The vast majority of apprentices are normally in full-time employment and so tend to receive the ‘rate for the job’. Since 2005 they were entitled to a minimum wage of £80 per week and this was increased in 2009 to £95 per week. On 1 October 2010 the rate was increased to £2.50 per hour and the pay also covers the time that the apprentice spends in off-the-job training at a local college or at the training provider.
A typical range is £115-£160 per week, although it does vary, depending on the age of the apprentice, the size of employer and skill area in which they are training.
Until 2010 it was also possible to undertake another form of training, called a Programme-led Apprenticeship (PLA). Apprentices on this scheme attended college or other training provider to undertake study in one or more parts of the Apprenticeship framework. Some underwent training in a workplace, attending college on a day-release basis. In this way they were prepared for employment and were able to move onto the full Apprenticeship framework once an employer had been identified. For those undergoing training in a workplace, it also provided the potential employer with an opportunity to see if the Apprentice would make a suitable employee. Apprentices on a PLA were not paid but were treated as students of Further Education and so could claim the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which meanstthat they could receive up to £30 per week, depending on parental income.
NB As a consequence of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, PLAs are no longer recognised as an Apprenticeship – all apprentices have to be employed and, from 1 April 2011 no funding will be made available for PLAs. (Click here for further information - page 16).
Originally, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded the cost of training and assessment delivered by the training provider. This has now changed and funding is now available from the Skills Funding Agency via the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), a new agency with overall responsibility for promoting and supporting Apprenticeships. The money is paid directly to the organisation that provides and supports the Apprenticeship; in most cases this will be a learning provider. Large employers with a direct contract with the National Apprenticeship Service may receive the funding themselves
For more information on the NAS, click here.
