Could an apprenticeship give you skills for life?

The world of work is changing rapidly. The idea of a job for life is no longer realistic, or even desirable, and tech, automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are taking over tasks that used to be the domain of human workers.

But with 42% of work skills requirements expected to change by 2022, how can you plan for success when the goalposts keep moving? How can you make sure you’ll be able to cope in a future that could be wildly different from today?

Apprenticeships for flexibility

The answer lies in adapting to change, rather than resisting it. An apprenticeship could be the way to achieve this flexibility.

This might come as a surprise. For many, the appeal of an apprenticeship is that it’s squarely focussed towards one particular profession, but this might be cause for concern if that profession is at risk of changing or even disappearing in the near future.

Not so fast! While it’s true that an apprenticeship will equip you with job-specific and technical skills, you will also acquire and develop a range of transferable ‘soft skills’ to accelerate your career. These are your competencies and attitudes in time management, building relationships, dealing with mistakes and approaching life and work.

According to the World Economic Forum, these cannot be learned in a university lecture hall. As a result, many graduates enter the world of work lacking in soft skills and are at a disadvantage compared to apprentices.

Most importantly, these skills are relevant in any role or situation. They’re harder to learn and measure in a traditional classroom, but vital for resilience in a changing workplace.

Learning for life

Apprenticeships also emphasise self-reflection – the process of looking critically at your own strengths, weaknesses, successes and learning opportunities. This helps to promote lifelong learning. As Apprenticeships Ambassador Susanna Lawson explains, “This encourages and empowers people to learn new skills, progress their career and secure their place in the future UK workforce – which is what apprenticeships are all about.”

“When people are learning on the job, they’re learning the skills they need for the future and can apply their learning to real life – which gives them the confidence they need to grow.”

So even if your occupation changes in ways that we can’t even imagine now, an apprenticeship can help you to develop the right mindset to adapt and thrive whatever life throws at you.

And last but not least – don’t forget to register with us.

Once you’ve registered your details on BASE’s Talent Pool, we can connect you all the latest jobs from our outstanding employers.