recruitment, gives advice for job applicants Credit: Supplied MOST employers claim to be inclusive but how can you tell if they really are? This week is National Inclusion Week, so here Sheeraz Gulsher, co-founder of non-profit People Like Us, which works with firms to help reduce bias in the workplace and recruitment, gives advice for job applicants. These are his top tips . . . 1: PUT EMPLOYER ON THE SPOT: At interview, ask how the firm supports progression for under-represented employees. A confident, specific answer is a good sign. Vagueness or pivoting to recruitment numbers can be telling. If offered the role, ask to meet the team before accepting, and trust your gut. 2: SEEK OUT EMPLOYEE REVIEWS: Glassdoor shares employee experience. Comments about belonging and progression are worth reading. If you’re comfortable, ask LinkedIn connections about their experience. 3: FIND OUT HOW FIRMS SCREEN APPLICATIONS: Ask if AI is used for this, and audited for bias. New research from People Like Us found 82 per cent of employers who checked their auto-screening tools found outcomes differed by ethnicity – but more than a quarter don’t check at all. 4: CHECK PAY-GAP DATA: Reporting this data is mandatory for employers with 250-plus staff, and published on government website gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk so do look. Check the bonus gap, too, which is often wider than the headline figure. Ethnicity pay gap reporting isn’t yet required by law, so any company publishing it is going an extra mile. 5: LOOK BEYOND THE DIVERSITY STATEMENT: The substance behind any such statement, which most firms have, is key. Do they publish salary bands? Do they have employee networks or resource groups? Do bosses talk publicly about this work? 6: CHECK WHO IS AT THE TOP: Hiring inclusively at entry level is important but the leadership team’s make-up is what really counts. If the senior team and board are homogen­ous, the barriers usually sit somewhere in the middle. Ask what’s being done about this. BAKERY chain GAIL’S has 230 vacancies including baristas and other team members. Check out jobs.gailsbread.co.uk/search. Eco art contest YOUNG budding artists are invited to picture a greener future, to win an internship at Octopus Energy. National art contest Reinvention challenges primary, secondary and university students, aged five to 25, to envisage how we can improve ourselves and our planet. Three students will win placements with the eco-minded energy firm and there are also cash prizes. Octopus customer relations boss Rebecca Dibb-Simkin says: “The creativity and optimism of children brings me hope for the future of our planet and I can’t wait to see what these young talents dream up.” Enter by October 31, at octopus.energy/reinvention-art-competition. Fake jobs alert SCAMMERS are exploiting the tough employment market facing Gen Z, as the number of fake job posts soar. Cases are up 12 per cent this year, compared with the previous 12 months, Barclays bank research found. Young jobseekers applied for on average 34 roles in the past year, and 12 per cent of them for 100 or more. But the fake ads are also used to steal personal information, and impersonate applicants, as youngsters fail to carry out online checks. Paul Davis, Barclays’ Head of Economic Crime, said: “A job scam doesn’t need to take money straight away to cause harm. Requests for a CV or bank details give criminals the information they need to impersonate somebody.” Comment now