Typist apprenticeships - where to start
You can get into this job through
a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directlyspecialist training from private providers
College
Some employers will prefer you to have a recognised qualification in administration. These courses are widely available and include:
Level 2 Award in Text Production, a Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Business Administration and a Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration.
You'll usually need 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a Level 2 course. You'll need 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a Level 3 course.
Apprenticeship
You could do a Level 3 Business administrator apprenticeship. This would give you skills to use IT packages and systems like MS Office.
You'll usually need 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for a Level 3 apprenticeship.
Work
Temporary or casual work, often through recruitment agencies, can be a common route into this type of work, and it can lead to permanent roles.
Direct Application
You can apply directly for jobs if you have fast and accurate keyboard skills. Experience of office work will help. You may be able to get experience through temporary work in an office.
Having an understanding of specialist terms can help in some roles, for example working in medical transcription or typing for legal firms, technical or scientific companies.
Other Routes
You can do specialist courses in business admin skills, including intensive ones, with private training providers. Many are available through online learning.
There are also specialist typing courses for things like medical or legal transcription typing work.
Typist apprenticeships - what it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- administration skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- customer service skills
- the ability to use your initiative
- knowledge of English language
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be flexible and open to change
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
Typist apprenticeships - what you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
You could:
- copy type - working from hand-written notes
audio type
- typing while listening to spoken notes on audio tape or from recorded meetings
- take notes in shorthand and type up the information later
- work with computer spreadsheets and databases
- answer the telephone
- use office equipment like photocopiers and franking machines
- deal with post and emails
- file documents
Working environment
You could work in an office.
Career path and progression - Typist apprenticeships
With experience and training, you could become a secretary, personal assistant or office manager
You could work in a specialist transcription role, providing typed transcriptions of audio recordings or MS Teams and Zoom recorded meetings, for example:
police interviews
focus groups and conferences
medical transcription. For some of these roles you may need specialist knowledge, for example of medical/pharmacology terms.
You could also become self-employed.