Why Forge Up
A future, not a backup plan
Built for young people who want a real career in the trades — with the money, the qualifications, and the progression mapped out from the start.
Earn from day one
£0 debt
Skip tuition fees. Start a paid apprenticeship and stack qualifications while you work.
Real demand
Skilled trades
Bricklaying to HVAC — every trade with live salary ranges and apprenticeship demand.
Find your match
3 questions
A quick quiz maps you to specific trades and the apprenticeships you can apply for today.
Stories
Real apprentices, real pathways
Building a Future, One Course at a Time
Everyone told me to stay on for A-levels, but sitting still in a classroom was never me. I started a bricklaying apprenticeship with a local firm and learned more in my first month on site than I had in a year of lessons. What surprised me most was the maths and the planning — there's real craft in getting a wall straight, level and on time. I'm now mentoring the first-years, and I'm saving to start my own company before I'm 25.
From GCSEs to the National Grid
I left school at 16 not really knowing what I wanted to do, only that university and the debt that came with it didn't feel right for me. A careers afternoon put me onto an electrical apprenticeship and I haven't looked back. Three years in, I'm a qualified installation electrician working on substations. I earn a proper wage, I've got no student loan, and every day is different. My advice to anyone unsure: the trades aren't a fallback — they're a real, skilled career.
The Only Girl on Site — and Loving It
When I told people I wanted to be a plumber, half of them laughed. I get the last laugh: I'm two years into my apprenticeship, fitting heat pumps and boilers, and the demand for what I do is only going up. Yes, I'm often the only woman on site. But the work speaks for itself, and more girls are coming through every year. If you're good with your hands and want a career that pays and matters, don't let anyone talk you out of it.