To become a manager you have to be a toady/sycophant. Try something else.

Find a company where you can definately take steps up. Working in a very small company would limit your options, so take the plunge and work for some soulless big blue chip company for a year or so. Work very hard, kiss butt (unfortunately) but put in extra hours without complaint, always be willing to take on difficult tasks that others won’t and try and lead where possible. A manager will hopefully recognise your potential and put you up for a promotion.
I work exceptionally hard in my place, I started as an administrator and am now a Manager who reports directly to the C.O. I have always been one to take control and I always put in additional time and worked really hard on some of my projects, getting better than average results. This was recognised and I was promoted. I am very lucky where I work, they have a policy of promoting from within and lots of people have been there a long time and several have risen through the ranks like I have.
There are also some great foundation courses out there to learn management skills, some of them aren’t cheap though. Try your local college to see what courses they run or look on line, perhaps Learn Direct.
Alternatively blag it completely! Or find a management job advert that looks appealing and apply for it, be honest in your letter but tell them that you make up your lack of experience in honest hard work and enthusiasm, put some suggestions in your letter and tell them that you want that job! If you don’t get the job ask the interviewers for some feedback, companies are pretty good at this these days.
And good luck!

Not sure about the apprenterships around at the moment, i know they are trying to pick up the momentum of them again. the local job centre would be a good start for information and employment agencies.. i have included a link for you to peruse.
i did it by LOADS of office experience (temping, full time work, administration & management accounts) , backed by a couple of qualifications at evening school & most of my work, i preferred to use smaller companies, as i find with larger companies, you are basically just another payroll number & invariably have a limited roll with little or no decision making. Wheras, smaller companies, the work is harder, but you get a better understanding of how the whole business runs, giving you ideas on whoch area of management you wish to persue, accounts, administration, buying, sales etc etc
you will get suupport in the uk for education of you are a low earner ….

either check out course’s at your local collage or buy a book on small businesses, read up on pro’s and con’s
it should give you a good idea on how to start up your own business

I have only been promoted twice, but those were not big promotions. When I didn’t get the promo I wanted, I looked for it elsewhere. I’ve worked myself up the corporate ladder that way and didn’t have to kiss anybody’s backside. Good luck!

There is only the one way. + your face has to fit, get into the clique. It doesn’t matter where you work, it is all the same

The first step into management in an office environment is supervision, generally. And, this is the hardest step. It requires that you truly want to take accountability for some specific deliverable. For example, maybe your group is in order processing of some sort. The obvious deliverables are turn-around time, meeting the deadline on difficult days, cost effectiveness, customer and employee satisfaction. I assure you that if you have the willingness and talent to achieve this type of objective, your road to management is well-paved.
So, how do you get the chance to get a supervisory position? Some businesses make it easier by creating “team leaders” who get the chance to show that they can rise out of the group, provide direction, gain team members’ respect, and get all work assigned. These positions are generally easy to get because they’re often thankless–you usually have your own work to do as well taking this position. So, you’ll work harder and get nothing more–except for the chance to get ahead.
If this type of progression isn’t visible to you, then you’ll need to become involved in running the office without any title or obvious responsibility. This can mean just making yourself avaiable to converse with managers and find out what needs doing, and doing it. That may feel like kissing backsides, but it gernerally isn’t. It’s being part of the leadership team, complete with distancing yourself from the complainers in the office. It means taking ownership of the organization’s objectives and understanding and believing in those objectives. Many people don’t want to be in this position–they want to be managers, but they hate this side of the role. So, test it out for yourself by getting close to the managers so you can learn and undestand. As one of my mentors told me years ago, even if I was the most qualified team member, and even if I’d been achieving my job with my hands tied behind my back, unless and until the senior managers saw me as a good fit for their group, I wasn’t going to get where I wanted to be.

They perform several operations on managers when they get promoted. Perhaps you can look into getting these done before hand to increase your promotion chances.
First, they remove their brains. They do leave the medulla oblongata so that essential life functions can continue, but everything to do with original thought or reason is thoroughly removed.
Then they remove the heart. This is strictly a symbolic operation, but it serves to remind them that they can no longer care about others. So at this point the manager is essentially a reptile, but there is still one more operation to be performed.
This final operation involves the manager and their superior. In this joint procedure, the new manager has his lips directly sewn to the anal sphincter of his superior. This insures an uninterrupted flow of excrement down the chain of command.
While this may sound unsavory, it seems to be “Best Practice” since all the major accounting and management consultancies seem to follow it in their practices. Which reminds me: if you really want to get into management, explore working for one of the Big Four first. They are PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young or KPMG. They’ll get you properly prepped for the surgeries and issue you a resume that will get you hired into management almost anywhere.
Good luck on your choice of careers!

Either go to college for the degree or a certificate program and maybe to an intern position and you will be on a good way into the field.
Good luck
K