How to Hire an Apprentice as a Tradesperson UK — Funding, Pay and What to Expect (2026)

Taking on an apprentice is one of the smartest things a growing trade business can do. The government pays 95% of the training costs for small employers, the starting wage is lower than a qualified tradesperson, and if things go well you end up with a loyal, skilled worker who has learned your standards from day one. This guide covers everything you need to know: how the funding works, what you pay, how to find a training provider, and what the first year actually looks like on site.

Why apprentices make sense for trade businesses

Skilled tradespeople are hard to find and expensive to hire. A qualified plumber or electrician with two or three years of post-qualification experience commands £30,000–£45,000 per year depending on location. They come with their own habits, shortcuts and ways of working — which may or may not match yours.

An apprentice is different. You grow them yourself. They learn your systems, your quality standards, and your customer expectations from the ground up. By the time they qualify, they know exactly how you want jobs run. Many apprentices who complete their training with a small trade employer stay on as permanent employees for years — because they feel loyalty to the business that invested in them.

The financial case is also strong. Because the government covers most of the training costs and the starting wage is modest, the total investment to bring on an apprentice is significantly lower than hiring a qualified tradesperson. You are trading a few years of lower productivity for a long-term, high-quality addition to your team.

How apprenticeships work in UK trades

A trade apprenticeship typically lasts three to four years. During that time, the apprentice splits their week between working on site with you and attending a college or training provider for off-site learning. The most common arrangement is one day per week at college, with the remaining four days on site. Some training providers use block release — where the apprentice attends college for weeks at a time, then returns to site for a longer stretch.

You are the employer throughout. You pay the apprentice's wages for every hour including college days. The training provider — usually a local FE college — delivers the off-site technical education and manages the qualification paperwork. You are responsible for the on-site work experience, providing a workplace mentor, completing progress reviews, and ensuring the apprentice is gaining the practical competencies required by their apprenticeship standard.

At the end of the apprenticeship, the apprentice sits an End-Point Assessment (EPA) conducted by an independent assessor. If they pass, they receive their full qualification and can work unsupervised. The EPA is externally assessed — you cannot influence the outcome, and the apprentice must pass on their own merits.

Apprenticeship standards for the main trades

Each trade has its own apprenticeship standard, which defines the competencies the apprentice must achieve and the level of qualification they will hold on completion. The main standards for UK tradespeople are:

• Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician — Level 3. Typically 3.5 years. Covers domestic plumbing, heating systems, hot and cold water, gas appliances (gas qualifications are separate). Recognised by APHC and the JIB-PMES.
• Electrical Installation — Level 3. Typically 4 years. Covers installation, testing, inspection and commissioning of electrical systems in domestic and commercial buildings. Recognised by JIB and NICEIC/NAPIT. Apprentices work towards their AM2 assessment.
• Brickwork — Level 2 (Operative) or Level 3 (Craftsperson). Typically 2–3 years. Level 2 is the common entry-level standard; Level 3 covers more complex and heritage brickwork.
• Carpentry and Joinery — Level 2 (Site Carpentry) or Level 3 (Advanced). Typically 2–3 years. Site carpentry covers structural work, first fix, second fix. Advanced Carpentry and Joinery covers more complex joinery and shop fitting.
• Plastering — Level 2 (Operative) or Level 3 (Craftsperson). Typically 2–3 years. Covers solid and fibrous plastering. Level 3 includes heritage and specialist decorative work.
• Painting and Decorating — Level 2. Typically 2 years. Covers interior and exterior painting, wallpapering, surface preparation and specialist finishes.

All current apprenticeship standards are searchable at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) website at apprenticeships.education.gov.uk. If your trade is not listed above, search there for the relevant standard.

What you pay an apprentice

The Apprentice National Minimum Wage from April 2025 is £7.55 per hour. This rate applies to apprentices who are under 19, or who are in the first year of their apprenticeship regardless of age. After completing the first year of their apprenticeship, apprentices aged 19 or over become entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age group — which from April 2025 is £10.18 per hour for 18–20 year olds and £12.21 per hour for those aged 21 and over.

In practice, most trade employers pay above the apprentice minimum to attract good candidates. A first-year apprentice on a plumbing or electrical course might realistically expect £8.50–£10.00 per hour from a small employer. By the third or fourth year, as their practical value increases, many earn £12–£16 per hour. The market rate varies by region and trade — check what local competitors are offering before you set a rate.

You pay the apprentice's wages for all hours, including time spent at college. If your apprentice attends college one day per week and works four days on site, you pay them for five days. College attendance time counts as working time for pay purposes.

Government funding: what you actually pay for training

This is the part most trade employers do not know about, and it is significant. If your total annual payroll is under £3 million, you are a non-levy employer. For non-levy employers, the government pays 95% of approved apprenticeship training costs directly to the training provider. You pay only 5%.

