Apprentice or Student in the Family?

Depending on the age of your child, they can apply for different options e.g. school sixth form, college, university or an Apprenticeship and then receive offers from all of these. This encourages them to research the opportunities available and to create choices. Then, when the time is right to make their selection, they will hopefully have a few different routes available to them.

Here is a guide to the Levels and terminology you may come across.

• Entry level qualifications – Designed to support students who received no GCSE grades and need support with basic Maths and English.
• Level 1 NVQ – Designed to support students who may have left with some GCSE grades but a low level 2-1 (E-G), student likely to focus on one specific subject. 
• Level 2 NVQ – Likely to be offered to students who achieved grades 3/2 (D/E) and as above students will focus on one specific subject. 
• Level 1 BTEC Introductory Diplomas and Certificates –This gives you basic knowledge and skills to show your child can do a certain job.
• Level 2 BTEC First Diplomas and Certificates – Equivalent to GCSE’s in a specific subject and are generally offered to students who achieve 4/3/2s (C/D/E’s) at GCSE.
• Level 3 BTEC National Diploma –Equivalent to two A-Levels and can be used as a pathway to university. It is likely to be in one subject.
• Level 3 BTEC Extended National Diploma –Equivalent to three full A-Levels and widely accepted by universities as an alternative to A-Levels for degree courses, again likely to be in one solid subject.
• Functional Skills –Can be a mandatory part of your child’s course at HTP and are generally levels 1-2 in Maths and English

It’s never too early to apply, please complete our enquiry form or call 01983 533926 for more information.

The Apprentice extra discount card has been developed by the National Union of Students and offers apprentices many of the same discounts and benefits as other students. 

We take our responsibility to Safeguard and promote the welfare of all learners seriously. We work together with other agencies – such as the Local Safeguarding Children Board – to ensure adequate arrangements within HTP to support those Young People and Vulnerable Adults who are at risk of harm.

At HTP there is no place for extremist views of any kind whether from internal sources – learners or staff, or external sources – employers, parents, external agencies or individuals.

Our centres are a safe place where learners can explore controversial issues safely and where Training Consultants encourage and facilitate this. Our Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation Policy has been developed in line with the Government’s Prevent Strategy, Counterterrorism and Security Act which is designed to support people at risk of joining extremist groups in carrying out activities linked to terrorism.

You can see our full Safeguarding Policy here.

You can claim child benefits up to your child’s 19th Birthday if they are enrolled on a Study Programme or unpaid Traineeship. You cannot claim child benefit if your child is enrolled as an Apprentice.

OFSTED’s Parent View gives you the chance to tell them what you think about HTP Apprenticeship College, from the quality of teaching to dealing with bullying and poor behaviour. The survey can be completed at any time. Click here to visit Parent View. 

We’re here to support young people with identified learning difficulties and or disabilities from the age of 16 with an approved Local Authority Education Health Care Plan. If you would like your child to attend HTP Apprenticeship College, contact HTP’s SEN co-ordinator Jessica Morgan [email protected]. Jessica will be able to advise you on what steps should be taken. Parents and carers are always welcome to visit the college before deciding on a placement. Once a placement is agreed, we will work with you to support your child in this transition period.

If you have any feedback about the service we provide, please get in touch with us. For details, see our Compliments and Complaints Procedure

We know that traditional college or sixth form isn’t for everyone – that’s why we’ve created a training environment that feels different. With smaller group sizes – so you get the support you need, industry experienced tutors, who really know their stuff, and the opportunity to put all your learning into practice with regular work experience placements, too.

Our full-time courses are designed to build your confidence while you gain qualifications and the valuable work experience you need to progress on to an Apprenticeship, further education or other employment.

Our Riverbank Campus is near the town centre of Newport making it an easy walk straight from the bus station to our campus.  Click here to see where we are on a map.

Our expectation of attendance for our Full-time Courses is a minimum of 85%. We have high expectations for our learners so we set challenging targets. To help prepare them for the world of work, attendance is very important.

If your child is on one of our Full-Time Study Programmes, they will undertake maths and English if they didn’t achieve a GCSE grade 4-9 (A*-C) in these subjects at school.

Yes, there are bursaries available to assist with costs such as:

• Clothing, books and other equipment for your child’s course,
• Transport and lunch on days your child studies or trains.

You may be eligible for a Bursary to support your child’s learning; this will be discussed on application and could entitle you for up to £1200 to be paid for a course lasting at least 30 weeks in one year.

Your child must:

• Be at least 16 and under 19 on 31 August 2020,
• Meet the residency requirements – HTP will check this with you,
• Enrolled in a Full-Time course or an unpaid Traineeship.

