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| What Do You Need To Know About Apprenticeships In The East Of England? |
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| Written by Craig Abrahart |
| Friday, 11 November 2011 08:59 |
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It might be known as the flattest part of England, but there\'s nothing flat about industry in the East of England. Comprised of the counties of: counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, the East of England is home to many big name employers, like RAC, Britvic and Amazon. If you\'re thinking about starting an apprenticeship or looking for an apprenticeship in the East of England, you might want to do some research on the region\'s economy, so that you can get an idea of what it will be like to get a job there once you\'re qualified, or just the chances of getting an apprenticeship in the first place. There must be something in the water in the East of England, because the region has some of the highest life expectancy rates in the UK. East Anglian men aged 65 in 2007-09 could expect to live another 18.5 years and women 21.0 years. By comparison, the average for the UK as a whole is another 17.8 for men and 20.4 years for women. Of course, it could be that they have fewer hills to climb than the rest of us! More likely, it\'s due to the fact that the East of England tends to be a prosperous place. Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that for the last quarter of 2010, unemployment was at just 6.6 per cent. The national average at that same time was 7.9 per cent and has now risen to 8.1 per cent. This indicates that people in the region are finding work more easily than in many other parts of the country and that if you do complete an apprenticeship, you\'ll have good chances of finding work. As well as offering better than average job prospects, the East of England also appears to be better paid compared to much of the UK: the Office for National Statistics tells us that in April 2010 UK median gross weekly earnings for full-time adult employees was 499, but in the East of England it was 523. When it comes to education, pupils in the region earn more A* to C grades at GCSE than the national average. Recycling, too, is at a higher rate than many other areas of the country. From this, then, it appears that living in the East of England isn\'t such a bad thing, what with a decent quality of life in general and good job prospects after an apprenticeship there. But then again, you get what you pay for: enjoying a higher standard of living there is going to cost you more - from a weekly trip to your local supermarket to the monthly mortgage payments on your new home. Property prices in the East of England are higher than those in many other areas of the UK. Living costs in the East of England are comparable to those in London or the South East, which could be tight on an apprentice\'s wage. The amount you will be paid as an apprentice will depend on what industry you are in, and what your employer does, but all apprentices have to be paid the national minimum of 2.50 (true as of October 2011). The higher standard of living is also reflected in house prices, which you may find higher than in many other parts of country, making it harder for first time buyers to get on the property ladder. In Cambridgeshire, for example, the average house price according to BBC figures for April to June this year was 235,079. For comparison, the national average for that same period 228,095 and the average price further north in the East Midlands was 158,648. Despite the higher salaries and lower unemployment in the East of England, it still has its problem areas with seaside towns and rural districts being centres of deprivation and unemployment. Peterborough, Ipswich, Luton, Norwich and Great Yarmouth were officially named the most deprived areas in the region according to deprivation indices in 2007. However the East of England is still one of the most prosperous parts of the nation, so it could well be worth your while to be taken on as an apprentice there and after you\'ve qualified you could well have a better chance of landing and keeping the job you really want. About the Author: If you\'re considering starting an apprenticeship you can find info about them and the other apprenticeships available at Notgoingtouni.co.uk. You\'ll also get more info and advice about foundation degrees, gap years,voluntary work and sponsored degrees, as well as over 300 distance learning videos Kindly provided by MoneyHunter.org You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include the link just before this text. |
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