Do apprenticeships suit independent school students?

Yes, particularly degree apprenticeships with competitive employers, which combine salaried work with a full degree.

Is Queen's College Taunton running an apprenticeship event?

Yes, the Taunton Apprenticeship Evening on 9th March 2027, free and open to students and families across Somerset. Register at https://forms.gle/eT89WgQfSioqtCn47.

Can other schools attend?

Yes. It is open to every school in the county - contact jsf@queenscollege.org.uk to bring a group, or students can register directly at https://forms.gle/eT89WgQfSioqtCn47.

Why independent schools in Somerset should champion apprenticeships

There is still a quiet assumption that an independent school education leads to university and nothing else. Working in marketing at Queen's College, Taunton, and having taken the apprenticeship route myself, I think that assumption costs students real opportunities.

Parents are already asking

Degree apprenticeships with major employers are now more competitive than many university courses. Families paying school fees notice that. Schools that cannot answer the question look behind, not selective.

Advocacy is not a downgrade

Advising on apprenticeships alongside Queen's College Sixth Form and UCAS widens outcomes rather than lowering them. The data that matters is destinations, not route labels.

Partnership beats competition

Independent schools and the college sector are not rivals here. Bridgwater & Taunton College and University Centre Somerset (UCS) deliver the training our students need if they take a work-based route, and pretending otherwise serves nobody.

What we actually do

We host the Taunton Apprenticeship Evening at Queen's College, Taunton on 9th March 2027, free and open to every school in the county, with employers, providers and a free LinkedIn headshot studio. Students can register for the Taunton Apprenticeship Evening, and schools can email jsf@queenscollege.org.uk to bring a group.

How other schools can join in

Bring a group, send a careers lead, or put an employer contact forward. Email jsf@queenscollege.org.uk or message Jack Frampton on LinkedIn. County-level context sits with Somerset Council.