Apprenticeship glossary

Soft skills

What does Soft skills mean?

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.
Specialism
The specific area you train in within an apprenticeship, such as electrical engineering, audit or software.
STAR method
A way to answer 'give an example' questions: describe the Situation, the Task, the Action you took and the Result.
Store manager
The person who runs a shop, its team and its results. Lidl's and M&S's retail programmes are designed to train future store managers.
Strengths-based interview
An interview that focuses on what you enjoy and are naturally good at, rather than what you've done before. There are no wrong answers, so be honest.
Student loan (Plan 5)
The loan system for new university students in England. You repay 9% of your income over £25,000 a year, and anything left is written off after 40 years. Apprentices don't need one, because they don't pay tuition fees.

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.