Update: Following government decision the YA programme came to a close at the end of Cohort 7, July 2012. Have you seen AutoStart? The new automotive based vocational training programme designed for learners in school who are aged 14-16.

A Young Apprenticeship is a learning route at Key Stage 4 which allows motivated and able pupils to study for vocational qualifications not just in the classroom but in college, with training providers and in the workplace too.  Pupils are based in school, and follow the core National Curriculum subjects, but for two days a week (or equivalent) they work towards nationally recognised vocational qualifications delivered by a local Young Apprenticeship Partnership.

The Partnerships which deliver the Young Apprenticeships are tailored to local circumstances, and include organisations such as schools, colleges, training providers and employers.  Each Partnership provides pupils with an enriching range of learning experiences, which includes up to 50 days experience of work over the two years of the course and they form a support network to help pupils get the most out of the programme. 

Young Apprenticeships contribute to a more personalised approach to teaching and learning and are aimed at pupils of good ability who are attracted to a more practical style of learning.  They offer pupils the chance to gain a taste of ‘real work’ in a supported way, and to lay the foundations for a post-16 apprenticeship whilst retaining the full range of options for future training or study.

The Young apprenticeship programme forms part of our family of apprenticeship programmes. It is unique in that the number of partnerships approved to offer this programme will always be limited, but it is designed to give able young people still at school the opportunity to follow a vocational course.