University can be a great way to prepare for your future, but it isn’t the only way to discover your strengths and turn them into a career you’re proud of.
Maybe the classroom has already helped you realise you’d rather be working with your hands, or perhaps your goal is to start earning a wage sooner. You may also be struggling to justify the sizable costs that often come with going to university.
Whatever the reason why you're exploring alternatives to university, the good news is there are plenty of options available.
Five common alternatives are trade training, apprenticeships, school leaver programmes, going straight into work, or taking a gap year. Each of these routes gives you a different way to gain skills, experience, or qualifications, which means that the right choice depends entirely on what you want to do and where you want to go next.
How do the main alternatives to university compare?
(Swipe across on smaller screens to compare all five options.)
| Route | How does it work? | Can you earn while doing it? | What can you gain? | Could be the right choice if… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade training | Learn a skilled trade through a combination of theory and hands-on training. | Not usually through the training itself. Some routes combine training with paid work. | Practical skills and trade-specific qualifications. | You want to work with your hands, solve practical problems, and see the results of what you do. |
| Apprenticeship | Work for an employer while completing structured training. | Yes. At least £8.00/hour if you’re under 19 or in your first year. | A qualification, workplace skills, and experience doing the job. | You want to learn mainly on the job while continuing to earn. |
| School leaver programme | Join an employer after school or college and learn as you work. | Usually, if the programme includes paid employment. | Workplace experience and, for some programmes, a qualification. | You want to start working while developing your skills through employer-led training. |
| Go straight into work | Start a job and develop skills directly through experience. | Yes. You’ll earn the advertised wage once you start work. | Income, workplace skills, and experience you can build on as you explore different roles. | You want to start working and find out first-hand what kind of career you enjoy. |
| Gap year | Spend time working, travelling, volunteering, or weighing up your options. | Only if taking on a paid job is part of your plan for the year. | Workplace or world experience, savings, and more time to decide what you want to do next. | You want more time to think about and plan your next move before committing. |
Option 1: Train for a skilled trade
Trade training helps you develop the specialist knowledge and practical skills you need to start a career you can be proud of. And it's possible to become an electrician, plumber, or gas engineer without going to university or securing an apprenticeship first.
If you enjoy solving problems, working with your hands, and seeing the results and positive impact of what you do, it is a pathway worth exploring further.
At Access Training, complete beginners can train for electrical, plumbing, and gas careers through online theory and hands-on practical training at our training centres.
Hear directly from recent learners about why they chose trade training, and what made it the right route for them:
Option 2: Do an apprenticeship
If you want to hit the ground running and start developing your on-the-job skills from day one, an apprenticeship combines paid employment with structured training for the particular occupation you’re aiming towards.
Under the GOV.UK rules on apprentice pay and conditions, the minimum apprentice rate is £8.00 per hour if you’re under 19, or if you’re 19 or over and still in the first year of your apprenticeship. Once you’re 19 or older and have completed your first year, you’re entitled to move up to the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage rate for your age.
In addition, you’ll have employee rights including paid holiday and sick pay, and you’ll also be paid for the training that forms part of your apprenticeship.
It’s important to know that apprenticeships aren’t limited to entry-level qualifications. The Skills for Careers apprenticeship guide includes higher and degree apprenticeships at Levels 4 to 7, so an apprenticeship also gives you a way to access higher-level qualifications without following the traditional full-time university path.
Can you earn while training without an apprenticeship?
Yes. A traditional apprenticeship isn’t the only way to combine paid work with training.
Access Training’s Earn While You Learn pathway is an alternative training route for aspiring electricians, plumbers, and gas engineers. It isn’t a UK Government apprenticeship.
You’ll start by learning how to work safely on a construction site and preparing for the CSCS test, which is an essential requirement for getting the card you’ll need to start working on site. Our Career Support Team then supports you through the recruitment process with CV support and interview guidance. Once you move into paid work, your specialist trade training carries on flexibly alongside your job.
Option 3: Join a school leaver programme
School leaver programmes are employer-led initiatives to help you move straight into work after finishing school or college.
Instead of going to university, you’ll join a company and develop your knowledge and skills by working for them. UCAS explains that school leaver programmes are often paid, and some include professional or academic qualifications which can help you access the same kinds of roles that graduates enter.
There’s no standard format, though, so one programme can look and feel very different from another. What matters most is the specific work you’ll be doing, as well as the training or qualification that’s included, and how these will help you progress your career once completed.
Option 4: Go straight into work
Choosing to go straight into work means you can start earning a wage while getting a feel for your strengths, what motivates you, and the type of career you want to build for the future.
And your first job doesn’t have to be your forever job. It might introduce you to work you enjoy, show you what you definitely don’t want to do, or give you the confidence to aim for something more challenging later on. It may help you identify any specific qualifications or extra training you need to progress further, so you can start mapping out your future and planning ahead with confidence.
However, if you leave school at 16 in England, there are still rules around staying in education or training until you’re 18. One option to consider here is working or volunteering for at least 20 hours a week alongside your part-time education or training.
Option 5: Take a gap year
If you’re about to finish school and still don’t feel sure if university is the right option for you, a gap year can be a great opportunity to hit pause and give yourself more time to work out what your next steps should be.
You might want to work and save money, learn a new skill, travel the world, or volunteer locally. All these options can be valuable experiences, which is why UCAS guidance on gap years recommends thinking about what you want to personally achieve with the time.
And, most importantly, don’t put pressure on yourself to come out of the gap year with everything figured out. Even finishing the year with a clearer idea of what you enjoy and what you don’t means it was successful, and you can take those insights with you as you decide what to try next.
There’s no rush to have everything figured out
If university is still one of the options you’re considering, our guide to whether university is worth it in the UK takes a closer look at the costs involved and what the experience could mean for your future.
And, if electrical work, plumbing, or gas engineering has made you curious about a career in the trades, you can have a chat with one of our course advisors. You don’t need to turn up knowing exactly which course you want - they’re here to listen to you and answer your questions, so you can find the best route forward together.
PAGE UPDATED 13 OCTOBER 2026