In general apprentices work for at least 30 hours a week, however, the number of hours an apprentice works each week depends on your business requirements and employee terms and conditions. An apprentice must receive the appropriate minimum wage. For more information on the national minimum wage, visit the website at www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates. 

Even while an apprentice is undertaking an apprenticeship and not fully qualified, many employers will see economic benefits over and above wage and training costs. Organisations - both public and private sector - benefit from the economic output produced by apprentices. 

Apprentices are undergoing a training process through which they are being equipped with new skills, and as such they cannot be expected to be as productive as an experienced worker. However, once apprentices are trained, the benefits to employers in terms of apprentice outputs (e.g. increased productivity) will start to overtake the apprentice training costs incurred by employers. The most commonly enjoyed benefits for hiring apprentices are improvements in product or service quality, productivity and staff morale. 

Apprenticeships are available at Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4/5 or degree level. The apprenticeship framework consists of:

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• Competency Qualification;

• Knowledge Qualification;

• Essential Skills Qualifications;

• Employee Rights and Responsibilities.