# Charity Apprentice removes training fees in 2018 to attract even more students - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/12/01/charity-apprentice-removes-training-fees-2018-attract-even-students/ - Published: 2017-12-01T18:00:57+00:00 - Author: Howard Lake **Child.org, the international children’s charity, will be scrapping its fee in 2018 for its Charity Apprentice scheme to unlock even more new talent for the third sector.**   The £600 fee will be removed for the 2018 course, which helps anyone to gain entry- level skills for a career in the third sector. ## Advertisement   **SEE ALSO: [Charity Apprentice offers new entry to the charity sector](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/11/13/charity-apprentice-course-offers-new-entry-charity-sector/)( 13 November 2014)**   The foundation course in charity, which individuals take in their spare time, offers a structured and supportive entry path into the charity sector, which many find difficult to break into. The course is designed and run by charity professionals and, as a social enterprise, is one in a series of entrepreneurial products developed by child.org. The charity prides itself on “doing what works”.   In 2018 there will be 250 places on the course, and the charity expects over 400 people to apply for them.   Child.org [achieved the same result](https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/11/04/child-orgs-charity-apprentice-course-free-2017/) for this year’s cohort, making the course free to take thanks to a grant from a funder.       ![Charity Apprentice logo](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2017/12/charity- apprentice-logo-2017.jpg)   ## What the course offers   Once enrolled, students gain access to the Charity Apprentice online platform, residential boot camps and real-world marketing, campaigning and fundraising challenges. The course offers students practical experience as well as a theoretical understanding of the sector.   The course has been developed to give the experience needed to navigate the sector, specialise according to individual strengths and goals, and even start an enterprise.   ![Hack Day for Charity Apprentice students in 2017](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads. cloud/2017/12/charity-apprentice-2017-hack-day.jpg) _Hack Day for Charity Apprentice students in 2017_   The course can be taken alongside a day job or studies. It has attracted hundreds of students, from university graduates to those in their 50s and 60s looking for a career change.   Apprentices also have the opportunity to apply for exclusive work placements at Child.org projects in Africa.   Thomas Muirhead, Managing Director at Child.org said: “Now more than ever, the charity sector must innovate and grow, simply to keep up with the challenges we face globally. In order to do that we need good people from all walks of life. Unfortunately, routes into the industry are not open to all – often requiring that people work free of charge, for long periods of time just in order to gain basic skills.   “By opening up this course, we hope to offer more great candidates from a diverse pool of talent a stepping stone towards a future in the charity sector.”   ![Charity Apprentice 2017 - fundraising challenge](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads. cloud/2017/12/charity-apprentice-2017-challenge-fundraising.jpg) _Charity Apprentice students taking part in the 2017 fundraising challenge._   ## “Tangible skills”   Aimee, a 2017 Charity Apprentice, said: “Since becoming involved in the course, I’ve helped run a Friends Pub Quiz, organised a 15k Walkathon, and am currently planning a Swap-shop event. This practical experience has been absolutely key – it has equipped me with real life, tangible skills, given me plenty to talk about in interviews, and made me feel so much more confident in my own ability!”   Application details and a full course outline are available on [charityapprentice.org](http://charityapprentice.org). * **[Three Mobile customers urged to give free Domino’s pizzas to the homeless during cold snap](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/02/28/three-mobile-customers-urged-give-free-dominos-pizzas-homeless-cold-snap/)**( 28 February 2018) * **[Can social enterprise plug a fundraising gap?](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/03/16/can-social-enterprise-plug-fundraising-gap/)**( 16 March 2018) * **[Lloyds Bank & Bank of Scotland Social Entrepreneurs Programme open for applications](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/04/06/lloyds-bank-bank-scotland-social-entrepreneurs-programme-open-applications/)**( 6 April 2018) ![Loading](https://fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/page-views-count/ajax-loader- 2x.gif)