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Apprentices don’t get paid.

This is a myth. If you are aged 16 to 18 or 19+, and in the first year of your apprenticeship, you get a minimum of £3.90 per hour. If you are over 19, and have completed the first year of study, you can count on at least the minimum wage for your age.

Employers can choose to pay more depending on the type of organisation.

On an apprenticeship you get paid to increase your skills and knowledge – that doesn’t happen at sixth form or college.

You have to have a degree.

This is a myth. You won’t be at a disadvantage if you don’t have a degree. You will gain the qualifications you need while developing work-based skills – for example, problem-solving and communicating effectively with others.

When you have your apprenticeship, you can still go on to higher education if you want to.

It won’t help me find work.

This is a myth. An apprenticeship will help you find work.

In 2013, the Office of National Statistics found that 85% of people who completed an apprenticeship stayed in employment, and 64% remained with the same employer.

You’ll have received training from experienced staff which counts for a lot with a future employer.

They are only for school leavers.

This is a myth. Apprenticeships are a great way for people of all ages to learn a new skill.

More than a third of people who started an apprenticeship in the 2013/14 academic year were at least 25 years old.

Apprenticeships are a great way to re-train if you want to change your career path or build existing skills.

After your GCSEs, you have to stay on at school.

This is a myth. Apprenticeships are an alternative to sixth form.

If you want to start your career and develop skills, then an apprenticeship can provide that first step on the ladder. You will end up gaining a wealth of experience that people who go to university won’t, and you will have also gained a qualification and earned a wage.