Apprenticeship entry requirements FAQs
To be eligible for government-funded apprenticeships in England, overseas applicants must:
- Have permission from the UK government to live in the UK not for education purposes and;
- Have been ordinarily resident in the UK, EEA, or EU for at least the previous 3 years. This includes those with refugee status, humanitarian protection, indefinite leave to remain, or similar permitted statuses, as outlined in the government’s criteria.
Their visa must also remain valid for the full duration of the apprenticeship, including the end-point assessment.
To be eligible, you must have been a UK, EEA, or EU resident for at least 3 years before starting the apprenticeship.
You can start an apprenticeship from the age of 16. There is no upper age limit, so apprenticeships are open to people at any stage of their career.
No. GCSEs aren’t needed to begin an apprenticeship. However, if you are aged 16–18 and does not have GCSE grade 4/C in English and Maths (or equivalent), you’ll need to work towards achieving Functional Skills qualifications during your apprenticeship.
If you are aged 19 or over, Functional Skills may not be mandatory, but are strongly encouraged and agreed with your employer, and your training provider.
Yes. Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes, so you need to be employed (or about to start employment) in a role that matches the apprenticeship standard.
If you are not currently employed, The Childcare Company can help. We offer a free recruitment service to connect people with early years employers looking for apprentices. If you’re considering training, you can also browse our latest apprenticeship vacancies directly on our website and apply for roles that fit your career goals.
Apprenticeships run from a minimum of 12 months to up to 2 years, depending on the level and programme. Most early years sector apprenticeships last between 12 and 24 months.
Yes. Apprenticeships are not just for new hires. They are an excellent way to upskill, whether you’re a frontline care givers and educators who wants to achieve qualifications, or preparing to step up into a leadership role.
You must complete a minimum of 20% off-the-job training during paid working hours. This is built into the programme and delivered in partnership with your training provider.
For the most part, yes. Although, it can vary, as there are certain programmes that have a few extra steps involved to satisfy eligibility. Please get in touch with us to see whether these apply to the programme you’re interested in.
