Who is it for?

Traineeships are for anyone  aged 16 - 24 (or 16 - 18 in Wales). Traineeships offer great opportunities for young people who have little or no work experience to enhance their employability by providing guidance, skills and experience in their chosen area of interest. To get onto one, you’ll need to:

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• Be unemployed and have little or no work experience.

• Have no qualifications above GCSEs (or equivalent).

• Be motivated to work.

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If you’ve never had a job and you are struggling to get one, traineeships can improve your CV with relevant work experience to boost your employability! Traineeships are also helpful if you want to try out a job before committing to it, perhaps whilst you’re studying for industry qualifications elsewhere!

How long does it last?

They can last from 2 weeks to 1 year, though most traineeships last for less than 6 months.

What’s included in a Traineeship?

Construction traineeships are a combination of learning and work experience.  On your traineeship, you could spend time on-site, in a workshop, at a client’s premises, in an office environment or in a mix of all of these. They include:

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• Help with English and Maths (if needed) - If you don’t hold at least a GCSE grade 4 (or equivalent) in English and Maths, you’ll spend some of your traineeship in the classroom, to help you raise your game and improve your employability.

• A high-quality work placement of at least 70 hours with a local employer - your employer and training provider work together to create an individual plan for you, providing additional work preparation prior to the placement. Your traineeship will be structured to suit your needs as well as the needs of your work experience provider. 

• Training and learning on essential skills which you might not have to ensure you’ll succeed in the work placement. This helps to prepare you for your apprenticeship or job and recognition of your learning.

• Hands-on work experience to add to your CV.

• Employability support such as writing CVs and job applications, plus interview practice - at the end of the placement you’ll receive an exit interview which provides written feedback about the trainees performance!

• Coaching and mentoring. You’ll be assigned a mentor who will check in regularly with you to ensure you’re getting the experience you need for the future.

How do I get onto a Traineeship?

To do a government traineeship in England or Wales you must:

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• Be eligible to work in England.

• Have little or no work experience but are motivated to work.

• Aged 16 to 24 - or 25 with an EHC plan - and qualified up to level 3.

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An education, health and care (EHC) plan is for young people up to 25yrs who need more support. This plan identifies educational, health and social needs whilst setting out the additional support required to meet those needs.

 

You can look for available Traineeships here or here.

What happens once I complete my Traineeship? 

Traineeships should prepare you for an apprenticeship. If an apprenticeship or job is available with your employer, you can apply for it. If nothing is available, you’ll have an exit interview with written feedback.

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You could also go on to further education or get a job.