Apprenticeships: A Two-Year Tutorial Journey – Ripley St Thomas CE Academy

March 4, 2026

In light of an increasing number of students applying for apprenticeships as their post-sixth form pathway, we have worked to embed apprenticeships understanding and confidence, along with a key focus on employability skills, into our two-year sixth form tutorial programme.

In Year 12 we focus on building students’ understanding of areas such as apprenticeship types and levels, pros and cons, how the pathway compares to university, myth busting, the application process, and exploration of sectors and roles. Running alongside this, we introduce our sixth form ‘R6Ach Award’ through which students are encouraged to take on board opportunities beyond the curriculum in order to make them more ‘application ready’.

Our Weekly Opportunities bulletin features apprenticeship webinars, virtual and in-person work experience placements, and volunteering opportunities, and students are encouraged not just to sign up to these, but to record and reflect on them through their R6Ach Award document. This then provides great evidence of skills and achievements that students can use when making applications in Year 13.

In the first term of Year 13 the focus shifts onto application readiness. Alongside the UCAS application process, we also work on areas such as an employability skills audit, CV and cover letter writing, interview skills, and building a professional online profile. Our Sixth Form Senior Tutor is an ‘apprenticeships champion’ for the school and supports students one-to-one with interview practice and assessment centre preparation.

We also have a strong focus on alumni as apprenticeship role models, and use these in displays, on our Virtual Learning Environment, and at in-person events such as our off-timetable ‘Next Steps’ day in the summer of Year 12. By embedding this programme into our tutorials, we have seen some great results in terms of the number of students achieving offers for competitive higher and degree apprenticeship roles.

Quotes

“Sixth form helped me massively to prepare for each stage of getting my apprenticeship. I don’t think I would have been as confident in my interview if it wasn’t for the support I received from my tutor. Sixth form tutorials were very useful as I learnt about the key skills employers look for and what you can do to stand out from other candidates.” (Tom, student)

“My tutor helped massively with application processes, conducted mock interviews with me to build my confidence for the real thing, and helped me to perfect my CV which allowed me to be accepted at BAE Systems.” (Jayden, student)

“Sixth form encouraged me to look further than just University and I was able to access support throughout the application stage which was really useful – especially during stressful times such as the assessment centre.” (Sarah, student)