Traineeships were developed in 2013 as a way for getting young people and school leavers into the workplace and providing them with the tools and training necessary for the building of a successful career by either progressing onto apprenticeships, employment with further training or into further education.

Traineeships are now the most effective way for an individual to develop their skills, knowledge and experience in order to gain an apprenticeship, college course or employment with training. In 2020 The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills reported that:

• 94% of employers consider traineeships to be an effective way of increasing young people’s chances of finding paid jobs and apprenticeships
• 80% said that the support they received during their work preparation training had helped to improve their job search.

A Traineeship will give you an excellent opportunity to enter the world of work, if you have been struggling due to a lack of knowledge, experience or qualifications.

During the Traineeship you will gain practical experience, which will teach you the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of your chosen industry and give you the insight into typical daily tasks you will be expected to undertake in full-time employment.

Many trainees go on to work in the organisation where they completed their work experience as employers can get to know you over a longer period of time. However, if you decide that isn’t right for you and you would like to go in a different direction, then you have the advantage of valuable work experience to add to your CV and a meaningful written reference plus industry related qualifications.

If, prior to the traineeship, your maths and English grades weren’t up to par, you will also benefit from additional support to boost your career prospects and improve your literacy and numeracy.

There are a number of benefits to an individual participating in a Traineeship, these include:

• Gain exposure to the world of work
• Improves knowledge, skills, experience and confidence
• Improving English and maths skills
• Develop work behaviours
• CV writing
• Completion of application forms
• Develop interview skills and techniques
• Gain formal qualifications in the sector of your choice

A Traineeship is right for you if you are:

• Wanting to gain an apprenticeship, college course or job with training
• Motivated to work
• Unemployed, or work fewer than 16 hours per week and have little work experience
• Aged between 16-24
• Have academic qualifications below Level 3 (A Level)

There are no costs associated with taking part in a Traineeship and it should not affect your ability to claim benefits, even if the training exceeds 16 hours a week as it is an ‘approved education’ offer. Traineeships are unpaid, however, an employer may choose to cover some costs, such as your food or travel. Additionally, you may be able to apply for funding with the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, but this depends on your financial circumstances.

Traineeships act as high-quality unpaid work placements that give trainees the skills to succeed in employment. A traineeship can take anywhere from 100 hours (minimum) to 240 hours over a maximum of six months, at the end of which you can choose to offer them a full-time job.

Around their practical-based placement, trainees will also undertake work preparation training with additional literacy and numeracy support if needed. This will develop their interpersonal and communication skills, whilst furthering their knowledge on skills and techniques to further themselves in the workplace.

There are a number of benefits to an organisation in taking on a trainee. The main benefits are:

• Traineeships allow you to get ahead of the competition by bringing enthusiastic young people with their fresh ideas into your business before they get on to the job ladder
• A trainee can provide extra support to your existing teams during busy periods
• All Traineeships costs are met by Government funding
• Traineeships will allow you to shape the skills and experience of young people from your local community, helping your business to develop a loyal and talented workforce, whilst supporting the community
• Working with trainees will give established staff members the chance to develop their skills in mentoring and coaching young people
• Traineeships are designed to be as simple as possible for employers and can be tailored to suit the specific needs of individual businesses
• If you decide to offer a trainee an Apprenticeship you could be eligible for an Apprenticeship Grant for Employers of £1,500