A Qualitative Study of Apprenticeship Pay: An IPPR report to the Low Pay Commission

Article

This report, commissioned by the Low Pay Commission, examines variations in apprentice pay across the UK and the role of apprentice pay in young people's decisions to start and complete an apprenticeship. The report also considers the potential responses of employers to the introduction of a national minimum wage for apprentices.

Although most apprentices are employed, the majority are exempt from National Minimum Wage legislation, and pay rates for apprentices vary significantly across different industries and by gender and age. The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has been asked by Government to consider how apprentice pay could be brought under the National Minimum Wage framework.

This report is concerned primarily with employed apprentices aged 16 to 24 working in hairdressing, retail, early years childcare, hospitality and social care - all low-paying sectors employing mainly female apprentices. We also looked at the engineering sector for comparison, as apprentice pay is normally higher here and the vast majority of apprentices are male. The findings presented in this report are based on focus group and survey research with apprentices and other young people across the UK, plus interviews with employers, training providers and careers advisers.

Related items

  1. A little girl in a red school uniform looks at the camera while another student writes with a pencil next to her

    What comes next: A fairer approach to primary assessment

    England’s primary school accountability and assessment system is not working well for disadvantaged children.
  2. A woman’s hand filling in a postal ballot / voting form.

    A durable majority?: How public opinion on the EU performs under pressure

    A decade on from Brexit, Andy Burnham has signalled that a reassessment of the UK’s relationship with the EU might be around the corner.
  3. Flags of Great Britain and European Union

    New world, new relationship: Our future with Europe

    Britain’s assumptions about its place in the world no longer hold, upturned by Russian aggression, American unreliability and Chinese coercion.