Apprenticeships in Wales

Apprenticeships in Wales are run by the Welsh Government, so the rules and names aren’t quite the same as in England. The good news is they’re simple: four levels, open to anyone 16 or over, and you can do your training in Welsh or English.

The four levels

Level in Wales	Level number	Roughly the same as
Foundation Apprenticeship	Level 2	Five GCSEs or an NVQ Level 2
Apprenticeship	Level 3	Two A levels or an NVQ Level 3
Higher Apprenticeship	Levels 4–5	An HNC, HND or foundation degree
Degree Apprenticeship	Level 6	A bachelor’s degree

Apprenticeships take one to four years, depending on the level. You usually get one day a week for study, and you earn a wage and holiday pay the whole time. They’re offered in 23 sectors, from construction, childcare and hospitality to digital technology, energy and life sciences.

Degree apprenticeships in Wales

Wales’s degree apprenticeships are at Level 6 and are offered in three areas: ICT and digital, engineering, and advanced manufacturing. They’re a good deal:

• No tuition fees. The Welsh Government fully funds them, so you don’t pay anything for the degree.
• A salary all the way through, paid by your employer.
• No upper age limit.

You need to work in Wales for at least 51% of your time and be in, or be recruited to, a suitable job. Most need Level 3 qualifications (such as two A levels or an NVQ Level 3) or relevant work experience, and employers and universities can ask for specific subjects and grades.

Degree apprenticeship places don’t have fixed start dates, so they can come up at any point in the year. The Welsh Government suggests contacting your local university, and some employers let you apply directly. Our guide to degree apprenticeships explains what to check before you apply.

Training in Welsh

You can train in Welsh or English, and degree apprenticeships can be taught in either. If you speak some Welsh but aren’t confident yet, you can also keep developing it at work.

Support if you need it

Apprenticeships in Wales are open to people with disabilities, health conditions and learning difficulties. The Welsh Government says employers provide tailored support and nearly every apprenticeship can be made accessible, so ask what help is available when you apply.

Apprenticeships in Wales in numbers

Medr, which oversees post-16 education in Wales, counted 18,850 apprenticeship programmes started in 2024/25. That’s 13% down on 2023/24 and the lowest since its records began in 2012/13. It’s a much smaller programme than England’s, which is worth knowing because it can mean fewer places in some areas, so start looking early. Our UK comparison sets the four nations side by side.

Employers we’ve researched with Welsh routes

• Network Rail runs a three-year Level 3 Rail Engineering Technician Apprenticeship covering England and Wales.
• Amazon lists some apprenticeship programmes with separate versions for Wales.

How to find one

The Welsh Government runs an official apprenticeship vacancy service called Find an Apprenticeship. For help with CVs and interviews, Working Wales (run by Careers Wales) has free advice, and our own guides to writing a CV and interviews and assessment centres cover the same ground.