Retail "apprenticeship " just a way of getting cheap labour?

[wecoudlofhaditall]

Currently looking for a job
Thought I would see what retail jobs were available
Superdrug and card factory to name two are offering "retail apprenticeship " positions
Paying a low wage for the same job an actual retail assistant is getting paid.
My first retail job was at Debenhams and literally picked it up first day.
It's not difficult

Surely this is a way of cheap labour ?

British apprenticeships vary massively in quality and retail has a rotten reputation. The qualifications don't teach you much and aren't valued in the sector. It used to be that only about 25% of young people who started on the retail apprenticeship stayed the course. Most continued to work in retail, just dropped the apprenticeship. Personally I'm surprised that as many as 25% stayed. Dropping it gave a massive pay rise for doing the same job.

The reason it's an 'apprenticeship' is because kids can't leave school at 16 now and simply go and work in a shop. So the 'apprenticeship' covers them staying in some form of education.
I'm presuming this is aimed at school leavers, minimum wage for under 18s is £6.40 an hour which is lower than the OP said the wage is. If it is aimed at school leavers I can't see what the issue is, if anything they're overpaying.

This is so depressing. So regular job with less pay, and extra steps and micromanagement

Not just retail though. My son has just graduated with a degree in CS.
Very few entry level jobs but loads of apprenticeships and the rest all need experience. My son would happily do an apprenticeship if it got him a foot in the door but can’t because he’s got a degree.

I saw one being advertised locally for an apprenticeship in a cafe! When asked what qualification and what hours (by other posters) the owner said £6.20 an hour and an nvq2 in hospitality. It's basically a cafe assistant role, clearing tables, making drinks etc......... so just a way to pay less. And this cafe would not be subject to the apprenticeship levy so it is cheap labour. No doubt would be binned off the next apprentice when this one ends.

I'm just looking at apprenticeships with ds and you're not wrong!

There are some great ones in trades like electrical engineering or building which will be a slower learning curve and what they study will add to their skills but I see a lot of retail, receptionist and even call centre jobs - wtf?

The problem is that kids have to stay in education until they are 18, so those who aren't academic are 'encouraged' into these apprenticeships when they'd be much better paid if they just went and worked there as a standard employee.

British apprenticeships vary massively in quality and retail has a rotten reputation. The qualifications don't teach you much and aren't valued in the sector.
This is entirely the fault of the sector. I assess apprenticeships ( not retail) some that have qualifications attached and some not. They are designed by so called ' trailblazer' groups of employers. Some of the trailblazer groups are absolute jokes but everyone falls over themselves to do what they say. I suspect the retail one is designed to allow employers to get away with doing as little as possible in terms of training. The M&S boss said they couldnt do certain short courses as part of it. But they can. They can do it as part of the days" learning. They have deliberately designed the apprenticeship to allow their members to get cheap labour imo. If they aren't valued in the sector then it is up to the sector to provide proper training. They should be providing a day a week of training, so if they aren't providing that, they aren't providing an apprenticeship. A record of the training is sent off for audit. Funding will be pulled if they don't provide it. The new funding rules are pretty strict so hopefully the employers will be pulled up on it. Many employers have not been been bothered about training, preferring to complain about ' education', pass the buck and get ready trained staff from overseas than invest in training young people.

There was an apprenticeship being offered near me. It was 37.5 hours in a tea van, was less than £4ph, and was a year long! At the end of it, you would have a level 2 qualification in basically making tea. Utter con, and taking advantage of people.

Many employers have not been been bothered about training, preferring to complain about ' education', pass the buck and get ready trained staff from overseas than invest in training young people

exactly this.

And you should be able to do an apprenticeship if you have a degree, there's no harm in someone "stepping down" to learn on the job skills. I know there are some post-degree apprenticeships but they are few and far between.