Apprenticeships

 
apprenticeships

Apprenticeships

We have recently been looking through our old BLOGS, interested to see what has changed, and what have people been most interested in. We were somewhat surprised to see one of the articles that received most interested was about apprenticeships. So we thought we’s just do a quick recap on that with more up to date information.

An Apprenticeship means young people and adult learners are able to earn a wage whilst they are training in a real job, gaining real qualifications. This often takes between one and four years to complete. You dont have to be a large firm to employ apprentices. The small business team assist small businesses with the process and advertising for the roles are free through the National Apprenticeship scheme.

What pay do apprentices receive?

An apprentice must receive the appropriate minimum wage, currently £2.73 for those under 19 or in their first year of an Apprenticeship. See table below.

Year 21 and over 18 to 20 Under 18 Apprentice*
2014 (current rate) £6.50 £5.13 £3.79 £2.73
2013 £6.31 £5.03 £3.72 £2.68
2012 £6.19 £4.98 £3.68 £2.65
2011 £6.08 £4.98 £3.68 £2.60
2010 £5.93 £4.92 £3.64 £2.50

*This rate is for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those aged 19 or over who are in their first year. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age. How many hours they work is varied but usually at least 30 hours a week.

What does an employer get out of it?

According to the Apprenticeship  there are countless benefits to taking on an apprenticeship including:- “96% of employers that take on an apprentice report benefits to their business, 72% of businesses report improved productivity as a result of employing an apprentice”. For details of the costs an employer incurs and grants available it is worth having a look at NWFC

Where to start:- try engineering apprentices , Manchester City Council  or Gov.uk f you are looking for yourself or Apprenticeships if you are an employer thinking about taking on an apprentice.