As part of the research, employers were asked, ‘Are you prepared to offer more money than the standard apprenticeship wage for the right apprentice?’ to which 92 per cent said ‘yes’, with only 8 per cent responding ‘no.’
Ryan Longmate, managing director of Positive Outcomes, said: “The combined research findings have certainly thrown up an interesting suggestion. That, despite young people thinking otherwise, employers are open minded when it comes to pay and that, should the right candidate come along, they’re willing to pay more than the standard wage.”
He continued: “A key part of the service we offer is to match the right candidate to the right opportunity. We pride ourselves on sourcing apprentices who are well fitted to their prospective employer. Consequently, you will often find that firms recognise the abilities on offer from their apprentice and are subsequently willing to offer them a better wage than the apprentice may initially have anticipated.”
The study also questioned employers about the wages they were likely to pay should they offer a full time position to a former apprentice who had completed an apprenticeship scheme with them. 25 per cent stated they would pay between £12,000 and £13,999. 24 per cent said they would pay between £14,000 and £15,999, whilst 11 per cent said they would pay between £16,000 and £17,999. When combined, those figures suggest that 60 per cent of post apprenticeship employers would pay between £12,000 and £18,000 as a starting salary for an apprenticeship qualified employee.
Ryan Longmate said: “The minimum wage for 18-20 year olds per hour in the UK is £5.30. When taken as an annual salary, based on a 37.5 hour week, this equates to around £10,300 per year. Our research suggests then that the vast majority of employers are willing to pay considerably more than that for an apprenticeship qualified employee.”
He added: “It just goes to show that completing an apprenticeship is an excellent way to take several steps up the career ladder at a very young age.”
Ryan concluded: “The benefits of an apprenticeship are many, but a key element is that you’re being paid to learn, rather than paying to learn. Even if an employer doesn’t wish to pay more than the standard rate during the course of your apprenticeship, you’re getting an internationally recognised qualification whilst earning money as opposed to accumulating debt, making an apprenticeship a great option for a young adult to consider.”