If your son or daughter is choosing between sixth form and an apprenticeship, you are probably getting a lot of opinions and not much honest comparison. Here is ours, from a provider that has trained apprentices in Newcastle for 25 years and has nothing to gain from pretending one route is automatically better than the other. The right answer depends entirely on the young person in front of you.
The basic difference
Sixth form and college keep a young person in full time education, usually working towards A levels or a vocational qualification, with the aim of progressing to university or further study. An apprenticeship puts them into paid, real employment from day one, working towards a nationally recognised qualification alongside the job, with training split between the workplace and a training provider like TDR.
Neither route closes doors permanently. Apprentices can progress to HNCs and degree apprenticeships. Sixth form and university graduates can, and often do, move into technical trades later. The honest question is not which route is “better”, it is which one suits how your child learns and what they want in the next few years.
What to weigh up
A few genuine differences worth considering rather than glossing over.
- Money. An apprentice earns a wage from day one and pays no tuition fees. A sixth form or university route usually means several more years of being supported financially, and potentially a student loan afterwards.
- Learning style. Apprenticeships suit young people who learn by doing and want to see a direct link between what they study and what they can then go and do. Sixth form suits those who want to keep their options open through further academic study before committing to a direction.
- Structure. An apprenticeship means a real job, with real workplace expectations, alongside training days. That is a genuine step up in responsibility compared with full time education, and it suits some 16 year olds better than others.
- Progression. Both routes can lead to a career in engineering, science or a technical profession. The apprenticeship route usually gets there with a wage the whole way and no debt; the academic route usually gets there with a broader general education first.
What TDR apprentices are actually paid
Apprentices are entitled to at least the government’s apprentice minimum wage rate for their age and year of training, rising to the standard National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for their age from their second year onwards, if they are 19 or older. Many of our employer partners pay above the minimum, particularly for engineering and science standards where demand for good apprentices is strong. Specific pay is agreed between the apprentice and the employer for each vacancy, and current live roles are listed on our apprenticeships page with the detail for that role.
Why parents choose TDR Training
TDR Training is Ofsted rated Good and Matrix accredited, and has been based in Newcastle upon Tyne for 25 years. We were formed in 2001 as part of the TDR Trust, a charity set up to get young people interested in science and engineering, and every apprenticeship we run still sits inside that original purpose. Our training happens at our own centre at Q1 Quorum Business Park, with dedicated trainers rather than a college timetable stretched across dozens of subjects.
If your child is engineering or science minded, hands on, and ready to earn while they learn, an apprenticeship is worth serious consideration alongside sixth form, not instead of it as a last resort.
Frequently asked questions
The questions parents ask us most often when weighing up an apprenticeship.
