Landing an Apprenticeship in 2026: Help your teen find them, apply and stand out in their application
- The Parents' Guide to
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Apprenticeships are more popular than ever, making it harder for teens to get one, but there’s plenty parents can do to help their teen improve their chances of success.
Apprenticeships now offer a vast array of career starting points (not just manual trades!) and students are seeing the benefit of getting work experience at the same time as gaining qualifications, increasing their chances of getting a good job later. With improved oversight by the UK government and companies needing to adhere to strict criteria before they can offer apprenticeships, the quality is significantly better than you may remember when you were younger.
This is all good news, but it also means that there’s a lot of competition for places. In many cases, one apprenticeship could receive 50-200 applicants. Often, teens will need to apply for up to 10 (post GCSE) and as many as 20 (post year 13) apprenticeships before they’re successful.
Don’t despair! There are ways to give your teen get a better chance of success. Here’s how.
This is just a snippet from The Parents' Guide to Apprenticeships. If you’d like the full version, with clear, up-to-date advice, practical tips and actions you can take at home, click below.
How to find them
Make sure your teen registers with a range of platforms and sets alerts so they are notified when the types of apprenticeship they’re interested in come up. On the government website they can search by location to find apprenticeships that are nearby - great for after GCSE when your teen will still be living at home. Check out Not Going to Uni, speak to the school careers department, look at websites of companies they’d like to work for, and visit job boards because apprenticeships are linked to real jobs (i.e. Indeed, Reed, Totaljobs).
Attend local careers fairs to meet employers and current apprentices face to face. They will give good advice. Speaking face to face can help clarify whether certain paths may or may not be worth investigating further. Connections matter and companies will be impressed by teens who have proactively sought out ways to find apprenticeships.
Craft the cover letter
Tailor the cover letter to the specific apprenticeship advertised. Do not create a generic letter and hope it will suit multiple applications - it won't. Look carefully at the qualities listed in the job description and work through them, helping your teen match where they can demonstrate relevant experience, skill or aptitude. It doesn't have to be directly linked to the job. For example, teens are unlikely to have experience in leisure management, but they might be able to outline their skill at interacting with people through volunteering, or communicating well through involvement in sports or music - great qualities for customer facing apprenticeships.
Don’t fall victim to AI. By all means use AI to get advice on what should be included, but do not use AI to draft cover letters. Many companies use an auto-diagnostic to identify AI generated content and your teen’s application will likely go straight in the reject pile.
Use the cover letter to outline any relevant real-life experience that could help them stand out from other applicants. It doesn’t matter if this is work experience, volunteering or shadowing – all of these can demonstrate a good work ethic, initiative and commitment – attractive qualities to future employers. Speaking about their hobbies and passions might also give them an edge.
Make sure the CV is polished
The CV can stay the same for each application. Make sure it’s clear, contains all qualifications achieved to date and contact details (including a sensible email address!). If they want to speak to someone to get , they can get free advice from the National Careers Service.
Interviews - standing out for the right reasons
Prepare thoroughly for interviews. Follow the fundamentals (dress appropriately, be on time, find out about the company) but most of all, role-play with your teen. Practise interview questions with them so they get comfortable with giving answers, knowing what they want to say and how to say it. This will make them feel more confident and also reduce the chances of them being taken by surprise during the interview. Check out some of our favourite suggestions in The Parents' Guide to Apprenticeships.
Aptitude Tests
Apprenticeship applications will often include aptitude tests. Your teen can practise these types of tests in advance to increase their chances of doing well. They don’t need to practice hundreds, just a couple to get the feel of them. Once the invite letter comes through, they can find out the test provider to narrow down which types of tests they should practice. Many online tests are free whilst others, mostly industry specific, cost a small fee. Try Practice Aptitude Tests, Assessment Day, and for Engineering / Technical Psychometric Success.
Final words
Apprenticeships are a fantastic option for many teens and getting one is achieveable. However, the application process is involved and it does take effort.
Your teen should expect to apply for several apprenticeships before being successful. Expectations help manage disappointment either for not being called to interview or not being successful after the application process. But in the end, persistence will pay off. Good luck!
Support and resources for parents of teens
Find out what choices your child has after GCSE and sixth form: The Parents' Guide to Post 16 options and The Parents' Guide to Post 18 options.
Comments