There’s a moment (usually sometime around your third unanswered job application) when you start to wonder whether all that time spent in lectures, writing essays, and memorising definitions actually counts for much in the real world. Turns out, a lot of the time, it doesn’t. That’s not to knock degrees. Of course if you’re doing something like a law degree or you’re training to be a doctor, you’ll need that level of education. However we’re talking about those who go to university to study things that can be learned through experience, like business, marketing or most tech jobs
In fact if you ask most small or medium-sized employers what they’re really looking for in a new hire, “where they studied” tends to fall fairly low on the list. What matters more is whether you can show up, learn quickly, and do the work. That’s why more people are going down the apprenticeship route – because it actually mirrors the kind of working environment they’ll end up in.
What Actually Matters In A New Hire?
You won’t find many job descriptions that say this outright, but employers usually want the same three things: initiative, reliability, and a basic grasp of how digital tools work. They want someone who won’t wait around for constant instructions. Someone who’ll give things a go, ask the right questions, and figure out how to get better over time. That kind of attitude doesn’t come from textbooks – it comes from practice.
They also want people who turn up, follow through, and don’t vanish mid-task because they’re “just not feeling it today.” While that sounds obvious, it’s amazing how valuable it is in small teams where every role counts. Then there’s digital fluency. Not coding, necessarily. But the ability to pick up new tools quickly, work across different systems, and not fall apart when a process changes. If you’ve ever onboarded yourself to new software without a breakdown or figured out how to fix an Excel issue via YouTube, you’re already ahead of the curve.
Why Apprenticeships Teach These Things Better
University has its place – but it doesn’t always train you for the kinds of real-world environments you’ll be stepping into. Lectures and essays teach you how to absorb and reflect. Apprenticeships teach you how to adapt and deliver. When you’re working four days a week in a real company and doing structured training on the side, you learn to manage your time in a way you can’t simulate in a seminar room. You’re exposed to how teams work, how things sometimes go wrong, and what it takes to fix them. You learn how to communicate with colleagues, how to take feedback without spiralling, and how to keep going even when the task isn’t that exciting. It’s not glamorous. But it’s real. And employers notice.
It’s Not Just Tech Companies, Either
There’s this assumption that only digital-first businesses care about things like adaptability or platform knowledge. But look a bit closer, and it’s everywhere.That independent café with the slick Instagram feed? Someone has to manage that content. The local construction firm using project management software to track builds? They need someone who can keep those systems running. Even admin roles now come with an expectation that you’ll be comfortable hopping between spreadsheets, scheduling tools, and shared drives. That’s why apprenticeships in areas like business admin, content creation and data input have become so useful. They don’t just give you a certificate – they give you proof you’ve already done the job.
Real Responsibility From Day One
One of the quiet perks of apprenticeships is that employers tend to give you actual responsibility – often sooner than they would with a graduate hire. You might be managing a section of a project, running analytics on a campaign, supporting a customer over the phone, or building out social posts for a brand that actually gets seen. That kind of experience isn’t just good for your CV. It helps you build confidence, judgment, and a working rhythm. Employers love that. Because when the apprenticeship ends, they’re not hiring someone theoretical – they’re hiring someone who already knows the ropes.
So, Where Should You Start?
If you’re not sold on university (or you’ve already been and want something more hands-on) an apprenticeship could be the smarter way in. You don’t need years of experience. You just need the right mindset and a willingness to get stuck in.
Avant Skills Academy is one of the providers offering apprenticeships in Hull and Grimsby across roles like business administrator, content creator, data technician and more. They work with real employers who need real people. You’ll be paired with a company, supported through training, and guided towards a qualification that means something outside the classroom. Whether you’re helping a team get organised, running digital campaigns, or figuring out how to make sense of a spreadsheet full of raw data, you’ll walk away with skills that employers are actually hiring for. Because at the end of the day, most employers aren’t asking where you studied. They’re asking if you can do the job.
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