The total training cost for a typical trade apprenticeship ranges from £10,000 to £15,000 over the full duration. At the government's 95% contribution, your employer contribution is £500 to £750 in total — spread over the three or four years of the apprenticeship. That is less than most tradespeople spend on tools in a year.

The larger levy scheme applies to employers with a payroll over £3 million, who must pay 0.5% of their payroll into a digital apprenticeship account and draw it down to fund training. This will not apply to the vast majority of sole traders and small trade businesses.

Additional incentive payments have previously been available for hiring apprentices aged 16–18 (historically £1,000 per apprentice). These incentive schemes change, so check gov.uk for the current offer before you start the process — additional payments may be available that reduce your net cost further.

The CITB levy (construction industry)

If you are a construction industry employer with a wage bill over £120,000, you will be liable for the CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) levy. The levy rate is 0.35% for directly employed staff and 1.25% for labour-only subcontractors, applied to your total wage bill above £120,000.

The CITB levy is separate from the apprenticeship levy and covers a broader range of construction employers. The upside is that CITB levy payers can claim grants back for training activities, including apprenticeships. If you are paying CITB levy, register on the CITB website and check which grants are available for your apprentice — you may be able to reclaim a significant portion of your costs.

How to find an apprentice

The best starting points for finding apprentice candidates depend on your trade:

• Find an Apprenticeship (findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk) — the government's official vacancy platform where you advertise your apprenticeship vacancy free of charge. Most serious candidates check here.
• CITB (construction trades) — CITB run an apprentice matching service that connects employers with candidates who have already expressed interest in a construction apprenticeship. Available at citb.co.uk.
• JIB (electrical) — the Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry supports apprenticeship recruitment for electricians. Check jib.org.uk for resources and contacts.
• APHC (plumbing and heating) — the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors provides apprenticeship support and recruitment assistance for member businesses.
• Local colleges — contact the apprenticeship team at your nearest FE college directly. Many colleges maintain a pool of candidates actively looking for an employer and can match you quickly without any advertising.
• School outreach — visiting local secondary schools in Year 10 or 11 to talk about trade careers is one of the most effective long-term recruitment strategies. Candidates recruited this way are often highly motivated and come with family support behind them.

Choosing a training provider

Your training provider must be on the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP) — if they are not on the register, you cannot use them for a funded apprenticeship. You can search the register at find-apprenticeship-training.service.gov.uk.

For most trade apprenticeships, the training provider will be a local further education (FE) college delivering a BTEC or City & Guilds qualification alongside the apprenticeship standard. When choosing a provider, ask about: their Ofsted rating, how long they have been delivering the specific apprenticeship standard you need, how they handle progress reviews with employers, and what support they provide if an apprentice falls behind.

You sign a formal agreement with the training provider that sets out both parties' responsibilities. Read this document carefully before signing. It will include details on the employer contribution payment schedule, review frequency, and what happens if the apprenticeship is terminated early.

Your responsibilities as an employer

Taking on an apprentice is not just a hiring decision — it is a training commitment. Your legal and practical obligations as an employer include:

• Pay the agreed wage on time, for all hours including college days.
• Allow time off for training — you cannot make the apprentice sacrifice their college day for site work, even when you are busy. College attendance is a legal entitlement.
• Assign a workplace mentor — usually you, or a senior member of your team, who is responsible for supervising the apprentice on site and supporting their practical development.
• Complete progress reviews with the training provider, typically every 12 weeks. These are formal check-ins to assess the apprentice's progress against their learning plan.
• Provide real work experience that exposes the apprentice to the range of tasks required by their apprenticeship standard. You cannot keep them doing labouring work for months — they need genuine trade experience.
• Provide PPE, tools and protective equipment as required for their role. Apprentices are employees and have the same health and safety protections as any worker.

The first few months: what to expect

Be realistic. A first-year apprentice will not be immediately productive. In the first six months, they may slow you down rather than speed you up as you explain tasks, check their work, and correct mistakes. This is normal and expected. The investment in those first months is what produces a capable tradesperson by year three.

Most employers report that apprentices start adding genuine value somewhere between six and twelve months in. By year two, a well-supported apprentice can handle a significant proportion of routine work independently. By year three or four, they are approaching the productivity level of a qualified tradesperson, at a fraction of the cost.

Invest in the relationship from day one. Apprentices who feel valued, supervised properly, and shown genuine career progression are far more likely to stay after qualifying. Apprentices who feel like cheap labour leave as soon as they have their qualification — taking the training investment with them.

Completion and beyond

When your apprentice completes their apprenticeship and passes their End-Point Assessment, they hold a full Level 2 or Level 3 qualification and are legally entitled to work unsupervised in their trade. At this point you have a choice: retain them as a qualified employee at an appropriate market rate, or lose them to a competitor who will offer them exactly that.

Most trade apprentices who qualify with a small employer and have been well managed do stay on — often for years. The transition from apprentice to qualified employee should be handled thoughtfully: a pay review, a clear job title, and a conversation about their future with your business. That conversation, handled well, is worth more than almost any other retention tool available to a small trade business.