Warning about apprenticeships

[dawnburke]

I wish to warn about 18 year olds starting apprenticeships as the Government and Apprentice websites do not tell the correct facts. My 18 year old daughter started a level 2 childcare apprentice in November 2014. Although the wage of £2.73 an hour is low (I was actually getting more than she is earning in tax credits and child benefits when she was a full time student) but because it was something she really wanted to do, we agreed that it would be worth her while. On the Government websites it states that "if an apprentice is 19 and in their second year of apprenticeship the rate of pay will be NMW". This obviously lead us to believe we would only be worse off for one year. However, my daughter had a review meeting with her manager and was told that if she continues to do well, then they will take her on to Level 3. My daughter said she was pleased as she is looking forward to the NMW. But ... heres the loophole. The manager told her that even though she will be 19 when she does the level 3 they are still allowed to pay her only £2.73. The loophole they use is that the Level 3 she will be doing has a slightly different name - child development instead of childcare. As it has a different name they can class it as a "first year level 3". I rang the Government helpline to check this and was told that it is a loophole that lots of employers use and there is nothing we can do about it. They basically said, "why would employers pay 19 year olds NMW when they could get already qualified staff for the same price". If she decides to do the level 3 at a different nursery they will still class it as her first year of level 3 so the apprentice rate will apply.

I have written to my MP because I want the websites changed to show that employers may use this loophole and Im waiting to get a response. My daughter loves her job but is now totally deflated that she will be on £2.73 per hour for 27 months (the level 3 course is for 15 months) and not just the 12 as we first thought. If we had known this at the very beginning, we would have pursued a different avenue rather than the apprentice route. I am fuming!!

Whilst it is crap for your daughter I see the employers point, they have to train her, why do that for the same cost as someone they don't train.

University students pay thousands to get trained, with unpaid placements to do.

I agree that the website should be changed, to reflect that a different course starts at year one again.

Is there a year 2 of the same course she could do?

is it something she really wants to do, and build a life long career from?

if the answers yes, then she's just going to have to suck it up and think long-term rather than short term.

If this is a game changer and she wants to reconsider her career, then I'd stop after level 2 and have a hard think about the next step.

It is something she wants to do so will continue onto level 3 - we are just annoyed at being misled by the website and I just wanted others who are thinking of apprenticeships to be aware of the loopholes used.

You're right that the website needs to be changed if this is common practise, but I think it's reasonable pay, considering the company are training her, not employing her to do a full job. And yes, why would they pay her NMW when they can get a qualified adult for that?

I think you need to see it as a bonus over what she would be getting if she had gone to college.

The training at the nursery is hands on (in so much that she is actually doing the same job as the other members of staff). In addition to that she has to do coursework at home and an assessor goes into her work every month to mark it. An apprentice is classed as an employee and she is treated as such. The pay she gets is actually less than what I was receiving in tax credits and child benefits when she was at college so it is not a bonus. Also, as she is classed as employed she is actually worse off as she now has to pay for dentist/optition/prescriptions etc which were free to her as a student - all out of £400 per month.

As I said, my main annoyance is with the incorrect web-site and the loopholes. Had we known the facts beforehand then she would probably have done the course over 2 years at college instead.