If you think you need years of work experience to write a decent CV for an apprenticeship, you're wrong. Apprenticeship employers know they're hiring 16 to 18-year-olds - they're not expecting you to have ten years on the job. What they want is to see you're reliable, willing to learn, and good with people and practical tasks. The good news? You've probably already done things that prove this.
What Apprenticeship Employers Actually Look For
Forget what you've read on generic career websites. Apprenticeship recruiters don't care if you've written a formal cover letter or perfectly organised your hobbies section. They're scanning your CV for about 30 seconds, looking for:
Reliability. Have you stuck with anything? Duke of Edinburgh, a part-time job at Tesco, a school project? Anything that shows you finish what you start.
Basic communication and teamwork. Did you work in a group? Did you help anyone? Were you chosen for a responsibility or leadership role, even a small one?
Practical skills. Can you use your hands? Are you organised? Do you understand health and safety basics?
Attitude. Did you do something because you had to, or because you actually wanted to improve? This matters more than you'd think.
They also want to know you can turn up on time and follow instructions. That's honestly the bar for most apprenticeships, and you've been doing that at school for years.
Putting Your Experiences Onto Your CV
Here's the reality: you've done things that count. You just need to frame them right.
School Projects and Coursework
A group project where you designed a social media campaign? That's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. A project where you had to research and present? That's initiative and communication. Write it down with what you learned or achieved. Example: "Led a team of four to design a digital marketing campaign for a local business; created social media content and presented findings to the class."
Volunteering and Work Experience
Even a one-week placement counts. Don't just say "work experience at John's garage." Say what you actually did: "Changed brake pads under supervision, learned basic car safety procedures, kept the workshop tidy." Be specific about the tasks and what you picked up.
If you've volunteered - at a charity shop, helping at a primary school, at a community centre - that's genuine experience. You've dealt with the public, been reliable, and shown you care about something beyond yourself. An apprenticeship employer will respect that.
Duke of Edinburgh or Similar
You did 20 hours of skill-building, navigation, camping, or physical challenge. Frame this clearly: "Completed Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. Developed teamwork and resilience through group expeditions and solo camping."
Part-Time Jobs
Saturday job at a supermarket or restaurant? This is gold. You've dealt with the public, handled money, worked under pressure, and shown you're willing to work. Say: "Stacked shelves, operated tills, served customers, and worked as part of a busy team." Mention any responsibility you had: "Trained new staff" or "Opened the shop on Sunday mornings."
Hobbies and Interests
If you play a sport or music, mention it - but only if it shows something relevant. Are you in a team? Great, that's teamwork. Have you competed or performed? That's resilience and commitment. Do you fix cars, build things, or code in your spare time? Perfect, especially for trade or tech apprenticeships.
Don't include hobbies just for the sake of it. "Watching Netflix" or "Hanging out with friends" won't help you.
CV Structure: Section by Section
Keep it to one page. Apprenticeship employers don't want a novel. If it goes over a page, cut it ruthlessly.
Personal Statement (Optional, But Helpful)
This is a 2-3 sentence paragraph at the top that sums up who you are and what you're after. Keep it genuine and specific to the role.
Bad example: "I am a hard-working, reliable student looking for opportunities to develop skills."
Better example: "I'm looking for a Level 2 apprenticeship in plumbing where I can learn practical skills while working with a professional team. I'm organised, comfortable with physical work, and keen to develop expertise in the trade."
The difference? It's specific, honest, and it shows you understand what the role involves.
Education
List your school and the qualifications you're working towards or have already got. Include GCSEs and any other exams (A-levels, BTecs, functional skills). You don't need to list every subject - just the ones that matter for the apprenticeship. If you're aiming for a plumbing apprenticeship, maths and English matter. If you want office work, maybe English and IT count more.
Example:
Riverside Secondary School (2020-2026)
- GCSEs: English (7), Maths (6), Science (5), Design & Technology (7), PE (6)
- Currently studying A-levels in Physics and Maths
Or if you've left school:
River City College (2024-2026)
- BTEC in Business: Grade Distinction
- Functional Skills Level 2: Maths and English (expected June 2026)
Skills
This is where you list practical and soft skills. Be honest and specific. Don't claim you're fluent in French if you've done two years of GCSE French. Do claim you have "basic French language skills" if that's true.
Examples for different apprenticeships:
For a trade: Attention to detail, safety awareness, ability to follow instructions, basic hand tool knowledge, problem-solving.
For office/business: Microsoft Office (especially Excel if you've used it), communication, organisation, customer service experience, time management.
For healthcare: Compassion, reliability, basic first aid (if you have a certificate), ability to work with vulnerable people, cleanliness and hygiene awareness.
Experience (Or "Relevant Experience")
This is where you put work experience, volunteering, part-time jobs, and significant projects.
