For Learners

Start your future
with confidence.

Whether you're stepping into your first job, switching careers or climbing into management, a TLC apprenticeship lets you earn a real wage, gain a nationally recognised qualification and build a career in a sector that needs you, with a dedicated coach behind you every step of the way.

Browse apprenticeships Why an apprenticeship?
A learner studying on a tablet

  • Career progression

    A next step planned before you finish, from Level 2 through to Level 5.

  • Self-development

    More capable, more confident and more ambitious than when you started.

  • Learn from the best

    Masterclasses and resources from respected experts in your sector.

  • A coach in your corner

    A named coach who has done the job, from day one to the end.

  • Earn while you learn

    A real job and a real wage from day one, with no tuition to pay.

Why an apprenticeship?

A real job, a real wage and a real qualification, from day one.

An apprenticeship isn’t a side-step from "proper" study. It is proper study. You're paid to learn, mentored by people who do the job every day, and you finish with a qualification employers ask for, with no student debt. A job, a coach and a clear path forward.

  • Earn while you learn

    You’re a paid employee from day one: minimum wage at L2, often a lot more for L3 to L5 roles in care and culinary.

  • No student debt

    Your training is funded by your employer's levy account or by government. You don't pay a penny in tuition.

  • A coach in your corner

    Every learner is paired with a named coach who’s worked in the sector, the person you call when something doesn’t make sense.

  • Qualifications employers recognise

    Delivered against City & Guilds, Pearson and CMI standards and a Skills England end-point assessment that's the same across the UK.

  • A clear progression ladder

    Finish L2 and roll straight into L3. Finish L3 and step into a Team Leader or Senior role. We plan the next move with you before this one ends.

  • Pastoral support that is there when you need it

    Safeguarding leads, wellbeing check-ins, neurodiversity support and financial-hardship guidance, built into your programme.

What you’ll gain

Your potential deserves investment.

You may have a clear career goal, or you may be working out what comes next. You might be returning to learning after a long time, developing skills you already use or preparing for responsibilities that feel unfamiliar. Your starting point matters to us. We connect the requirements of your programme with the work you do and the future you want to build.

  1. Understand where your learning can take you

    We help you understand how your learning relates to your role, what you are working towards and how the skills you develop could support your next step. That gives your effort direction.

  2. Build skills you can use at work

    Through relevant examples, discussion and practice, you develop the knowledge behind your role and the confidence to use it: more informed decisions, and the ability to explain the thinking behind them.

  3. Learn with people who support your progress

    You will know what is expected, where to focus and how to ask for help. Your learning coach helps you navigate the programme, respond to feedback and recognise your progress.

  4. Connect with a wider world of expertise

    Our programmes and academies bring specialist insight into the learning: how experienced practitioners think, different ways of approaching your work and a clearer picture of professional excellence.

  5. Be recognised for what you achieve

    A recognised qualification is an important commitment. Alongside it, you develop professional confidence: the ability to contribute ideas, take responsibility and recognise the value of your own knowledge.

  6. Take your next step with greater confidence

    Progress looks different for different people: doing your current job more effectively, preparing for promotion or discovering a specialist interest. Your learning should help you choose the direction that is right for you.

Bring your ambitions and your questions. We will help you explore the programme that fits your next step.

Explore our apprenticeships Speak to our team

The standard runs both ways

What we look for in a learner.

We set the bar high because the people who set it are the best in their professions. That only works if you meet us there. Here is what we look for, what we expect, and what you can hold us to.

What we look for

  • CuriosityYou ask why, not only how.
  • ReliabilityYou turn up, on time, prepared. Every time.
  • Pride in the workThe standard matters to you, even when nobody is watching.
  • HonestyYou tell your coach when something is hard, and you tell them early.
  • AmbitionYou want the next step, and you are willing to work for it.
  • RespectFor the people you serve, the people you work with, and yourself.

What we expect of you

  • Protect your learning timeSix hours a week, averaged, is yours. Use it.
  • Prepare for every reviewBring your evidence and your questions.
  • Use TLC Base every weekYour progress, your resources and your plan live there.
  • Treat feedback as the pointIt is not a verdict. It is how you get better.
  • Keep the deadlines you agreeOr renegotiate them with your coach before they pass.
  • Keep people safeKnow who your safeguarding lead is, and speak up.

What you can hold us to

  • A named coach who has done the jobFrom your first day to your End-Point Assessment.
  • A plan you can seeReviews every twelve weeks, and honest feedback in between.
  • Access to the expertsThe academies, the learning books, the masterclasses.
  • A reply within one working dayWhen you need us, you will not be left waiting.
  • A safeguarding lead you can reachAnd support for your wellbeing, not only your coursework.
  • A next step planned before you finishThe qualification is the start of something.

