Apprentice minimum wage rate should double

Employers support an increase in the national minimum wage for apprentices to £5.00 an hour, nearly double the current rate of £2.60, to according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) latest Labour Market Outlook survey.

Opinions varied between industry sectors, with manufacturing firms suggesting that apprentices should be paid a minimum of £5.40 an hour and retail employers saying that the rate should be set at £4.50.

The CIPD also found that employers felt that three other rates that make up the minimum wage should be much higher.