Wages & Training for Your Apprentice

Author: Emma Jones · Last updated 19th March 2026

As an employer an apprentice can benefit your company by bringing in new skills to fill shortages, increasing productivity and boosting motivation. You need to reward these benefits by treating your apprentice fairly.

You should put in place good training services so that they can get the most out of their time with your company. You also need to pay them a fair wage that reflects the work they are doing and meets industry standards.

What You Need To Provide

As an apprenticeship provider you have made a commitment to train and guide your apprentice as they learn the ropes of the industry. To do this you need to provide them with planned, structured training services that will help them learn on the job.

The training services should be practical, logical and reflect the level and content of their college work. You also have a commitment to treat them fairly as an employee. This means paying them a fair wage in lines with industry standards as well as giving them the same benefits and entitlements as the other staff.

Wages

Although any apprentice that you take on will obviously still be training, they will also be working for your company and providing a service. Because of this, and out of fairness, you need to offer them a fair wage.

The minimum that you can pay them is £95 a week but this is very low and it would be better to give them a salary in line with industry salaries for an entry level job. You will pay their wages in the same way as you would any other employee, deducting tax and national insurance.

Training

The on the job training that you provide for your apprentice is an important part of their apprenticeship and you need to take time to plan it. It should tie in with their day to day responsibilities and teach the skills that they will need in the industry.

Any staff training is an asset to your company and will help keep you ahead of your rivals. Use the training to mould your apprentice into what your company needs and complement what they are learning at college so that they can progress.

Progression

An apprentice is joining your company to learn and gain more experience in their chosen job. The wages that you offer initially and the training programme that you put in place will reflect this.

As they progress, gain more experience and become more of an asset to the company you may want to consider increasing their wages to reflect their progress. Similarly, as they learn more skills the training services may need to be adjusted so that they still offer the apprentice what they need at that stage of their development.

As a company you have a commitment to give your apprentice fair wages and training that reflect their experience and progress. These may shift overtime and you need to be flexible about adjusting the training plan and increasing their wages as they become more integrated into the company.

23 Comments

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fandaz 25 Mar 2019

My daughter is 16 and is in her first year as a hairdressing apprenticeship. She often has to work with her Boss (the company owner) and he is often moody and difficult to work with. He is snappy and quite mean to my daughter and this is effecting our daughter's mental health. Its very frustrating because she feels trapped as she has no one to complain too. Please help? Thanks Carols

AnApprenticeship Editor 23 Jan 2018

If your son requested to do the course, then the course should be done in his own time. It is not the employer's responsibility. The employer can give help and support where they can, but they are not obliged to grant him time off.

JPMV 22 Jan 2018

My 18 year old son is an apprentice waiter. He works 5 days a week and has some on-the job training. He asked to do a Wine & Spirits Educational Trust (WSET) training programme. The Restaurant Manager agreed but said that my son would have to pay for the course and they 'may' refund this cost if he passes. He is on the 3 day course this week. He has not been given time off for the course. One of the days he has been told to take a holiday and when he he will work the remaining 4 days of this week; so in effect he is doing the course in his own time. Is the employer entitled to do this?

RosieJ Editor 19 Jan 2018

@S - if you and the other staff are cleaning up fairly, then you can assume you should help. But if you are made to clean toilets on your own, and the other staff aren't then I'd complain to your employer or your apprenticeship provider.

S. 18 Jan 2018

Hi I have started a dental nurse apprenticeship and for two days they have been making me clean toilets. I am 17 years old and one of the staff said not to wear gloves when cleaning the toilets. There is no mention of cleaning duties other than dental equipment in the job description. I am not happy and feel like I am being bullied. Where do I stand with this? As an apprentice am I expected to complete such tasks? the staff have said they have no cleaners so they all clean up. But its only been my first week!

Ben 7 Aug 2016

I am 19 years old and I have been a Plumbing apprentice for nearly 3 years now. I am right at the end of my second year trying to move onto my third and I have been given an extension already by the college at the end of July and given until the end of August to get a whole bathroom done for my coursework. I am now two weeks away again from failing my course again because my boss hasn't tried to get a bathroom for me to do for my course work because "he is too busy and doesn't have the time". I am now being accused from my boss about not caring about my work. My boss has made me spend the last 3 years just passing him tools and not letting me do anything because I take longer than someone who has been in the industry for 20 years when trying to carry out tasks. I tried to pipe up a radiator which took me an hour to do as i kept getting called every 5 minutes trying to pass tools to my boss as he was downstairs with his toolbox. I have also been underpaid in my first year by £800 I am slowly coming to accept that maybe I am not going to pass my course now which I've spent the last two nearly 3 years of my life trying to achieve. Where do I go from here and what do I try to do incase all of this goes wrong again?

Karls 30 Jun 2016

2 weeks ago I completed my 2 year apprenticeship and turned 19 however I've still gotten payed 3.30 an hour and I thought it was going to go up to 5.30. Can he still pay me the lower amount as I've only been working there throughout a year of my training or should it have gone up!?

AnApprenticeship Editor 31 May 2016

You would need to speak to your apprenticeship provider about this, especially if you are not covering the the aspects of your apprenticeship laid out in the contract and that are needed to attain your certificate. You can also try ACAS via the link here who will advise you on your options and rights.

