Scottish apprentices wages must be increased
The Scottish Greens have put forward proposals in Parliament which would boost the pay of thousands of Scottish apprentices.
Party co-leader Ross Greer MSP has tabled amendments to the Tertiary Education Bill to force anyone receiving government funding to deliver apprenticeships to pay them at least the same wage as other workers.
The amendment would require Scottish Government ministers to outline the minimum rate of pay for Scottish apprentices, which must not be below the national minimum wage.
At present, apprentices in their first year can be paid as little as £7.55 an hour, which is 28% less than the minimum wage for workers aged 18-20 and 45% less than that for workers over 21.
Bringing apprenticeship wages in line with the existing national minimum wage would end the injustice that sees apprentices paid less than the minimum wage of other workers of the same age.
At the end of June 2025, there were 11,769 Modern Apprentices in Scotland. Of these, 5,043 were under 19, 2,142 aged 20-24, and 4,584 over 25.
Assuming all of these were on the first year apprenticeship salary, around 6,000 apprentices will see a pay uplift of £4.66 per hour, or 45% while those aged 18 to 20 will see an uplift of 28%.
Ross said:
“Everyone deserves a wage they can live off, one that is enough to pay their bills. There is no reason why apprentices should be paid at a level well below the poverty line.
“Essentials like food, fuel and electricity don’t cost any less for them than they do for the rest of us, so why should they be paid so much less?
“Apprenticeships are a great way to kickstart a career, but they are often hugely underpaid, meaning many people can’t afford that path even if they want to.
“That is why I have tabled these proposals. The Scottish Greens want to make sure that apprentices get a wage they can survive on while they build their skills and
contribute to their employers’ business.”