Bursary for students in vulnerable groups.

You could get up to £1,200 if at least one of the following applies:

• Your child is in or recently left local authority care,
• You get Income Support or Universal Credit because you’re financially supporting yourself,
• You get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in your name and either Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit,
• You get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in your name and either ESA or Universal Credit.

There isn’t a course fee however, there may be uniform or kit costs for some courses.

Progression from our full-time courses is something that we discuss from day one. There is a structured progression route for each of the courses we offer, including higher level qualifications, Apprenticeships or other employment, including self-employment.

If you would like to discuss progression options with us, please do not hesitate to contact us.

An Apprenticeship is a job with training and is an excellent way for young people to develop valuable skills and knowledge in a specific role. The apprentice gains these through a wide mix of learning in the workplace, formal off-the-job training and the opportunity to practise new skills in a real work environment.

We offer three Levels of Apprenticeship:

• Intermediate Apprenticeship (Level 2)
• Advanced Apprenticeship (Level 3)
• Higher Apprenticeship (Levels 4 & 5)

Many learners starting their career will start on an Intermediate Apprenticeship before progressing to Advanced. Advanced Apprenticeships are for people looking to develop the skills and knowledge required for occupational roles such as supervisor or manager.

Higher Apprenticeships offer a great way to enter higher education and now successful apprentices can progress on to a Degree apprenticeship with a university. An Apprenticeship takes a minimum of 12 months to complete and is flexible; it can be started at any time and learners proceed at their own pace, within an agreed timescale.

Thousands of employers offer Apprenticeships, from huge corporations to small businesses. All Apprenticeships offer bespoke training and study programmes, making it a highly personal experience, regardless of whether your child is the only apprentice in the business or one of a large group.

We will soon be advertising all of the Apprenticeships we have available on this website.

Also, the Government provides a website called Find an Apprenticeship –www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship

This site lists many current apprenticeship vacancies and applicants can search and apply. You can set up an account to manage alerts so that you receive a text message or email when a job is added that you might be interested in.

Isle of Wight Jobs is also a good source of Apprenticeship opportunities – www.isleofwightjobs.com

Our advice however is to come and meet with us and so we can discuss more about your child’s ambitions and we will work proactively with them to find the right Apprenticeship opportunity.

Yes – in fact it’s a really good idea to submit a number of applications to different employers so that they have a greater chance of securing an Apprenticeship. Employers will advertise at different times throughout the year so it is important that your child understands that finding an Apprenticeship can be a slightly more complicated process than applying to a full-time study course. They will need to go through a recruitment process and for some employers, this can take a number of months.

Making the move from education to the world of work is a big step. All apprentices will need to have certain things in place for when they start. Follow our top tips below to help your child get work ready:

Open a Bank Account

• Your child will need a bank account for their wage to be paid into each month.
• It is important that they have a working bank account ready for their first day at work, in preparation for pay day.
• Help your child to understand about the importance of saving, as well as working to a budget to help give them financial independence.

National Insurance

• Having their National Insurance number will be essential to be enrolled on the pay roll. It is possible that the employer will also need to see photo identification such as a passport.
• Help your child to understand the importance of their National Insurance number. A National Insurance number will ensure that contributions and tax are properly recorded against their name. 

Email address

• Your child probably already has a personal and school email address, but it is important to make sure they are suitable for work. Not all school email address can be used externally.
• First impressions are crucial with employers, and no one wants to be let down by an embarrassing or inappropriate email address.
• Encourage your child to set up a professional email address, to help them make a good impression.

Social Media

• It’s no myth that employers will often search for applicants on public forms of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It is therefore important to make sure your child presents themselves in the best way possible.
• Encourage your child to make their social media accounts as private as possible and ensure that everything public is appropriate for an employer to view, to increase application success rates.

Off-the-Job Training is an integral part of all Apprenticeships. How this training will be delivered will depend on the particular Apprenticeship they are doing and what works best for the employer. Some workshops will take place at one of our campuses, but all will be planned well in advance. We also offer Maths, English and ICT workshops for those needing tuition towards gaining their Functional Skills qualification.

Your child is allowed to change their mind. For example, if they decide to study full-time at a school sixth form but then feel it might not be right, they are permitted to apply for Apprenticeships. Similarly, if your child secured an Apprenticeship but decided that it wasn’t right for them, it will be just like any other job and your child would be expected to work their notice period. They would then be able to go on to study or seek employment elsewhere, supported by our team.

All apprentices no matter what their age can access 80% bus discounts via their training provider. Ask your Training Consultant for more details or fill in our enquiry form.