Frequently Asked Questions

General

The Association is the place where apprentices from across the UK can unite, network, and develop. It is a community supporting each other to be their best. If you are an apprentice or recently completed an apprenticeship, your membership provides you with access to  our exclusive features:

  •  A bespoke social network that lets you connect with like-minded people in your sector or region – gain insight, ask for advice, attend virtual meet-ups and so much more.
  • An online learning and development tool to enhance your skills and knowledge so that you can unlock your full potential throughout your apprenticeship and beyond.
  • Exclusive members-only events, both virtual and in person. These are curated specifically for apprentices, tapping into topics supporting your unique position on the career ladder. Occasionally, we will hold events that are open to the public, so you can invite your colleagues, friends, and family.

Absolutely! The AoA is led by apprentices so your feedback is key. If you’re a member, send us an email to members@associationofapprentices.org.uk. If not then feel free to use hello@associationofapprentices.org.uk.

Your data is secure here. We follow all the required GDPR policies to make sure your information is kept safe and we never share your details with third parties without your permission. For full details please see our Privacy Policy.

Membership

If you are a current apprentice or if you have recently completed an apprenticeship and you live in the UK, the AoA was made for you! Join our growing community today.

Members gain access to our exclusive events as well as our two key features: AoA Connect and AoA Learn. By accessing these tools your pool of resources will unfold, giving you the opportunity to develop your skills in all areas. The Association provides the foundations, but you create the community. Create a professional network, meet other amazing apprentices, and develop your skills so that you can fulfil your maximum potential. Find out more here.

It’s simple! Complete our short registration form and that’s it.

For individual apprentices signing themselves up, you can currently get a 12-month membership free of charge (we may introduce a small fee in the future). 

If you are an employer or training provider and wish to register your apprentices as members, slightly different rules apply. We believe that all apprentices in the UK should be able to access our services, and therefore SMEs can currently register up to 25 apprentices free of charge – just complete the form on the For Employers or For Training Providers pages. If you are an SME with 26 or more apprentices, or are a larger organisation, then get in touch with us via the contact forms on the For Employers or For Training Providers pages and we can discuss your requirements. 

If you recently completed an apprenticeship, then of course! As Peter Drucker once said: “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”  Using AoA’s resources you are in the perfect position to develop further at your own pace and share what you’ve learned (good and bad!) with our current apprentices. Your experience is the most valuable resource. Although the Association is primarily for apprentices who are currently on programme we’d love to have you in our community. 

Membership is exclusively for apprentices and recently completed apprentices only. But we love that you’re interested in our work so keep in touch by signing up to our monthly newsletter, The Apprentices’ Source, and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Occasionally, we host events, forums, and surveys for the wider apprenticeship community, so keep in touch!

AoA Connect

AoA Connect is the Association’s social networking feature that lets our members meet, ask questions, complete polls, attend events and much more! You can also join groups that particularly interest you. AoA Connect is available both from your desktop or as a mobile app.

No. AoA Connect is only for members of the Association (who have to be UK-based current or recently completed apprentices) who are aged 18+.

Once you’ve registered as a member of the Association, you can access AoA Connect from the members’ area of our website.

Simply log into the desktop version of AoA Connect and go to Your Account > Personal Settings > Text me the App.

We take our members’ safety and wellbeing very seriously. On AoA Connect we explain our Community Culture and our Community Guidelines. There are AoA hosts and moderators who make sure Connect remains a happy, professional and supportive place for our members to spend their time.

AoA Learn

AoA Learn is the Association’s online learning feature that gives you access to a huge catalogue of e-learning, assessments and advice to help you develop your skills and knowledge. With everything from self-awareness, resilience and relationships to interview practice and things not to do at work, AoA Learn is your place to learn and grow.

AoA Learn is accessible to members of the Association, either individual apprentices or to one representative from a corporate member (i.e. an employer or training provider) who has registered their apprentices as members.

Once you’ve registered as a member of the Association, you can access AoA Learn from the members’ area of our website.

Watch this space! We’re busy working on the apps for AoA Learn and they’ll be ready very soon!

Events

Our events are listed in on the Events page of AoA Connect and on the homepage of our website.

 

Couldn’t be easier!  Member-only events will be posted on AoA Connect, so all you’ll need to do is click ‘Attending’! For public events for the wider apprenticeship community, there will be an event listing on LinkedIn.

All the details, including webinar links, will be available on AoA Connect. You’ll receive a reminder before the event starts and you’ll be able to join the webinar direct from AoA Connect – as well as see who else is attending. 

Okay, just send us an email to events@associationofapprentices.org.uk and we’ll get straight on to it.

Apprentice Council

The Council is made up of current and past apprentices, and they guide our work and ensure that everything the Association offers meets the needs of its members.

The Council is elected by the members of the Association. For more information about the elections, please contact members@associationofapprentices.org.uk.

My Account

We’re sorry to see you go. You can cancel your membership from the members’ area of our website. Simply go to the Subscription drop-down from the members area and hit ‘Cancel’.

No problem! Just click on ‘Forgot Password’ when you go to sign in and you’ll be able to reset it.

Other

 If you have any other queries that aren’t covered above, please contact us and we’ll come back to you as soon as we can!

Jan Richardson-Wilde

CEO, Occupational Awards Limited

Jan is the CEO of Occupational Awards Limited, a Director of the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink and an FE College Governor. She has over 35 years’ experience in the education sector in strategic and operational management of training programmes with colleges, private training providers, local authorities the voluntary sector and not for profit organisations. Jan has previously been a board member of the Learning and Skills Council, chair of the North Yorkshire Training Provider network and Vice-Chair of Yorkshire Coast College and a Governor of the Grimsby Institute for Further and Higher Education. She has extensive experience of education policy, apprenticeships, qualification, and curriculum development as well as business improvement.

Jan joined OAL in 2019, a leading non-profit industry-focused Awarding and End-Point Assessment Organisation, supporting a wide range of employers and of key stakeholders to succeed and surpass expectations. Jan is committed to continuous improvement and enthusiastic about improving the effectiveness, impact and quality of apprenticeships, education, and training in the UK and internationally. She has a wide range of experience of working in a collaborative context with employers and training providers to develop End Point Assessment, apprenticeships, and a wide range of vocational programmes.

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