How to Write an Apprenticeship CV (Even With Little Work Experience)

An employer hiring an apprentice isn't expecting experience. They're committing to months, often years, of training someone, so what they want from your CV is evidence that you'll turn up, learn fast and stick with it. Everything on the page should help answer that.

Do You Even Need a CV?

In England, anyone aged 16 or over can apply for an apprenticeship, and you can start one even if you already have a degree. Most vacancies are listed on the government's Find an apprenticeship service, where you register a profile and apply through an online form. That form asks for the same things a CV does (education, experience, why you want the role), so writing the CV first is the quickest way to fill it in well.

You'll also need a CV when an employer recruits directly through its own careers page, when a training provider asks for one, or when you contact a company that hasn't advertised. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own services, but the CV works the same way.

What Employers Look For

Reliability first, then a real interest in the field, then the ability to learn. A Saturday job you've kept for a year says more about reliability than any line about being hard-working. A car you help fix at weekends, a coding project you finished, a hair and make-up kit you practise with: anything that shows you already spend time on the trade counts as interest.

How to Lay It Out

One page, in this order.

Contact details. Name, phone, a sensible email address, and your town. No photo, no date of birth.

Personal statement. Three or four lines, written for this apprenticeship. Name the role and the level, say why this field, and give one fact that proves it. For example: "Year 13 student looking for a Level 3 electrical installation apprenticeship. Two summers helping a local electrical firm on domestic rewires, currently studying A-level physics and maths, and keen to work towards becoming qualified." UK personal statements usually leave out the "I", as here. Swap the details for every advert.

Education. School or college, dates, and your grades. Adverts usually state the GCSE grades they want in maths and English, so put yours on their own line where they can't be missed. Still waiting for results? Write "predicted" next to the grade.

Experience. Part-time work, work experience placements, volunteering, helping in a family business, sports coaching. For each, one or two lines on what you did and what came of it: "Trained three new staff on the till" beats "Responsible for customer service".

Skills. Five or six, each tied to something real. "Basic carpentry (built garden furniture for two neighbours)" tells the reader much more than "practical".

Availability. One line on when you can start and how you'd get to work and to college. Employers worry about travel more than candidates think, especially for site-based roles.

Little or No Work Experience?

Then the education and projects sections do the heavy lifting. Put school projects, a Duke of Edinburgh award, team captaincy, a YouTube channel or a club you organise in their own section and describe them like jobs: what you did, who it involved, what you achieved. For more ideas, see our guide on writing a CV with no experience.

Tailor It to Each Advert

Read the advert and underline the skills and qualities it names. Your personal statement and your top two experiences should echo those words, because the person shortlisting (and sometimes software before them) is looking for them. Then send a short cover letter alongside; our apprenticeship cover letter examples show three that work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should an apprenticeship CV be one page or two?

One. With little experience, a second page only shows the reader you've padded the first.

Do I need references on my CV?

No. If the employer wants them, they'll ask later. A teacher or a part-time manager is a good choice when they do.

Can I use the same CV for every apprenticeship?

Keep one master version, then change the personal statement and the order of your experience for each advert. Ten minutes per application is usually enough, and it shows.

Further reading: how to write a CV personal statement and how to write the skills section of your CV.

Source: GOV.UK, Apply for an apprenticeship, checked 5 November 2026.