Modern Apprenticeships

Earn while you learn. Build skills employers trust.

Modern Apprenticeships let you gain real workplace skills and a nationally recognised qualification — all while getting paid. If you're over 16 and want to start your career without full-time study, this could be right for you.

At the heart of every Modern Apprenticeship is a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ). Your SVQ proves you can do the job — it's the qualification that shows employers you're ready to work.

Why choose a Modern Apprenticeship?

• You earn a wage from day one
• You learn practical skills in a real workplace
• You gain a qualification that employers recognise and value
• You build confidence and open doors to future opportunities

See Modern Apprenticeships in action

"Work-based learning is employers' opportunity to shape the next generation of their workforce. If employers invest in their staff, their staff are more likely to stay." — Dawn Miller, Apprenticeships Manager, UHI Argyll

Discover how UHI Argyll is using SVQ-based Modern Apprenticeships to build a skilled, confident workforce across rural Scotland.

Read the full case study.

Modern Apprenticeship frameworks

Modern Apprenticeships are available across a wide range of sectors. Each framework includes SVQs as its core — typically at SCQF levels 6 or 7, though they range from level 5 to level 12. Some frameworks include progression routes, so apprentices can continue developing their skills over time.

Browse Modern Apprenticeships Frameworks.

Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs)

SVQs are work-based qualifications that prove you're competent in your job. They're developed with industry, so they reflect what employers actually need.

Learn more about Scottish Vocational Qualifications.