"I am a great believer in apprenticeships because young people learn best on the job with a mentor who knows what they're doing. If British industry is going to compete with the rest of the world, we're going to need a trained workforce who are best at what they do - that is why I back more apprenticeships for people in Britain."

Sir Alan Sugar, 2008

Protocol Skills provides employers with the direct delivery of vocational, government funded training for Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships.

The advantage of Apprenticeships is that they are mainly work-based, integrating training into the day-to-day activities of employees' job roles.

So, instead of losing hours to off-site study, managers and employers can actively participate in the training process, whilst learners gain invaluable skills to apply to their work situation.

An Apprenticeship/Advanced Apprenticeship is made up of 3 parts:

A National Vocational Qualification
NVQs are qualifications that are achieved by doing a job. They are made up of vocational units and knowledge based units. The vocational units focus on the practical skills needed to do the different parts of your job whilst the knowledge ensures the understanding of why a job is done the way it is.

Key Skills (Core Skills in Scotland)
Every job requires a number of skills to ensure it is done well. Key Skills always include using numbers and communication skills, plus a selection from:

- Information technology
- Working with others
- Problem solving
- Improving your own learning and performance

Technical Certificate
This is used to test knowledge and understanding.