Format it like this:
Shop Assistant - Tesco, High Street (June 2024 - Present)
- Served customers at the till and answered queries
- Restocked shelves and maintained shop appearance
- Worked flexibly during busy periods
- Developed customer service and teamwork skills
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award (Completed 2024)
- Completed 20 hours of skill development in outdoor navigation
- Participated in a two-night expedition and solo camping challenge
- Developed resilience and teamwork through group activities
Interests (Optional)
Only include if they're genuine and show something relevant. "Football" is fine if you play regularly or competitively. "Reading" is only worth mentioning if you genuinely do it and it says something about you (maybe you read sci-fi, which suggests you're interested in technology?).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Making it too long. If your CV is two pages or longer, cut it. Apprenticeship recruiters won't read it all. Stick to one page, or absolute maximum a page and a quarter.
Including irrelevant personal details. Your date of birth, nationality, passport number, or driving licence status are not needed unless the job specifically asks for them. Your marital status (if you're married as a teenager!) also isn't relevant.
Poor formatting. Use consistent fonts, bold for headings, and clear spacing. Make it easy to scan. Avoid fancy colours or weird fonts - stick to black text on white, something like Calibri or Arial, size 11.
Vague descriptions. "Good at teamwork" tells an employer nothing. "Worked as part of a till team of eight in a busy supermarket" tells them you can handle busy environments and work alongside others.
Lying or exaggerating. Don't claim you built an app if you didn't. Don't say you have qualifications you haven't got yet. Employers check, and if they catch you out, you're done.
Including everything. You don't need to list the Duke of Edinburgh expedition dates, exactly which subjects you took at GCSE, or your primary school. Trim the unnecessary detail.
Example CV: Level 2 Apprenticeship
Here's what a solid CV for a Level 2 apprenticeship might look like:
JORDAN SMITH 123 Green Street, Manchester, M1 2AB | 07700 123456 | jordan.smith@email.com
PERSONAL STATEMENT I'm seeking a Level 2 apprenticeship in logistics and warehouse operations where I can develop my practical skills and contribute to a fast-paced team environment. I'm reliable, physically capable, and keen to build a career in supply chain.
EDUCATION Riverside Secondary School, Manchester (2020–2026)
- GCSE Maths (Grade 5, expected June 2026)
- GCSE English (Grade 6, expected June 2026)
- GCSE Science (Grade 5, expected June 2026)
- GCSE PE (Grade 7)
- GCSE Design & Technology (Grade 6)
EXPERIENCE Warehouse Assistant – XYZ Logistics, Manchester (March 2025–Present)
- Sorted and packed parcels for delivery
- Scanned items using handheld devices
- Maintained warehouse safety standards and housekeeping
- Worked flexible shifts including early mornings
Saturday Shop Assistant – Sainsbury's, Stockport (January 2024–February 2025)
- Served customers at till and self-checkout support
- Restocked shelves and faced products
- Responded to customer queries and complaints
- Worked in a team of 12 staff during busy weekends
Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award (Completed June 2024)
- Completed 20 hours of skill development in mountain biking
- Participated in a two-night group expedition and solo camping challenge
- Demonstrated resilience and teamwork in outdoor environment
SKILLS
- Attention to detail and accuracy with numbers
- Health and safety awareness
- Basic IT skills (email, spreadsheets)
- Teamwork and communication
- Punctuality and reliability
- Comfortable with physical work and lifting
INTERESTS Football (play for local five-a-side team), woodworking, photography
Notice the CV is tight, specific, and easy to scan. It answers the question: "Can this person show up, do the job, and get along with others?" The answer is clearly yes.
Degree Apprenticeships: What's Different?
If you're going for a degree apprenticeship (Level 4 and above), your CV needs to look a bit smarter and you can be slightly longer - maybe 1.5 pages max.
You'll want to emphasise academic achievement more. If you're predicted high grades at A-level or you got strong GCSEs, make that clear. List any academic prizes, Dean's List awards, or university offers (if you have them - this matters for degree apprenticeships because universities take them).
You might also want a slightly longer personal statement that shows you're thinking about your career path and why this company and apprenticeship matter to you.
Everything else is the same: be specific, be honest, and show you're reliable and keen to learn.
Final Checklist
Before you send your CV anywhere, run through this:
- Have you spell-checked it? (Seriously, use the spell-check function.)
- Does it fit on one page?
- Can someone scan it in 30 seconds and understand who you are and what you've done?
- Is every claim true?
- Have you removed irrelevant details?
- Does the formatting look clean and professional?
- Have you used your actual contact details and checked your email address is sensible?
If you can tick all of those boxes, you've got a CV that will get you noticed. And remember - you're not expected to have years of experience. You just need to show you're ready to learn and reliable enough to turn up and do the job.