Apprentice: you have a job that includes gaining recognised qualifications and essential skills whilst you are working and earning a wage.

Apprenticeship: an official agreement between an employer and an apprentice which sets out the terms agreed between the 2 parties.

Artificial intelligence: computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making and translation between languages.

Automation: the use of equipment to perform a task or a job.

Boycott: to refuse to buy, use or participate in (something) as a way of protesting.

Contractor: a person who agrees to do a certain job for a period for a set fee - contractors are often self-employed but generally sign a contract to work with one company at a time.

Employee:  a person who works for another person or for a company for wages or a salary

Employment sectors: the areas into which the workforce is divided. e.g. many creative people work in the stem sector.

Employer: a person or company that has people who do work for wages or a salary: a person or company that has employees.

Flexitime: a system in which employees are required to work a certain number of hours but are allowed to choose their own times for starting and finishing work.

Full-time job: working the full number of hours considered normal or standard. normally 35 or more per week.

Intern: a student or recent graduate who works for a period of time at a job in order to get experience.

Labour market information (LMI): information on the number of people employed or unemployed, unemployment rates, average wages, population, income, occupational projections etc.

Lifestyle: someone’s way of living: the things that a person or particular group of people usually do.

Maternity leave: the period of time off officially allocated for a person who has given birth. (can also apply to parents of adopted children)

Occupation: the work that a person does: a person’s job or profession.

Overtime: time spent working at your job that is in addition to your normal working hours.

Period of notice: to be given notice - to be told you have x amount of time before your job ends.

Profession: a type of job that requires special education, training or skill.

Promotion: the act of moving someone to a higher or more important position or rank in an organisation.

Part-time job: working or involving fewer hours than is considered normal or standard.

Paternity/parental leave: the period of time off officially allocated to the parent of a new born baby who has not given birth. (can also apply to parents of adopted children)

Redundant: dismissed from a job because you are no longer needed.

Relocation: the action of moving to a new place and establishing one’s home or business there.

Salary: an amount of money that an employee is paid each year.

Self-employment/ freelance: working for oneself, often for several companies at a time, rather than for an employer.

Shiftwork: a type of work schedule in which groups of workers rotate through set periods throughout the day. e.g. shifts in this workplace are 6am-2pm, 1pm-10pm or 10pm-6am.

State Pension: The State Pension gives you a regular income from the government once you reach State Pension age.

Trainee: a person who is being trained for a job.

STEM/STEAM: an employment sector variously described as: science, technology, engineering & maths/science, technology, engineering, art & maths/science, technology, engineering, art, maths, enterprise & design.

Strike: a period of time when workers stop work in order to force an employer to agree to their demands.

To be on the dole: to be claiming money that the government gives to support people who are unemployed.

To hand in one’s notice/ to resign/to quit: to give your boss a statement that you intend to leave your job

To fire or to sack somebody: to dismiss someone from a job, often because they’re not good at their job or have behaved very badly.

To get a raise: to receive an increase in the amount of your pay.

Unemployed: to be without a job.

Union: an organisation whose membership consists of workers and union leaders, united to protect and promote their common interests.

Wage: very similar to salary: an amount of money that a worker is paid based on the number of hours, days, etc. that are worked.

Wage differential: the difference in wages between workers with different skills in the same industry, or between workers with comparable skills in different industries or localities.

Workplace pension: a way of saving for your retirement that's arranged by your employer. Usually both you and your employer have to pay into it under Auto Enrolment rules. Contributions are taken directly from your wages and paid into your pension. Usually, your employer also adds money to your pension, and contributions from the government will be added in the form of tax relief.