What apprenticeships reveal about skills, agency and young people’s futures: an interview with Rylie Sweeney

Transitions are often where education systems are tested most. Moving from school into volunteering, apprenticeships or employment can be an abrupt shift for young people – one that demands independence and adaptability at pace. National Apprenticeship Week offers an important opportunity to reflect on how these pathways can be better supported, celebrated and strengthened for young people at a critical moment in their lives. 

This National Apprenticeship Week, we spoke to youth policy and systems advisor and ASDAN trustee, Rylie Sweeney. For Rylie, these transitional moments expose a critical truth: what young people often lack is not aspiration or ability, but the opportunity to develop and practise thinking skills in supported, meaningful ways. 

“We know in the data that transition points are the most difficult times for young people,” Rylie explains. “And what I see again and again is that the biggest gap isn’t knowledge or motivation – it’s supported judgement.” 

“Young people often move from very highly structured environments into one that expects autonomy and decision-making initiative almost overnight. That’s where thinking skills really matter.” 

ASDAN’s six core skills at the heart of employability

At the centre of ASDAN’s approach are six core skills: learning, communicating, decision making, thinking, team working and self-awareness. These skills provide a shared framework that helps educators identify, develop, and recognise learning that might otherwise go unseen. 

“Young people need to be able to ask: What matters here? What are my choices? And what happens if I try something and it doesn’t work out? Volunteering, apprenticeships and early employment expose young people to uncertainty very quickly. Without strong thinking skills, that can be overwhelming – but with them, it can be empowering.” 

Learning to think through experience 

For Rylie, thinking skills develop through experience, reflection, and exposure to the real world. She highlights work experience as a particularly powerful context for this learning. 

“Critical thinking helps young people make sense of information, challenge assumptions and reflect on what’s actually working for them,” says Rylie. “It gives them space to step back from pressure and expectation, and to make decisions based on evidence.” 

Why apprenticeships matter

National Apprenticeship Week shines a spotlight on apprenticeships as a powerful and credible pathway, particularly for young people who thrive through applied learning. Rylie’s own pathway reflects the impact of applied, skills-focused learning. She describes struggling in mainstream education, particularly when learning felt disconnected from purpose.

“I was always asking, when am I going to need this? Why am I learning this? And I couldn’t link what I was learning in the classroom to the real world or my community.” 

“All of a sudden, I had access to lots of work experience and engagement with employers. I could figure out what I didn’t like and what I did like. That exploration was really important and ultimately led me to a construction management apprenticeship aged 16.” 

“I liked the idea that every day was different. I could see how education was applied directly into the industry and into my job role. Getting qualifications alongside real experience made learning make sense. Skills and future readiness were at the core of my learning and that’s when I really excelled.” 

A consistent theme in Rylie’s work is agency, both for individual young people and for the systems that shape their lives. Volunteering and apprenticeships, she argues, can play a key role in developing a sense of purpose. 

“Hope is critical for young people navigating transition. They need to know that the future isn’t something to fear – it’s something they can influence.” 

When young people are trusted with responsibility and their voices are taken seriously, confidence grows. 

“They’re more likely to engage in their communities and to feel that they belong.” 

But Rylie is clear that agency must be supported at a system level. 

“Young people often feel unheard. Policy isn’t written for them, and they can’t see how it connects to their lives. If we want meaningful participation, we must meet young people where they are. When young people are involved in shaping programmes, policies or curricula, engagement deepens. They’re proud of it. And that confidence spreads."

Embedding thinking skills in practice 

When asked how education systems can embed creative and critical thinking more effectively, Rylie’s answer is pragmatic. She recalls a project that transformed her own engagement with learning

“We need more applied, real-world context in the curriculum. Schools are bound by the national curriculum, but they can bring it to life. We had an employer come into a math lesson and set a real problem around building a bridge in our local community. Suddenly I leaned in. I knew I might need this one day.”

This shift from retention to application is key.

“In the real world, young people don’t need to just retain knowledge – they need to apply it. That’s where critical thinking, creative thinking, communication and teamwork really develop.”

Why ASDAN resonated 

Rylie’s decision to become an ASDAN trustee was rooted in alignment between her experience and ASDAN’s skills-based approach. 

“When I first discovered the work that ASDAN was doing, the six core skills at the centre of their courses really resonated with me,” she explains. “They very much aligned with my own experience when I moved into a technical education setting, where skills and future readiness were at the core of everything I did.” She challenges the idea that these are “soft skills”, adding, “For me, they’re not soft at all – they’re the infrastructure that allows young people to be successful beyond education.”  

Rylie also values the way ASDAN embeds skills throughout learning rather than treating them as an add-on.  

“When skills are intertwined in everything young people do, it creates strong foundations. Young people can see how learning connects to their future, they build confidence, and they develop a real love of learning.” 

“ASDAN's six core skills mirrored what helped me thrive in a technical education setting. When skills and future readiness are at the heart of learning, young people thrive. They find a love for learning because they can see how it connects to their future and to real opportunities." 

A hopeful future 

Despite ongoing challenges facing young people and education-to-work pathways, Rylie remains optimistic. 

“Young people aren’t one-size-fits-all. Providing multiple pathways and valuing skills like thinking, decision-making and self-awareness gives more young people the chance to thrive.” 

For her, the priority is simple: 

“Give young people opportunities. Let them explore, reflect, and make mistakes. That’s how they build the skills they need – not just to transition, but to shape the future.” 

Find out more

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•    Already a member? Contact your assigned education development partner to discuss how ASDAN's project qualifications, programmes or Short Courses can complement your curriculum and learner progression plans.