Apprenticeship glossary

Skills Bootcamp

What does Skills Bootcamp mean?

A short, free course in England for adults to learn skills employers need, such as coding or construction. It's not an apprenticeship, but some lead to job interviews.

Apprentice
Someone doing an apprenticeship: an employee who is paid to work and train towards a recognised qualification at the same time.
Apprenticeship
A real, paid job where you also train towards a recognised qualification. In England at least 20% of your normal working hours are spent training, and you don't pay tuition fees.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS)
Scotland's national skills body, which runs Apprenticeships.scot and publishes Scotland's Modern Apprenticeship statistics.
Skills England
The body in England that looks after apprenticeship standards and assessment plans, and runs a searchable list of apprenticeships.
Soft skills
Personal skills like communication, teamwork and time management, as opposed to technical skills. Employers often say they care about these as much as grades.
Software engineering
Designing, building and testing software. Many digital degree apprenticeships, like those at BT, JLR and Lidl, include a software pathway.

Definitions are our own plain-English summaries. Where we give figures, they come from the official sources listed on the linked guide or profile. Rules can change, so check the official source before you make decisions.