If you think apprenticeships are only for school leavers who are not academic, think again. Apprenticeships for Employers in the UK are one of the most underused tools for building capability and widening access.

Across the business we’ve three people enrolled on very different apprenticeships.

Rim El Baz, Apprentice Talent Specialist, our newest apprentice. Rim joined our recruitment team in 2025, having undertaken work experience at Astute, Rim approached us about a career in recruitment via an apprenticeship and is already proving herself a natural.
Laura Clark, Finance Assistant, joined in 2024 in the compliance and finance team, having decided to switch into a financial career. Laura was shortlisted for Best in Finance at the PETA AZ Awards 2025.
Emily Dennett, Recruitment Coach, joined Astute’s L&D team in 2023. Emily’s passionate about continual professional development, so professionalising coaching skills after years of delivering them through an apprenticeship was a natural fit for her.

These stories are evidence that apprenticeships, done properly, are one of the most effective tools we have for widening access, building capability and backing potential.

And it’s why supporting apprentices is part of how we think about CSR, not something bolted on afterwards.

What an apprenticeship actually is

In the UK, an apprenticeship is a paid job with structured training built in. You work, you learn, you qualify. At least 20% of your time must be spent on off-the-job training (theory, skills development, formal learning) whilst the rest is applied in real work.

Apprenticeship participation in England is growing. In 2024/25, 761,500 people were undertaking apprenticeships, a rise of 3.4% year on year and 6.8% higher than 2020/21. Higher level apprenticeships (Levels 4 to 7, including degree apprenticeships) are climbing particularly fast, with participation up 46.1% over the past four years.

Apprenticeships span all ages.

Almost half of apprentices are over 25. They can be entry routes, reskilling pathways, or structured upskilling for experienced people who want to formalise what they do.

For UK employers, this model offers a low-risk way to develop talent whilst meeting immediate business needs.

Why apprenticeships work for UK employers like Astute

For us, apprenticeships are CSR in action.

They remove barriers.

They create routes in for people who might not fit the traditional mould. They allow people to switch careers without starting from scratch. And they turn instinct into discipline for those already in post.

Opportunity without a closed door. That is the promise, and we have built it into how we develop people internally.

Here are three examples from inside Astute.

Starting strong without following the usual route

Rim is an Apprentice Talent Specialist at Astute. She had been at college for a week. One lesson in, she knew it was not right. So she came back to Astute and a member of Astute’s Senior Leadership Team directly if they could offer her an apprenticeship.

The process had started earlier.

In Year 10, during mock interviews, she met Sam Bradshaw. That led to a week of work experience for Rim at Astute.

Rim liked the environment, the people, and the work. So when college didn’t fit, she knew where to go.

“A lot of things that people don’t realise is you have to ask if you want something,” she says. “‘because if you don’t ask, you don’t get”.

It wasn’t the traditional school-college-university route, but Rim was clear about what she wanted.

Now Rim’s doing the job; searching for and speaking to candidates, writing up CVs, arranging interviews, and most importantly, making placements.

The hardest part for Rim?

Resilience.

“It’s picking up the phone even if someone hangs up on you. Chasing candidates even when the one before was rude to you,” she explains. “I feel like resilience is quite key in this role.”

She has learned not to take rejection personally.

She has learned to keep going when things don’t land immediately.

And she has started to see results.

“I feel like now I finally hit the moment where I’m like, I think I could do this and I think this might be what I want to do”.

In ten years, Rim will have a decade of experience and no student debt. She’s building capability now, not waiting for permission later.

Switching careers without starting from zero

Laura Clark is Astute’s Finance Apprentice, undertaking her apprenticeship in partnership with PETA Ltd.

Her story shows how apprenticeships can support career switches, giving people structure and qualifications whilst they work.

Laura came into a finance role without a traditional finance background.

The apprenticeship allowed her to reskill in real time, learning frameworks and technical capability whilst applying them immediately.

That combination (earn, learn, apply) means the knowledge sticks because it is tested every day.

For someone making a mid-career move, that structure is crucial.

You aren’t starting from zero, you’re building on transferable skills whilst closing specific knowledge gaps.

And you’re doing it without giving up income or waiting years to contribute.

Turning development into a discipline

Emily Dennet is a Recruitment Coach at Astute. She’s been delivering coaching, training, and mentoring across the business for years. But she wanted to deepen her understanding and professionalise what she was already doing.

So she chose an apprenticeship in coaching practice.

“Before the apprenticeship, I was already using coaching models and frameworks, but often without fully understanding the theory behind them,” Emily explains. “This programme has given me that depth, helping me understand why certain approaches work, not just that they do.”

The apprenticeship has shifted her from instinctive coaching to intentional, structured coaching.

She’s more confident adapting her style to different people, including neurodiverse needs. And she’s clearer about linking coaching activity to outcomes.

“I use data and reporting to track return on investment, linking coaching activity to real outcomes like improved call quality, stronger business development conversations, and increased confidence across the sales floor,” she says.

For Emily, the apprenticeship isn’t about learning a new trade. It’s about sharpening the one she already has and building a professional identity around it.

It gives her the credibility, confidence, and foundation to keep growing and to help others do the same.

What we have learned

If you are a UK employer considering apprenticeships, here is what actually works in practice:

Design role specs for potential, not experienced hire checklists. Apprenticeships are about what someone can become, not what they already are.
Build early confidence through structured onboarding and clear milestones. Rim talked about the relief of understanding the routine and seeing progress. Do not assume people will figure it out on their own.
Assign a real mentor, and protect time for training. The 20% off-the-job requirement is not a box-tick. It is how learning happens.
Measure progress through behaviours and capability, not just immediate output. Resilience, communication, problem-solving, these are the markers that matter early on.
Create progression visibility so apprentices can see a future. People stay when they can see where they are going.
Support reskilling and upskilling at all career stages. Apprenticeships are not just for school leavers. Use them to help experienced people sharpen their craft or switch tracks.

What UK employers can learn from three apprenticeship journeys

Rim, Laura, and Emily are at different life stages, doing different jobs, with different motivations. But they all found opportunity through the same model.

That is what apprenticeships can do when they are backed properly.

At Astute, we believe in widening access and backing people to develop on their terms.

For UK employers in engineering, infrastructure, or power, apprenticeships offer a proven way to build stronger early careers pipelines, support career switches, and invest in the people already on your team.

If you are considering an apprenticeship yourself, or if you are an employer thinking about how to make them work, we would genuinely like to hear from you.

Get in touch with us today!