Before discussing how much apprentices earn, It is important to know who apprentice is?
Apprentice is a person who does an on-the-job or classroom training in the certain trade he or she chooses as a profession to enhance his/her skills and expertise in the practical and theoretical aspects of that profession or occupation. For instance Accounting, Audit or Management apprentice or a practitioner who works under the surgeon to learn surgery. In short, Apprenticeship is the route to gain qualification as well as work experience in the chosen profession.
Different countries have different laws regarding wages paid to the apprentices. The wages or payments are usually governed by a formal contract between a trainee and the employer.
Earning
Employers are free to pay above the minimum wage level but they should at least pay the minimum wage according to the country’s law. There are strict rules and regulations around the globe for the pay rates an apprentice should be entitled to. An employee can only be paid if he has the contract signed with the employer or the trainer. The training must be registered and acknowledged by the training organization and nationally as well. The pay rates will largely depend upon the length of the training period or how much one is being trained.
In Pakistan, Apprenticeships are governed by the Apprenticeship Act 2017. According to the Apprenticeship act,2017 an apprentice should be paid at least 50% of the minimum wages as a monthly stipend prescribed by the Federal Government which is Rs.15000 per month. However, in the United States apprentices are earning an average of $13.69 per hour. In the United Kingdom, the current pay rate is £3.70 per hour as of April 2018 for the trainees aged 16 to 18 and for those who are in the first year. The pay rate varies according to the age group.
Now if we talk about how much one can earn through apprenticeship generally, we will find out that the benefits and the reward are much greater than the monetary one. An apprentice or a trainee does not only earn the money but also the craft or the skill one needs to excel in the specific field or domain. Things get different when we do them practically rather than studying them in the books. An apprentice learns the application of the qualification he or she possesses. He learns in the environment where he has to apply his knowledge of the subject he opts to practice. You learn and ultimately earn better by doing. According to the survey in the United States if you complete an apprenticeship program you can earn over 300,000$ more than your peers in the lifetime in the same job. Earning income while learning the skill reduces the need to take debt as well.
In short, learning the skill is the real earning. And in the long run, The learned and the experienced man always get the better remuneration as he becomes proficient in the occupation he chooses.