Apprenticeships in England

England has by far the biggest apprenticeship programme in the UK, with over 700 types to choose from. Most of the advice you’ll find online is written for England, but it’s still worth knowing the exact rules, especially the newer foundation apprenticeships. If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, the rules are different: see our UK comparison.

Who can apply

GOV.UK says that to start an apprenticeship in England you need to be:

• 16 or over
• living in England
• not in full-time education

You can apply while you’re still at school, as long as you’ll be 16 by the end of the summer holidays. Employers can add their own rules on top. The BBC, for example, only takes apprentices aged 18 or over.

The levels

Name	Level	Roughly the same as
Foundation	2	GCSEs
Intermediate	2	GCSEs
Advanced	3	A levels
Higher	4 and 5	A foundation degree or HND
Degree	6 and 7	A bachelor’s or master’s degree

You spend about 80% of your apprenticeship working and at least 20% of your normal working hours training, and the whole thing takes from 8 months to several years depending on the level. Our guide to apprenticeship levels explains each one in more detail, and our degree apprenticeships guide covers Levels 6 and 7.

Foundation apprenticeships

Foundation apprenticeships are new. They started on 1 August 2025 and are designed to help young people get their first job in an industry. Here’s what you need to know:

• Level 2, and they last at least 8 months.
• No grades needed. You don’t need any specific qualifications to apply.
• For 16 to 21 year olds. If you’re 22 to 24, you can apply if you have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, are or have been in care, or are or have been in prison.

They’re a good option if you’re not sure about your grades or want to get started in an industry and work your way up.

Pay and holiday

You’re an employee, so you earn a wage and get holiday pay. From 1 April 2026 the apprentice minimum wage is £8.00 an hour if you’re under 19 or in your first year, and you get at least 20 days’ paid holiday a year plus bank holidays. Lots of employers pay more. Our apprentice pay guide has the full rules and real examples.

How you’re assessed

At the end of your apprenticeship, an independent organisation checks you can do the job, using at least two methods such as a practical test, a project or an interview. You need to pass to complete your apprenticeship. Our guide to end-point assessment explains how it works and what happens if you don’t pass first time.

Apprenticeships in England in numbers

England	Figure
Apprenticeships started in 2024/25	353,500 (up 4.1%)
People doing an apprenticeship during 2024/25	761,480
Apprenticeships completed in 2024/25	198,330
Starts at Level 4 or above	39.8%
Starts by people under 19	21.2%
Starts by people aged 25 and over	51.3%
Early 2025/26 starts (August to April)	308,770 (up 8.7% on the same point last year)

Source: Department for Education official statistics.

The big takeaway: most apprentices in England aren’t school leavers, and lots of places go to people already working for their employer. When you’re looking, check a programme is actually aimed at school and college leavers before you put time into applying.

Employers we’ve researched in England

Most of the employers on this site recruit in England. A few examples:

• Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS in Brackley, Williams in Grove and Alpine in Enstone run Formula 1 apprenticeships.
• JLR offers four-year apprenticeships from Level 3 to Level 7.
• Balfour Beatty says its degree apprenticeships are available in England.
• Network Rail runs a Level 3 Rail Engineering Technician Apprenticeship covering England and Wales.

Use Employer Search to filter every employer we’ve researched by industry and level.

How to find one

You can search and apply for apprenticeships in England through GOV.UK’s official apprenticeship service, where you make an account and apply. Lots of big employers also recruit through their own careers websites, so check those too. If you get stuck, the apprenticeship helpline is 0800 015 0400 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).

Before you apply, read our guides to researching an employer, writing a CV and interviews and assessment centres.