Earn while you learn · UK & islands
Get paid to learn a trade.
Every other careers site gives you a list. We draw you the whole route: what the trade involves, what it pays at every stage, and every verified place that will train you for it.
Not sure? Take the 1-minute trade finder Apprenticeship vs uni
- 88Trades drawn out
- 797Places to train
- 303Towns & cities
- £0Tuition to pay
02 What only we do
The route, drawn
Every trade laid out as a line: start, first year, qualified, experienced, your own firm — with real pay at each stop.
See oneTrade finder
Six quick questions about how you like to work. We match you against all 88 trades and show why.
Find my tradeThe money gap
Put an apprenticeship next to a degree, year by year. What you earn, what you owe, and when the lines cross.
Run the numbersRare trades
Thatcher, farrier, cooper, blacksmith. The crafts nobody mentions at school — and the hidden gems that pay well.
Explore03 How it works
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01
Pick a trade
Browse 88 trades across 11 sectors — or let the finder suggest some. Each one is drawn out with honest pay and training time.
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02
Find the training
Every trade links to the colleges, providers and employers that train it, grouped by region. Every link is re-checked each month.
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03
Apply for the job
An apprenticeship is a job, not a course. We point you at the official vacancy service for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the islands.
04 Browse by sector
Start with the kind of work you like
Eleven sectors. Real people doing the work.
CONSTRUCTION
Construction & Building
Build, fit out and repair everything from houses to hospitals.
19 trades →
BUILDING SERVICES
Electrical, Plumbing & Heating
Wire it, plumb it, heat it — the trades that keep buildings running.
8 trades →
ENGINEERING
Engineering & Manufacturing
Make, machine, weld and maintain the things Britain builds.
12 trades →
MOTOR TRANSPORT
Motor Vehicle & Transport
Keep the country moving — cars, trucks, buses, bikes and machinery.
8 trades →
DIGITAL
Digital & Technology
Get into tech without the degree debt.
5 trades →
HEALTH CARE
Health & Social Care
Work that matters, with a clear ladder to climb.
10 trades →
HOSPITALITY
Hospitality & Catering
Kitchens, bars, hotels — skills you can take anywhere.
4 trades →
HAIR BEAUTY
Hair, Beauty & Wellbeing
A chair, a clientele and a business of your own.
3 trades →
LAND ANIMAL
Land, Animals & Environment
Outdoor work with machinery, livestock, plants and trees.
7 trades →
BUSINESS LOGISTICS
Business, Retail & Logistics
The office, warehouse and shop-floor roles that run everything else.
9 trades →
PUBLIC SERVICES
Emergency & Public Services
Serve, protect and keep the country running.
3 trades →05 In demand now
Trades people are starting right now
Skills shortages mean employers are hiring apprentices they can train from scratch.
Agricultural & Plant Service Engineer
Maintain tractors, combines, excavators and the machinery farming and construction depend on.
- Pay
- £31k–£50k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 3 years
Bricklayer
Lay brick, block and stone to build the structure of houses, extensions and commercial buildings — one of the…
- Pay
- £30k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Carpenter & Joiner
Cut, fit and fix timber — from roofs and studwork on site to staircases and doors made in a workshop.
- Pay
- £29k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Chef
Cook professionally — the trade with the shortest route from beginner to genuinely skilled.
- Pay
- £26k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 1 year
Dental Nurse
Work chairside supporting the dentist, and qualify while you earn with no university route needed.
- Pay
- £25k–£35k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 2 years
Electrician
Install, test, inspect and maintain electrical systems in homes, sites and industry — the best-paid of the…
- Pay
- £35k–£58k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 3.5 years
Gas Engineer
Install, service and repair gas boilers, fires and appliances — legally restricted work, so qualified people…
- Pay
- £34k–£55k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 2 years
Hairdresser
Cut, colour and style hair — and build a client book that belongs to you.
- Pay
- £22k–£40k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
06 The money
The money question, answered honestly
Apprentices must be paid at least £8.00 an hour in year one, or if they are under 19. After that, if you are 19 or over, you get the full minimum wage for your age — £12.71 at 21 and over. Most employers pay well above that, and pay jumps when you qualify.
Your training is paid for. No tuition fees, no student loan.
- Apprentice rate (year 1, or under 19)£8.00/hr
- Aged 18 to 20£10.85/hr
- Aged 21 and over£12.71/hr
- Tuition fees you pay£0
07 The trades nobody mentions
Rare and heritage trades
A few hundred thatchers keep 60,000 roofs standing. Farriers need a four-year apprenticeship and a legal register. These crafts need people — and almost nobody is told they exist.
Thatcher
Roof in straw and reed — a heritage trade with a waiting list and very few people left doing it.
- Pay
- £28k–£45k
- Level
- L2
- Train
- 2 years
Farrier
Shoe and care for horses' feet — a legally protected trade with a four-year apprenticeship and no shortage of…
- Pay
- £30k–£48k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 4 years
Cooper
Build and repair the oak casks that whisky matures in — one of the oldest trades still served by a four-year…
- Pay
- £28k–£45k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 4 years
Blacksmith
Forge and shape hot metal by hand — architectural ironwork, restoration and bespoke commissions.
- Pay
- £26k–£42k
- Level
- L3
- Train
- 3 years
08 Where you can train
797 places, every link checked
Colleges, training providers, employers and universities across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
Able Skills
Dartford, Kent
Trade training centre delivering plumbing, electrical, gas, plastering, bricklaying and tiling qualifications.
UK-wideActivate Learning
Oxford, Oxfordshire
Colleges in Oxford, Reading, Bracknell, Banbury, Guildford and Farnham, with major engineering and construction…
South EastAda, the National College for Digital Skills
London, Greater London
Specialist digital college running degree and higher apprenticeships with major tech employers in London and…
LondonAirbus UK
Bristol, Bristol
Wing design and manufacture at Filton and Broughton, with well-regarded aerospace engineering apprenticeships.
UK-wideAlexander Dennis
Falkirk, Falkirk
The UK's largest bus and coach manufacturer, with engineering and fabrication Modern Apprenticeships.
UK-wideArnold Clark
Glasgow, Glasgow
Europe's largest independently owned car retailer, running one of the biggest vehicle technician apprenticeship…
UK-wide09 Start here
Plain-English guides
No jargon, no sales pitch.
How to get an apprenticeship
The whole process, start to finish: what an apprenticeship actually is, where the vacancies are, and what to do in the six weeks…
ReadApprentice pay: what you will actually earn
The legal minimum, what employers really pay, when your pay jumps, and why the training costs you nothing.
ReadApprenticeship levels explained
Intermediate, advanced, higher, degree — what the numbers mean, what you need to start each one, and which is right for you.
ReadEngland, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the islands
Apprenticeships work differently in each nation, and differently again in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Here is what…
Read