School may be out for summer, but it’s the beginning of a new phase in the lives of many 16 and 18-year-olds as, armed with GCSE and A-level results, they contemplate their next move.

For many it won’t be the laid-back summer holiday they might have got used to, because they’re on the cusp of making some big decisions which will have far-reaching implications on their lives lasting long into the future.

As job advice website Careerpilot points out, for many it’s likely to be the first time they will have contemplated a number of far-reaching questions, such as ‘where am I now?’, ‘where do I want to get to?’, and ‘how am I going to get there?’.

Naturally, many at that age don’t have a clear idea of their path ahead, much less know how they’re going to get there.

But what they do know is that they have subjects they’re especially good at, and maybe would like to make these the foundation of a future career.

A good starting point is the Gov.uk portal for apprenticeships, 14-19 education, and training for work. This is a particularly good resource for finding out more about the various funding schemes available.

But not only does it offer advice to the young people thinking of taking up any of these options, it also has advice for employers – which can be businesses of any size and in any field – considering taking on an apprentice.

There’s also information on the various forms of funding available to help a business meet the cost of employing an apprentice.

To offer an approved apprenticeship scheme, a business must:

• -Offer the apprentice the chance to work alongside experienced staff
• -Give training and guidance in relevant skills specific to the job the apprentice is hired to do, and
• -Let the apprentice study during their working week for a work-related qualification. This can be at a local college, or under the aegis of a publicly or privately-run training organisation.

Schools and colleges are currently in the midst of switching over to new, more rigorous A- and AS-level qualifications, with the new curriculums and examinations being phased in over two years until September 2017. The main consequence of the changes is that the new AS-level qualification is now a stand-alone, and does not count towards an A-level grade.

The new A-level exams, meanwhile, remove the element of modular assessment which had been established over many years, and replaces it with single exams at the end of a two-year course – a regime which many over the age of 50 will remember well – for better or worse!

If the prospect of studying for such an exam deters many less academically-inclined students, then one website, Notgoingtouni.co.uk, is likely to interest them.

This lists the various options available to them, be they apprenticeships, college courses, gap year placements, work experience opportunities or full-time jobs. Users can even post questions on the site to be answered by someone with the requisite specialist knowledge.

SME owners and managers will also find the FE Choices service useful, in helping them decide which courses in post-16 further education and training are likely to provide them with the entrants they need with the best skill and qualification set for their particular needs. Again, all the guidance documents for the service are available via the Gov.uk online portal.

Many training services providers in the private sector build close relationships with businesses of all sizes in their catchment area. This is primarily to help them ensure that the training they offer, and the qualifications which are awarded at the end of them, are made as relevant and kept as up-to-date as possible to meet the specific needs of the employers for whom they provide candidates.

The days when a local college could simply follow a nationally prescribed syllabus, and expect that to meet all the needs of the employers in their catchment area are long gone – these institutions now see businesses as customers of their services, every bit as much as the students whom they train. So if your business would benefit from new and enthusiastic young entrants who are ready to hit the ground running, it’s worth your while to get involved, and letting the staff know exactly what skills you’re looking for.

With the wide variety of NVQs and other competence-based qualifications now on offer, it’s quite likely that they can offer a qualification which will serve as a fast-track into your business for the right candidate, ensuring that they make a meaningful contribution right from day one.