Didn't get the exam grades you needed? This is what you can do instead

Firstly, I want to congratulate all those who received their A-Level results last week, and those who will shortly be collecting their GCSE results over the coming days.

Lee Anderson MP has held a number of Apprenticeship fairs since becoming an MP.

Whatever grades you received, make sure that you take some time this summer to celebrate all that you have achieved and the tough journey that you have been on to get here.

Having two sons myself, I know how demanding and exhausting it is to be a young person going through exam season in this generation.

Having two sons myself, I know how demanding and exhausting it is to be a young person going through exam season in this generation.

However, if you did not get the results you expected, do not be disheartened.

Some numbers and letters on a piece of paper do not have to define you for the rest of your life.

There are a number of notable, very successful people in Britain who did not do particularly well in school.

Take Sir Alan Sugar, a very successful businessman who hosted the TV show The Apprentice and also sits in the House of Lords.

TV personality Jeremy Clarkson likes to remind young people every year around exam season that he got a 'C' and two 'U' grades at school, despite his success today.

In my case, I wasn't exactly at the top of the class in my school.

Fast forward a few years and I am now proud to be the MP for my hometown.

The point is, a bad grade does not have to be the end of your education.

There are plenty of options for you to advance your knowledge outside of university or college.

The apprenticeship route is something that is slowly becoming more popular in recent years and here in Ashfield and Mansfield there are plenty of opportunities for young people to explore.

There are significant benefits for choosing the apprenticeship path.

Apprenticeships allow students to continue learning in a specific area, whilst also earning a wage and then at the end of the course you have zero student debt.

Compare that to a university student, who will likely have to get a part-time job on top of their course to pay the bills and will emerge from the course with tens of thousands of pounds of student debt.

By no means am I devaluing the university route, but simply highlighting that it is not for everyone, and should not be seen as the default option for school leavers.

Since becoming Ashfield's MP, I have hosted a number of apprenticeship fairs for local school leavers.

These fairs brought together students and major local apprenticeship providers like West Nottinghamshire College who offer fantastic opportunities, as well as employers in all sorts of industries looking to take on apprentices.

So, if you are a school leaver, I would highly recommend looking at apprenticeship options.

A Reform UK Government will invest in skills and apprenticeships to maximise these opportunities for young people.