Early Connect apprenticeship support for young people
You are seeing this page because you are a school, sixth form, or FE college supporting Year 13 students in one of our pilot regions: Lancashire, the North East, and Greater London. You have expressed interest in taking part in our pilot programme.
We have completed the first year of the pilot, in collaboration with UCAS, we will continue to support students who left Year 13 in 2024.
The second year of the pilot began in September 2024, focusing on Year 13 students due to leave in 2025.
Year 2 pilot
Led by DfE working with partners in each region.
- Lancashire: Lancashire Skills Hub
- North East: North East Combined Authority with Educational Development Trust (EDT)
- Greater London: Greater London Authority with Rinova and Inspire
The pilot enhances national DfE services, providing students with exclusive support for exploring and applying for apprenticeships alongside other options, such as undergraduate courses.
Resources for schools, staff, parents, and students
We provide additional resources based on your feedback. You can adapt and share these to suit your needs.
Presentations (will open in Microsoft PowerPoint)
These PowerPoint presentations cover apprenticeship basics, Early Connect background, and regional support. Additional notes are included for reference. You can edit the slides as needed for your school or college.
Student Registration on Find An Apprenticeship (FAA)
For information on the new FAA signup process, watch the video: Find an apprenticeship: How to create an account and search for apprenticeship vacancies on YouTube.
Contact for further information
Regional pilots
Lancashire
- Schools and Employers: Lancashire Skills Hub
North East
- Schools: Early Connect
- Employers: Early Connect Business
Greater London
- Schools: LondonCareers@london.gov.uk
- Employers: Rezaul.Hussain@inspire-ebp.org.uk
General queries
For any other queries, please contact us at engage.apprenticeships@education.gov.uk