Your journey with TLC

From application to qualification.

Most learners go from first conversation to their first day at work in a matter of weeks. This is what to expect at each stage.

  1. Step one

    Apply

    Browse our live vacancies or tell us the sector you are interested in. No CV polish required; we will help you build one if you need to.

  2. Step two

    Talk to a learner advisor

    A twenty-minute call about the right sector, the right level for you, and any support you might need from day one.

  3. Step three

    Get matched and interviewed

    We shortlist you to employers that fit your goals, location and shift pattern. You meet them, they meet you, and the decision is mutual.

  4. Step four

    Enrol and start

    We handle the paperwork, set up your TLC Base account, run your skills scan and confirm your start date with your new employer.

  5. Step five

    Learn, earn and review

    Your coach visits you at work, your line manager joins the review every twelve weeks, and your protected learning time is planned around your rota.

  6. Step six

    End-point assessment, and what comes next

    An independent assessment confirms what you have achieved. Before you finish, we plan your next move: the next level, a promotion or a new role.

Their stories

Where an apprenticeship can take you.

Three people, three sectors, and the moment each of them stopped waiting to be found out.

Amira, a care worker
Amira

A learner’s story · Health & Social Care

Amira, from care assistant to team leader

Where it started
Nights on a dementia unit, good at the job and certain she was not the kind of person who did qualifications. Her manager disagreed and signed her up for Adult Care Worker at Level 2.
The turn
Her coach turned up at seven in the morning, at the end of a night shift, because that was when Amira could talk. The reviews happened on the unit, around the work. She stopped waiting to be found out and started asking for more.
Now
Lead Adult Care Worker at Level 3, leading a team of twelve, and the person new starters are sent to shadow. Leader in Adult Care at Level 5 is planned for next year.

“My coach knew my shifts before I did. That is the difference between a course and someone actually being in your corner.”

Dan, a teaching assistant
Dan

A learner’s story · Education

Dan, the teaching assistant who became the specialist

Where it started
A Level 3 teaching assistant in a primary school, working with the children other people found hard. Good instincts, no framework, and a headteacher who could see the potential.
The turn
The Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship at Level 5, with the SEND specialism, gave the instincts a language. He started to understand why what he did worked, and how to do it on purpose.
Now
Leads SEND support across two year groups, mentors the school’s new teaching assistants, and is the person the class teachers come to first.

“I always knew what to do with the kids. The apprenticeship taught me why it worked, and that is what let me teach it to other people.”

Jess, a stylist
Jess

A learner’s story · Wellbeing

Jess, from the front desk to the front line

Where it started
Reception at a GP practice, and the one everyone talked to. The practice manager wanted someone to run social prescribing and thought the receptionist who knew every patient by name might be the answer.
The turn
Community Health and Wellbeing Worker at Level 3. The first group she ran on her own, six people who had not left the house much that winter, and the second week when all six came back.
Now
Runs the practice’s wellbeing programme, works with the local council on community health, and is the reason the surgery’s waiting room is quieter.

“I thought wellbeing was a nice word. It turns out it is a job, and it is the best one I have had.”

Names and details are illustrative while we gather our learners’ and employers’ own stories, in their own words.

Sectors you can train in

Five specialist sectors. One that's right for you.

Whether you're heading into a kitchen, a classroom, a care home or a head office, TLC delivers in the sector you’re going to work in, with coaches who’ve done the job themselves.

Health & Social Care

Adult Care Worker through to Leader in Adult Care (L2 to L5). A full progression pathway for residential, domiciliary and supported-living teams.

Explore

Culinary

Production Chef, Senior Production Chef and Senior Culinary Chef (L2 to L4). Train alongside the Marco Pierre White Academy.

Explore

Education

Teaching Assistant and Specialist Teaching Assistant (L3 to L5), for schools, multi-academy trusts and specialist provision.

Explore

Safeguarding

Safeguarding Support Officer (L3), for people holding multi-agency responsibility in health, care and education.

Explore

Wellbeing

Community Health and Wellbeing Worker and Event Assistant (L3), with hair and beauty programmes on the way from the Academy of Beauty and Wellbeing.

Explore

Eligibility & funding

Yes, you're probably eligible.

To start an apprenticeship with TLC you need to be 16 or over, living in England, and not already in full-time education. There's no upper age limit and no formal entry requirements for most L2 programmes; functional skills in maths and English can be built into your apprenticeship if you need them.

You don't pay for your training. It's funded by your employer (through the Growth and Skills Levy) or by government, so you keep your wage, your training is on us.

