A-level students urged to consider apprenticeships

Jordan Peterson dropped out of university in his second year and is now doing an aircraft maintenance apprenticeship with British Airways

A man who dropped out of his engineering degree in the second year in order to do an apprenticeship has said A-level students need to remember "university is not everything".

Thousands of pupils in Wales got their A-level results on Thursday, with the top grades seeing a drop from last year.

While many pupils are fighting for university spots, others are opting to go straight into the working world.

Jordan Peterson, 22, said: "Apprenticeships are not as bad of an option as people seem to think they are."

Jordan, from Caerphilly, dropped out of university as it did not suit his learning style.

After achieving high results in his maths, physics and ICT A-levels, he decided to study an aerospace engineering course at Swansea University in 2021.

He said: "I struggled with the pandemic and a couple of other personal issues... I learn better when I'm physically doing things. I really hated going to a big lecture hall."

He applied for many apprenticeships before being accepted on to an aircraft maintenance apprenticeship with British Airways at their base in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan.

'University is not everything'

Now, Mr Peterson works in avionics and ensures equipment is calibrated correctly, a job he said he loves doing as "every day is different".

He added: "When I dropped out at the university, I thought I had no chance of getting into the aerospace industry because I had failed so when I was accepted I felt like ‘wow’ I've still got a chance."

He is two years into a three-year NVQ qualification and will then apply for a job.

"Everyone says you have to find a job you love and that's what I have done," he said.

"University was heavily pushed on me in school, there was never any support or encouragement to pursue other options.

"There's a sort of a joking reputation apprentices are told to get a tin of striped paint or a left-handed screwdriver and that you'll just be sort of sent to fetch things. That's really not the case."

Jamiee Mitchell (left) and Emily Hughes are dental nursing apprentices

Jamiee Mitchell, 20, from Cardiff is eight months into her dental nursing apprenticeship at Bupa Dental Care.

She said: "I wasn't very academic in school, so I never thought I could go to university or anything like that."

"I applied for the apprenticeship with no qualifications, without any dentistry experience, so I wasn't expecting anything out of it.

"Being offered the position was the best thing ever.

Jamiee said her advice to students would be: "I want them to know that their grades do not define them. There is so many options out there."

James Matthewman, now a qualified greenkeeper, left school without a qualification to his name

James Matthewman, 37, from Port Talbot has completed three apprenticeships at Bridgend College.

He left school with no qualifications after a "failed" career in snooker.

Now 19 years later, he is a deputy head greenkeeper at Maesteg Golf Club and was a finalist in Wales' apprenticeship awards.

He began his level 2 apprenticeship in sports, turf and horticulture eight years ago, which he said was an important qualification to have in greenkeeping.

The apprenticeship required him to redo his GCSEs in maths and English which was a "shock to the system".

After completing his first apprenticeship he decided to continue his studies and moved on to the level 3 qualification, which took four-and-a-half years.

He said: "It was what was needed to become a head greenkeeper as it was more about budgeting and chairing meetings."

After the club promoted him to deputy head greenkeeper, he decided to do a leadership and management apprenticeship at Bridgend college.

Mr Matthewman said: "I left school with no GCSEs, nothing. It was pretty scary, but luckily life finds a way and it works out.

"I would tell anyone if they come out with all Es or Fs just don't give up because, if you work hard for it, you do get the rewards at the end of it."

Chelsea Blackshaw, 19 got A*, A and B in her A-levels and is now a finance apprentice at TUI's head office

Chelsea Blackshaw, 19, from Prestatyn, Denbighshire, works as a finance apprentice in the TUI head office in Luton.

Despite achieving A*, A and B in her A-levels, she never wanted to go to university and preferred the idea of going straight into work.

She said: "The thought of having to pay to be in school just didn't appeal to me.

"Apprenticeships have this stigma, that you are just going to be making tea, but in my team I feel I am just as important as everyone else."

Chelsea is at the beginning of her career but she said one day she hopes to become one of the company's finance directors.

Why choose an apprenticeship?

Catrin Owen, a careers adviser from Careers Wales, said: "Students should look into apprenticeships because they are a way to earn and learn at the same time.

"Apprenticeships offer a practical route for students to gain qualifications alongside valuable workplace skills and experiences.

"Apprenticeships are often industry specific, allowing the apprentice to be equipped with the right set of skills and experiences for potential further job opportunities within the industry or sector of interest to them.

"Apprenticeships in Wales are consistently updated and advertised on Careers Wales’s Apprenticeship Search site."