Advice for parents/carers

The ‘Raising of the Participation Age’ (RPA) was written into the Education and Skills Act 2008, intending that the minimum age at which young people in England can leave learning should become 18. Raising the participation age does not necessarily mean young people must stay in school beyond the age of 16; they will able to choose from one of the following options:


Work-based learning with training, such as an apprenticeship.


Further information can be found via the leaflets available to parents and students:

Independent and impartial web-based resources for students and parents:

Careers advice for parents is a website that has been set up by careers professionals and recommended by the UK Career Development Institute. ‘Careers Advice for Parents aims to give you an easy-to-read overview of all the essential facts on finding jobs and apprenticeships or choosing further and higher education courses which could make a real difference to your child’s future career prospects.’

Parent Advisor : information about all of the options post 18, including apprenticeships and gap years, as well as Higher Education. This particular site is aimed at parents or guardians of young people who are faced with, or who will be faced with, making decisions about their options post 18.

National Apprenticeships have put together a handy 'Parents Guide' for those parents new to the world of apprenticeships. It can be daunting not knowing where to get the best information or what the process is.

An online resource packed with practical advice for parents, including:

Apprenticeship, university…or both?

Six ways teens can start a career in business.

Why prepare for jobs that don’t exist?