How funding works
A small team of three learners chatting around a desk
Three colleagues smiling and chatting together

Support that has your back

You're not on your own, ever.

  • A named coach: someone who’s worked in your sector, on call when you’re stuck.
  • Designated Safeguarding Leads: trained, on duty and one phone call away.
  • Wellbeing & mental-health support: check-ins, signposting and access to qualified counsellors.
  • Neurodiversity support: reasonable adjustments, study strategies and one-to-one coaching where it helps.
  • Financial-hardship signposting: bursaries, travel cards and access funds, with guidance on what you can claim.
  • Equality, diversity & inclusion: a culture where every learner is welcome.
Talk to a learner advisor

Employers our apprentices train with

Bupa Anchor Elior UK National Care Group Liaise DPD London Borough of Tower Hamlets

The decision

Is TLC for you?

We would rather you knew now than found out in month six.

Choose TLC if

  • You want to be taught by the best in your professionMarco, the NSPCC, Lino, Learn Care Excel and the people who wrote the books, in the learning, not on the cover.
  • You want a coach who knows your name and your shiftsOne person, who has done the job, from your first day to your End-Point Assessment.
  • You want to leave with more than a certificateA next step planned before you finish, and the confidence to take it.
  • You are prepared to be stretchedThe standard is high because the people who set it are the best there are.

Look elsewhere if

  • You want the quickest route to a certificateThere are providers who will get you through faster. They will not get you further.
  • You would rather learn from a slide deck than a personEverything we do is built around the coach, the expert and the workplace.
  • You are not ready to change how you workAn apprenticeship with us changes what you do on Monday, not just what you know.
Talk to a learner advisor

FAQs

Learner questions, answered.

What is an apprenticeship, really?

An apprenticeship is a real, paid job with structured training built in. You spend most of your week working in the role itself, and at least six hours a week of paid "off-the-job" learning that builds the knowledge behind the job. At the end you sit an End-Point Assessment and get a nationally recognised qualification.

Who can do one?

You need to be 16 or over, living in England and not already in full-time education. There's no upper age limit. Plenty of our learners are 30, 40 or 50 and over, switching careers, formalising experience or stepping up into management.

How much will I earn?

At L2, the legal minimum is the apprentice national minimum wage in your first year, then the standard minimum wage for your age band. Most TLC employers pay above that, especially at L3 to L5 in care and culinary, where salaries typically run from £18,000 to £30,000+ depending on role and location. We're always upfront about pay before you apply.

How long does an apprenticeship take?

Most TLC apprenticeships run for 12–18 months of on-programme learning, plus a 2–3 month End-Point Assessment window at the end. L4 and L5 programmes typically run longer (18–24 months). We'll give you an exact timeline before you enrol.

What qualification will I gain?

You finish with the apprenticeship standard certificate at your chosen level (L2, L3, L4 or L5), the same qualification the Skills England standard sets out, recognised across the UK. Many programmes carry City & Guilds, Pearson or CMI accreditation, and depending on the sector you may pick up functional skills certificates and sector-specific qualifications along the way.

How is the training delivered?

A blend that fits your rota: live online sessions with your coach, self-paced e-learning, one-to-one coaching in your workplace and occasional face-to-face workshops. You'll get at least six hours a week of paid time for off-the-job learning, planned around your shifts, not on top of them.

Do I need GCSEs?

For most L2 programmes, no. Functional skills in English and maths can be built into your apprenticeship. For L3 and above you normally need GCSEs in maths and English at Grade 4/C or above, or equivalent functional skills. If you're not sure where you stand, ask us and we’ll work it out together.

How do I apply?

Browse our live vacancies on the apprenticeships page or fill in our contact form and a learner advisor will be in touch within two working days. You don’t need a polished CV. If you’ve got an interest in the sector, we’ll take it will be in touch within two working days. You don’t need a polished CV. If you’ve got an interest in the sector, we’ll take it from there.

What happens after I finish?

Most of our learners go straight into work or onto the next level of apprenticeship. Before you complete EPA, your coach plans the next move with you, whether that’s L3, L4, a promotion with your current employer, or a new role somewhere else.

What if I’m struggling, whether mentally, financially or at home?

Tell us. Every learner has a named coach and access to our Designated Safeguarding Leads, wellbeing team and hardship signposting. We won't share anything you don't want shared, and we won’t drop you from a programme for asking for help. Asking is what we are here for.

Get started

Ready to start your apprenticeship?

Browse the live vacancies, or have a quick chat with a learner advisor about the right sector and level for you. No CV polish required and no pressure to commit.

Browse apprenticeships Talk to an advisor