J 31 May 2016

Hello I don't want to make this to long winded, but I have been working for a small plumbing and heating company owned by one man (my boss) for just over a year now. In this time I have been taken advantage of in my opinion. My boss gets me to work on his allotments and his home when we don't have any work on. He also only ever does Heating work (i.e boiler fits) as opposed to what I should be doing Toilets,Baths,Sinks ect. There is no regard for health and safety and he laughed it off when i did voice my concern. I am being paid right and am not working long hours, mainly due to the fact he takes 4/5 holidays a year. I hate moaning but please tell me i am not overreacting here and that he is in the wrong? Any one else experiencing similar problems. Thanks.

AnApprenticeship Editor 15 Dec 2015

If you have left school but are under the age of 18 then there are slightly different rules regarding working hours. As a young worker your working hours cannot be longer than 40 hours per week rather than the normal 48. Also, your employer must give you at least 12 hours off between shifts and at least 24 hours clear from working each week. Make sure that your employer is aware of these entitlements and speak up if they try to flout them. You can see this information via whichShould you need any advice regarding how to approach your employer, please give ACAS a call. I suggest you also read contract terms prior to calling.

M 12 Dec 2015

I have just started an apprenticeship as an estate agent, I have been working between 42 and 48 hours a week but am only 17. Is this ok?

emma 11 Oct 2015

My 16 year son has recently started an apprenticeship. He works in the workplace 4 days a week and attends college for 1. Could you please tell me if he should be getting paid for his days training at college? I was under the impression that he does but the person dealing with his wages says not.

Lorraine 20 Aug 2015

Hi can someone please advise me. My son is 17 and has started an apprenticeship a few months ago in a small computer shop. He enjoys the work even though the boss is a bit of a bully, always telling him off. The main issue is the boss and two other staff use vapour e cigarettes constantly there is no ventilation in the front of the shop were my son works. The vapour is irritating his chest to the point he has a persistent cough he recently had a week off due to this, the GP says it could very well be the vapours. He had a clear chest after the week off but has started coughing again on his first day back. He tried to tell his boss he thought the vapours were the cause but his boss refused to listen insisting they are safe and said the GP was talking rubbish. I don't think there much data on these as yet no one is saying they are 100 per cent guaranteed not to cause a problem, all people will say is they are 95% better than tobacco.

AnApprenticeship Editor 19 Jun 2015

@bankie - I think in this case, given it is such a grey area and one that might affect your training package, you would have to give the National Apprenticeship helpline a call via whichI hope this helps.

bankie 17 Jun 2015

I am currently employed by a building company on an apprenticeship,my employer has just asked me to register as self employed is this right .im only 6 months into my training

Alex Editor 4 Mar 2015

@hollie - you may not be entitled to extra pay if you are on an apprenticeship as that is likely to be fixed. But you will be entitled to training and the hospital has a duty to do that. It is unlikely you will be left alone, but if you are concerned give Acas a call, they are pretty good at giving free advice in situations like this.

hollie 2 Mar 2015

I have an apprenticeship in a hospital and soon all the actual staff are going to be leaving the offoce and going onto new jobs and as they are both part time anyway both me and another apprentice are left in the office alone in the afternoons. When they leave there will be nobody to train us in the office and we will be on our own doing the work, do we have any entitlements i.e extra pay or anything?

ILoveHotdogs 11 Nov 2014

My boyfriend is on an apprentieship course studying accountancy but in his job that he found through his learning provider, he isn't doing any work even slightly related to accountancy... he's doing filing and being asked to do work in the warehouse! Is this allowed as he is being paid minimum wage for an apprentice? How can he go about fixing this? He has already raised the issue with his college but they said its better to have a job than no job at all and his work have said he needs to stay in the department he is already in.

AnApprenticeship Editor 20 Oct 2014

@bid d - If she has started the programme and wishes to continue caring for the elderly then she can can change employers and continue on the same apprenticeship programme. However, if she wants to have a change in direction and new apprenticeship course; there is nothing to stop her having more than one apprenticeship. I suggest she speak to her advisor about leaving the other course and/or The National Apprenticeship Service helpdesk will be able to give more information and point her in the right direction. I hope she manages to find the right one.

bid d 19 Oct 2014

hi my daughter started an apprenticeship in caring for the elderley, worked 4 days then left,says she didnt like it, but I think working was just a shock to her, can she start another apprenticeship in a different kind of work or is 1 apprenticeship the limit thanks

AnApprenticeship Editor 15 Oct 2014

@wtvip Yes, all employed apprentices get a wage. The current 'apprentice National Minimum Wage' is currently £2.68 per hour and applies to all 16 to 18 year olds and to those aged 19 and over in the first year of their apprenticeship. I suggest getting in touch with the organisers to try and find out why your children aren't. I hope this helps.

witvip 14 Oct 2014

both my children are not being paid when at college. Both are in their first year of an apprenticeship she is 17 and he is 19 .Can you please help me out with there rights

mark holmes mastet b 8 Sep 2014

I am a barber with 15 years experience, l have been approached by someone who is very keen to learn barbering and l am very keen to teach them and earn them there apprenticeship how do l go about this

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