Apprenticeship checklist for parents and carers

What this is really about

A legitimate apprenticeship is a real paid job with a contract, training and clear assessment. Additional working-time and safeguarding duties apply to under-18s.

Your next steps

Work through these steps at your own pace. Good career decisions come from concrete comparisons, not from finding one perfect answer.

• Check the job description and apprenticeship standard.

• Confirm the provider and protected learning time.

• Discuss travel, hours and named support contacts.

Questions for a useful conversation

Take these questions to a careers adviser, teacher, family member or apprenticeship employer.

• How will progress reviews work?

• Who is responsible for safeguarding?

• Which costs will the employer cover?

Warning sign, discomfort or learning pressure?

A new commute, early starts and unfamiliar tasks can be demanding without being unsafe. Warning signs include unsupervised hazardous work, humiliation, sexualised or discriminatory comments, pressure to keep secrets, routine unpaid extra hours or ignored safety reports. Take an account seriously without turning the first conversation into an interrogation.

For immediate danger, prioritise safety and then document and seek appropriate help. Otherwise record the date, situation, roles involved and steps already taken in factual language. Agree with the young person who to approach next whenever safeguarding allows.

Proportionate escalation

Start with the named workplace or education contact unless that person is part of the concern. Then use independent routes in the apprenticeship system. Violence, abuse, immediate danger or suspected crime require the relevant local emergency and safeguarding routes.

• Listen and establish immediate safety.

• Separate observation, exact words and your interpretation.

• Check named support and complaint routes.

• Do not promise confrontation before a safeguarding plan exists.

• Follow up after reporting and monitor consequences.