What happens after an apprenticeship?

For most people, finishing an apprenticeship is the point where they’re fully qualified in a job they already have.

Will you keep your job?

It depends on the kind of contract you’re on, so check before you start.

• Permanent from day one. Many big employers do this. Lloyds Banking Group and Aviva both say their apprentices are permanent employees from the start, so your job carries on.
• Offered a role at the end. Some employers offer you a permanent job when you finish. Aldi moves warehouse apprentices into a permanent warehouse role.
• Fixed-term, then apply. A few use a fixed-term training contract. At NIE Networks, for example, you apply for a permanent role when the programme ends.

Ask at interview which one applies. It’s a normal question.

What could you earn?

The government publishes what former apprentices earned five years after finishing. These are medians for people who completed in 2019, not starting salaries:

Area of work	Median salary 5 years on
Engineering and manufacturing	£37,060
Construction, planning and the built environment	£33,650
Science and mathematics	£32,960
Arts, media and publishing	£29,390
Business, administration and law	£28,300
Retail and commercial enterprise	£25,170
Leisure, travel and tourism	£24,660
Health, public services and care	£23,610
Education and training	£20,820

The gap between industries is big, so if pay matters to you, factor it in when you choose.

Moving up a level

Finishing one apprenticeship can be the start of the next. Lloyds Banking Group says some of its apprenticeships progress to higher-level programmes, and Aviva says you can go on to study a higher-level apprenticeship.

Other options

You don’t have to stay with the same employer, or even in apprenticeships. Your qualification is yours, and you can take it to another job, go to university, or start something new. Some people in trades go self-employed: Barratt Redrow mentions this as an option for its bricklaying and carpentry apprentices.