Apprenticeships & Benefits?

Sixer

Apprenticeships can last 1, 2, 3 or 4 years. In the first year, the minimum wage for an apprenticeship for 19-year-olds is £2.50. In second and subsequent, I'm pretty sure the standard NMW for the age applies.

Since your son would also be doing a recognised qualification, I think what the school is offering meets the official requirements. It would be an Advanced Apprenticeship at BTEC or NVQ Level 3, which is equal to A Levels. Presumably the school is unable to teach to Level 4 (foundation degree standard-ish).

It seems iffy to me too, though. Why would your son want more qualifications at the level he has already? It's not advancing him any education-wise (although it would give employment experience). Why would they not offer him an apprenticeship over several years and send him off to part-time study for a Level 4 qualification?

It sounds to me as though they need a department assistant and quite fancy one at £2.50 an hour.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/educationandlearning/adultlearning/trainingandworkplacelearning/dg_4001327

http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/

Oldernotwiser

Sixer wrote: »

It seems iffy to me too, though. Why would your son want more qualifications at the level he has already? It's not advancing him any education-wise (although it would give employment experience). Why would they not offer him an apprenticeship over several years and send him off to part-time study for a Level 4 qualification?

It sounds to me as though they need a department assistant and quite fancy one at £2.50 an hour.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/educationandlearning/adultlearning/trainingandworkplacelearning/dg_4001327

http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/

My thinking exactly.

The reason why I asked about the nearest university is that he sounds the ideal candidate for a Foundation Degree and I wanted to see whether they were available locally.

The fact that the OP says "Although the school does A levels in Media & Film the staff are not very good with the hardware & software that's where my ds comes in!" is frightening. The idea of an apprenticeship is that the apprentice should be learning from people with more skills, not doing their jobs for them at cut price rates!

Fridge2

So your household loses £60 per week in benefits but gains £100 per week.

That means you are £40 per week up...what on earth is the problem?

Sixer

Fridge2 wrote: »

So your household loses £60 per week in benefits but gains £100 per week.

That means you are £40 per week up...what on earth is the problem?

Did you read the thread? The problem is the choice of routes for the son. As the family has little spare money, the finance and support associated with each route is a factor. It's an entirely sensible question and a completely reasonable dilemma, especially when one of the routes is looking suspect - as the helpful and non-judgemental parts of the discussion here have highlighted.

silvercar

Fridge2 wrote: »

So your household loses £60 per week in benefits but gains £100 per week.

That means you are £40 per week up...what on earth is the problem?

Either way they lose the £60 a week. Something which they have known about for years.

The question should be what is the best route to a career for the son. I would think a degree would be a better qualification than more A level equivalents, and the way the apprenticeship seems to have been set up, sounds like cheap labour rather than proper study.

Madmonk

ds has 2 interviews for 2 year foundation degree's at Bournemouth Arts Institute which he can combine into a Honours degree if he does a 3rd top up year. But the school came up with this apprenticeship idea and he was quite interested in it but I was unsure since they appear to be offering him something that wouldn't advance him educationally and would not be financially beneficial either! They have said that if he does all the filming of events in the evenings (special events) and lighting for shows etc he will be paid extra? But it all seems a little strange. He's decided he wants do the Foundation degree course but if he doesn't get through the interview stage he will keep the offer of the apprenticeship on standby!

MM

Oldernotwiser

Personally, the Foundation Degree sounds like the better option but there's no reason why he couldn't combine this with some part time work for the school, particularly the evening work that's being suggested.

Sixer

I've just had a look at Bournemouth's website, and they give degree students £600 per year bursaries. So there's that to remember. There's also bike vouchers, etc. It's worth looking to see if any local grants are available. I know our parish council gives grants to kids from less well-off backgrounds who make it to uni.

Madmonk

Thanks for all the advice - even if some was rather negative!

tsstss7

From another perspective pursuing a degree will also widen his horizons - whereas it sounds like he will just have lots more of the same at school (tbh it doesn't sound like a proper apprenticeship at all which would have greater merits).

Many people in TV get there through contacts (as well as through hard work it's not all glamourous from what I've seen). He is far more likely to gain both contacts and experience through the degree route - the school has probably given him as much as they can offer really.

He could maybe volunteer at the schools media centre if he wished - it would help to enhance his CV.