A practical, no-nonsense guide for apprentices
and the businesses investing in them
About The Manual
Apprenticeship support shouldn’t stop once a placement is secured. The real learning starts on site, and that’s where a lot of young people struggle, not because they can’t do the work, but because nobody’s told them how to show up, communicate, handle money, or deal with the realities of working life.
Colleges teach the technical side. Nobody formally teaches the rest.
That’s why we created the Fix Foundation Apprentice Manual. 100 pages of straight-talking, practical advice written in collaboration with Fix Radio presenters who work on site every day and know the industry first-hand. No corporate jargon, no classroom theory. Just the kind of honest guidance a good mentor would give.
Who is it for?
The Apprentice Manual was built to be used by both apprentices and their employers.
For apprentices
It’s a guide they’ll actually read. Written in plain language, it covers the things that often go untaught but make a real difference to whether someone succeeds in the trade or doesn’t. Confidence, habits, attitude, the practical stuff.
For employers and SMEs
It’s a tool that works alongside what you’re already doing. It helps your apprentices understand your expectations earlier, gives you a shared reference point for mentoring conversations, and makes it a bit easier to develop someone who’s new to working life.
A lot of small business owners are put off taking on apprentices because it feels like a big commitment with an uncertain return. This manual won’t fix everything, but it makes the process less daunting.
What’s inside
The Apprentice Manual covers the topics that are often overlooked in formal training but matter enormously on site:
- Timekeeping and reliability
- Communication and teamwork
- Money and finances
- Integrity, respect and trust
- Workplace expectations and professionalism
- Building confidence and taking ownership
- Mindset and long-term career thinking
Each section is written to be read in short bursts, so it works as something an apprentice picks up and dips into rather than sits down to read cover to cover.
Written by the trade, for the trade
The manual was put together with input from Fix Radio presenters who are active tradespeople, not commentators looking in from the outside. The advice comes from real experience of what it takes to build a career in the trades, what separates the apprentices who go on to be trusted, relied-upon tradespeople from the ones who don’t make it through their first year.
That’s what makes it different. It’s not a HR document dressed up as a handbook. It’s the kind of thing you’d want someone to have told you when you were starting out.
Get your copy
The manual costs £6 to cover production costs, with all proceeds going back into the Fix Foundation to support the trade community.
Thanks to the generous support of Toupret, the first 500 copies are available free of charge to anyone thinking of taking on an apprentice.
Support the project
If your business would like to help fund manuals for apprentices across the country, we’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch with Nicole at nicole@fixradiofoundation.co.uk