In 2012, aged 21 and after almost 2 years of deferred entry in to my second year. I had officially made up my mind to drop out of University. Deciding to give myself as many options as possible, I applied to low tuition English taught bachelor programmes outside the UK, as well as higher apprenticeships in project management and land surveying.

So, what are higher apprenticeships?

• A level 6 Higher Apprenticeship is the vocational equivalent to a university degree.
• A programme which pays for you to study a degree part time whilst working.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of young people, particularly those from the African diaspora, aren’t truly aware of the opportunities that can arise from taking the apprenticeship route. Many of our parents may disregard them as a viable option due to lack of awareness to what they entail.

My Experience

That year, I had interviews with two renowned construction companies:

1) Faithful and Gould – A Project Management Company (now part of Atkins) (https://www.fgould.com/)

Apprenticeship offered: Project Management Consultancy (for construction)

The programme was offering a paid apprenticeship (£250 a week) where you would be shadowing qualified professionals. An integrated degree (paid for by the company) would be available after the first year….

Continue reading “Life Hack: Not going to university? – Breaking the apprenticeship stigma”