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Apprentice 'took big pay cut' to learn on the job

Emma Baugh/BBC Poppy Ludgate is in an office room, wearing a dark blue fleece, she is smiling at the camera.Emma Baugh/BBC
Poppy Ludgate left a retail job to retrain as a carpenter but said the pay cut was off-putting

A 22-year-old carpenter has welcomed plans to invest in more opportunities for young people's education and training but wanted to see "a bit more" for apprenticeships.

Poppy Ludgate said she took a "big pay cut" when she left her job as a shop assistant to become an apprentice in 2022.

She was among a group of apprentices and former students from Peterborough College who met Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on Monday ahead of announcing new employment reforms.

The government has unveiled a new "youth guarantee" promising 18 to 21-year-olds in England access to an apprenticeship, training or education, or help to find a job.

Emma Baugh/BBC Liz Kendall is wearing dark blue overalls and safety glasses, she is speaking with a woman wearing a black polo shirt and safety glasses, behind her are several people also wearing overalls, they are in a room with white walls.Emma Baugh/BBC
Liz Kendall (right) met a group of current and former apprentices at Peterborough College

Those who refuse to work will face having their benefits cut, Kendall has told the BBC.

Miss Ludgate welcomed measures to give young people more opportunities, but said more could be done for apprenticeships.

"Apprenticeships give you a better opportunity to understand if you actually enjoy doing the work you're going to be doing," she said.

Miss Ludgate said low pay was the biggest reason people were put off from signing up to an apprenticeship.

"I took a big pay cut to go from a shop assistant, which is the minimum wage down to like £5 an hour on an apprentice[ship], which isn't quite right because you've got the travel costs."

Emma Baugh/BBC Szymon Olszewski is wearing a dark blue polo shirt and is smiling at the camera, behind him is a plain white wallEmma Baugh/BBC
Szymon Olszewski said apprenticeships should involve high-quality training

Szymon Olszewski, 19, an apprentice in manufacturing engineering, said he wanted to challenge how the government thinks about low-paying apprenticeships.

"I believe there's a major fear with a lot of apprentices, that if they go to training [...] they're not provided with the quality and standard they should be."

Mr Olszewski said training and facilities should be of a high standard.

He still thought people his age were increasingly likely to choose an apprenticeship over university.

"My generation, I believe, they are trying to find ways to involve themselves [in] more hands-on [work] rather than doing a lot uni book work and whatnot and getting in debt."

Emma Baugh/BBC In a workshop two female apprenticeships wearing dark blue overalls are working with bench vices, in the room there are several benchesEmma Baugh/BBC
The youth guarantee promised 18 to 21-year-olds a place to learn, train or do paid work

Ms Kendall, who published her white paper on Tuesday, said young people had a "responsibility" to take up opportunities given to them.

"We'll fulfil our side of the bargain to make that happen," she said.

The strategy named Peterborough as one of eight "youth trailblazer" areas where the government plans to spend £45m on identifying young people at risk of falling out of education or employment.

Paul Bristow, the Conservative combined authority mayoral candidate and former Peterborough MP, said he was "always keen" to see more funding for the city, but that more information was needed.

"The devil often lurks in the detail – particularly with this new government," he said.

"Unless training and course lead to getting a job, we aren’t helping anyone."

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