The UK Government’s wage increase is set to come into effect next month.

By Zara Grew (she/her)

As the UK Government’s wage increase comes into effect next month the National Society of Apprentices say that £6.40 per hour is not enough.

In April 2024, the apprenticeship minimum wage will rise from £5.28 to £6.40.

The National Society of Apprentices has said that apprentices should be paid the Real Living Wage which is currently £12 per hour, a wage rate calculated based on the cost of living.

Susan, a Modern Apprentice and spokesperson for the National Society of Apprentices, said: “The apprentice minimum wage has had its day. At its introduction it was there to make sure we got paid “something”. The apprenticeship system was in tatters after decades of neglect. A decade later in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the apprenticeship minimum wage pushes apprentices into poverty and debt.”

The National Society of Apprentices is a union which works with more than 120 training providers and employers, representing over 150,000 apprentices from across all sectors and industries, across the whole of the UK.

Fellow Modern Apprentice and spokesperson for the organisation Scott said: “Every group of apprentices we’ve ever spoken to has said pay is an issue. NSoA’s first win was working with the coalition government in 2014 to make sure the apprentice minimum wage was high enough to entitle apprentices to sick pay. In 2017 we began campaigning for apprentices to be paid the living wage. It started off just being a few apprentices talking about how hard it was to live on poverty pay.

“Countless workshops, letters, meetings and social media posts later things have changed. Since then we’ve seen our friends in the Trade Union movement bring their campaigning power to the argument. Even the government’s own Social Mobility Commission called on employers to pay apprentices the real living wage.”

Scott added, “The idea that apprentices should have enough money to be able to get to work, have enough to eat, pay their rent and even have some fun is firmly in the political mainstream”

City of Glasgow College, one of Scotland’s largest colleges, provides training for over 900 apprentices every year.

Leo Subido, Student President of the City of Glasgow College, the representative for all students including apprentices, urges the UK government to rethink the proposed wage.

Subido said: “A full time apprentice is expected to work around 30 hours per week, plus a day of study either at your workplace, university, college, or online. Many cannot afford to live on this wage alone and have to seek other sources of income such as taking on other employment.

“On top of this apprentices are expected to fork out for their own materials needed for the apprenticeships, for example mechanical tools. It is criminal that apprentices aren’t getting paid the living wage, does the government not recognise their work to be worth of that?

Subido added: “Apprentices are integral to stop the ever-growing skills gaps that businesses are worried about across the country, provide trained professionals that have experience in their fields.”

You can find out more information about the apprenticeship minimum wage and the upcoming wage increases on Gov.uk.