Richard Review right to call for better quality apprenticeships, says TUC

date: 26 November 2012

embargo: 00.01hrs Tuesday 27 November 2012

Recommendations set out in the Richard Review on apprenticeships published today (Tuesday) should go a long way towards improving the standard of placements currently on offer and encourage greater support from employers and young people alike, says the TUC.

But the challenge will be to ensure that the Review's call to raise quality also puts a stop to the shocking situation of poverty pay for young apprentices, where one in five apprentices are not getting the statutory minimum wage, says the TUC.

The Review's recommendations will only really enhance the experience of the 500,000 apprentices currently undergoing training across the UK if they are to be accompanied by clear action from government, employers and training providers - all working closely with unions to stamp out the abuse and exploitation of young people - says the TUC.

Whilst many apprenticeships are of excellent value and are run to a high quality, all too often young people find themselves on sub-standard schemes, where employers don't invest in apprenticeships and simply use them as a cheap source of labour, says the TUC.

TUC General Secretary Designate Frances O'Grady said: 'The Richard Review is welcome but the pressing challenge for ministers is not to waste the opportunity it offers to crack down on the poor treatment of young people keen to enter the world of work. It is nothing short of a scandal that one in five apprentices are not being paid the minimum wage the law says they should be.

'Failure to ensure quality devalues the apprenticeship brand and undermines the work of the many good employers and apprenticeship schemes currently on offer.

'Providing apprenticeships should be all about giving young people the skills they need to build their own careers and ultimately to make their own contribution to the UK economy. It should not be about exploiting the thousands of youngsters desperate to leave the dole queue and make a start in life.

'The government must look carefully at these recommendations and act now against rogue employers, ensuring decent quality and proper rates of pay for all apprentices, both young and old.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- Unionlearn - the education and skills arm of the TUC - has recently launched a campaign to make young apprentices more aware of their rights. I'm an Apprentice, Value Me! aims to give everyone on an apprenticeship - or thinking about doing one - the facts on their rights at work. This includes information on the levels of minimum pay they should expect, and the quality of training and apprenticeship they are entitled to: www.unionlearn.org.uk/valueme

- Results from the last apprentice pay survey in 2011, undertaken by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) showed that nearly one in five are currently being paid illegally, below the level of the minimum wage, with a similar proportion not receiving minimum standards of training.

-For more on the Richard Review please visit the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website: http://www.bis.gov.uk/

- The current minimum wage rates for apprentices (October 2012- September 2013) are:

£2.65 per hour - apprentices under the age of 19 and older apprentices in the first year of their apprenticeship

£4.98 per hour - apprentices aged 19-20 (not in first year of their apprenticeship)

£6.19 per hour - apprentices aged 21 and over (not in first year of their apprenticeship)

- The National Minimum Wage is enforced by HM Revenue and Customs. Contact the Pay and Work Rights Helpline for advice: https://www.gov.uk/pay-and-work-rights-helpline or 0800 917 2368.

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07887 572130 E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk