Last week I wrote to the Low Pay Commission, which is responsible for setting the minimum wage, calling for a pay rise of apprentices.
There were 510,000 apprenticeship starts last year, 231,000 more than in the 2009/10 academic year.
In the North East there were 36,000 apprenticeship starts compared to just 19,000 in 2009/10.
The huge increase in the number of apprenticeship since 2010 is something everyone should welcome. In Northumberland alone we have seen the number of apprenticeship starts more than double from 2,100 in 2009/10 to 4,410 last year.
I was one of the first MPs in the United Kingdom to employ an apprentice. My apprentice, Jade Scott, from Prudhoe, completed her Business and Administration Apprenticeship in 2012 and has since secured a full-time position with my Hexham office.
I am asking the Low Pay Commission that the apprentice rate of the minimum wage and the 16/17-year-old rate be combined. The change would increase the apprenticeship minimum wage by £1.06 with the hourly rate going up from £2.73 to £3.79.
Whilst most apprentices already earn more than the minimum wage the move would benefit more than 31,000 young people. We have seen a enormous explosion in apprenticeships and a realisation that they are now a excellent route for young people into work. I have seen it first hand myself with my own apprentice.
An apprenticeship can make all the difference in ensuring our young people have the right skills and an opportunity to get themselves into a successful career. The time has now come to increase the basic rate of pay for apprenticeships so they are even more desirable for young people in the North East.
