Apprentices can expect a minimum wage increase of 10p an hour from 1 October, with the rate set to rise from £3.30 to £3.40.
The pay rise was announced by the secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, Sajid Javid, in a written statement to Parliament this morning.
He said that the Low Pay Commission’s 2016 report had made the recommendations for the increase, as well as for an increase of the youth development rate, which covers 18- to 20-year olds, from £5.30 to £5.55, and the rate for 16- to 17-year-olds, from £3.87 to £4.
‘A real wage’
The apprenticeship minimum wage rose from £2.73 to £3.30 an hour in October 2015.
In a separate speech today to mark the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week, Mr Javid said: “We know apprenticeships are real jobs, paying a real wage and providing a real education. We know they’re an excellent way for young people to gain the skills they need to compete and for employers to develop the leaders of tomorrow. I want us to create the highly skilled workforce Britain needs. And I want us to give all of Britain’s young people the opportunity they need to rise to the top.”
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