Make a difference in your community
Public services are all about people, businesses and communities, covering education, fire services, police and many more besides. Many people who work in public services want to make a difference and they go home at the end of the week with more than just a pay cheque. They know their work helps other people and makes our society a better and safer place.
Apprenticeships in this sector cover a broad range of roles and careers, including teaching, waste management, firefighting, and housing the homeless. In such a large sector, working environments and the skills you need will vary, but there is a broad slant toward helping people, whether it’s learning to read, saving lives or finding someone a place to sleep.
Teachers are in demand for pupils aged 3 to 19 years, and there are also teaching support apprenticeships if you do not want to go for full qualification. Aspiring academics wanting to focus on research can take on the academic professional apprenticeship at a major college or university. This apprenticeship also offers a teaching and learning option, if developing the next generation of undergraduates and postgraduates is more your thing.
On the emergency services front, police constables are in demand. As an apprentice, you’ll train in the exercise of wide-ranging powers to maintain the peace and uphold the law across complex and diverse communities. There’s also a demand for people in other law enforcement roles, including intelligence analysis, which could see you gathering intelligence and information on tax evasion, passport fraud, people smuggling, organised crime or military deployments.